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How do you feel about being stuck at home for much of the past two months?

Well here’s your chance to express yourself creatively by entering The Crediton Heart Project’s competition. The idea is to create something – a poem, painting, story, a collage, a song or an animation that expresses your experiences in lockdown.

Crediton Dairy has given £500 to help fund the creation of a new community website for the town and surrounding villages.

‘This is a really generous gift from a local firm and a major boost to our fundraising efforts,’ said Heart Project Chair, Rosemary Stephenson, 'we are hugely grateful'.

In response to feedback from local groups and businesses, the Heart Project is planning to create the first community website, which will provide information about events, activities, services and businesses in the Crediton area.

‘We need to raise at least £8,000 to create and maintain a professionally designed website, that is informative, engaging and easy-to-use. We want it to become the go-to online destination for anyone wanting to know what's going on in our area,’ explained Rosemary.

‘We have already received grants from Crediton Town Council and Devon County Council. We are hoping that other local businesses will choose to invest in their community by supporting this exciting project’.

Crediton Dairy is one of the UK’s leading dairy drinks businesses producing a range of flavoured milk drinks, iced coffee drinks and long life milks and creams. The milk used in its products is all supplied by local, family-run dairy farms. The Dairy was established at its current site next to Crediton Parish Church in 1947.

A new building offering space for performances, community activities and small businesses would be well used by people living in and around Crediton, concludes a report published last month by the Crediton Heart Project.

The Heart Project Feasibility Study and Business Plan was written between June and October last year following extensive research and consultation with local community groups and the general public.

‘What has become clear is that there is significant demand for a mixed-use building which would support arts, community and business,’ concludes Rebecca Morland, the professional consultant commissioned by the Heart Project to write the report.

The Report collated information gathered from more than 30 community groups, who completed a questionnaire about how they might use a new community facility. It also used the results of the survey on this website filled in, online or on paper, by more than 600 people living in and around Crediton.

‘This has given us a good understanding of the potential demand for the range of facilities and services that the Heart Project could offer, and has enabled us to develop a business plan to demonstrate its potential viability,’ explains Ms Morland.

‘It is quite clear that any such facility will need to operate without subsidy, and it will also need to complement the existing range of provision within Crediton and its surrounds, rather than competing with it, and this has been taken into account throughout.’

The consultation showed strong demand for a flexible theatre space, which could be used by local groups as well as touring performers. Rooms for practical and creative activities were popular, as well as facilities for small businesses and the self-employed. There was also considerable support for a cinema.

Many people felt a new building should provide space and activities aimed at young people, as facilities for this group are inadequate.

Some respondents were worried that a new facility would threaten venues in Crediton and the villages. Others felt it would be better to spend money on improving current facilities and spaces.

‘These concerns are included in the report and we will take them on board as we develop our plans,’ said Rosemary Stephenson, Chair of the Crediton Heart Project.

‘There were strong feelings about the location of the new building, with many people preferring a town centre site,’ said Rosemary. ‘No site has been chosen yet, but we are considering all the options, including a split site. This could involve converting old buildings rather than creating a new one.’

The Report recommends three next steps for the Heart Project. Firstly, the development of a community website, to promote the town’s existing venues, events and businesses. The Heart Project team has already started work on this. Secondly, the appointment of an architect to advise on sites and thirdly the development of a fundraising strategy.

Next time you shop in the Co-op some of the money you spend could go towards creating a new community website for Crediton and its surrounding villages.

Crediton Heart’s Community Website Project has been chosen to benefit from the Co-op’s Local Community Fund. This means that over the next year Co-op members will be able to donate 1% of what they spend in the Co-op to funding a new website.

‘We’ve consulted groups and venues and they all seem keen on the idea of a community website, which would include information about events, activities and rooms to hire in the town and villages, as well as promote our fantastic local shops and businesses,' said Crediton Heart Chair, Rosemary Stephenson.

'At the moment it's difficult to find out about all the great things going on locally. This new website will really help connect people, groups and spaces much more effectively.' explained Rosemary. 'It will be the 'go-to' online destination for locals and visitors to the area.'

It costs just £1 to become a Co-op member, which enables you to get back 5% of whatever you spend on Co-op products and services, as well as contributing 1% to a local cause.

In a new report published by Arts Council England, 68% of those surveyed think arts and cultural events are very important for fostering community feeling while 49% of people think attending arts and cultural events helps them feel part of a community ,

The research, which took place in Birmingham, Halifax, Hastings, Redruth, Southampton and Stoke-on-Trent also found that 65% of people think that arts and culture are good for wellbeing, and 36% think arts and culture are “essential to life”.

Available arts and culture were also cited by 44% of people as a reason to remain in an area and by 43% as a factor in choosing an area to move to - equal with schools.

Available cultural organisations were also found to be helping to fill the gap left as retail moves away from high streets. By offering unique experiences, these organisations are h elping to attract visitors and increase footfall, promoting high streets as attractive places to live, work and visit. ilable arts and culture were also cited by 44% of people as a reason to remain in an area and by 43% as a factor in choosing an area to move to - equal with schools.

Arts and cultural organisations were also found to be helping to fill the gap left as retail moves away from high streets. By offering unique experiences, these organisations are h elping to attract visitors and increase footfall, promoting high streets as attractive places to live, work and visit. ilable arts and culture were also cited by 44% of people as a reason to remain in an area and by 43% as a factor in choosing an area to move to - equal with schools.

Arts and cultural organisations were also found to be helping to fill the gap left as retail moves away from high streets. By offering unique experiences, these organisations are h elping to attract visitors and increase footfall, promoting high streets as attractive places to live, work and visit.The e arts and culture were also cited by 44% of people as a reason to remain in an area and by 43% as a factor in choosing an area to move to - equal with schools.

Arts and cultural organisations were also found to be helping to fill the gap left as retail moves away from high streets. By offering unique experiences, these organisations are h elping to attract visitors and increase footfall, promoting high streets as attractive places to live, work and visit.