The Crediton Heart Project

The Crediton Heart Project was set up in 2018 to improve the quality of life for the residents of Crediton and its surrounding villages, by increasing opportunities and improving facilities for people of all ages and backgrounds.  Crediton is a growing market town (current pop 8,000 but expected to reach 10,000 by 2025) in rural Mid Devon, which lacks adequate facilities for its many thriving community groups.  Our aim is to 'keep the heart in Crediton' as the town expands, preventing it from becoming a dormitory town to the nearby city of Exeter. In 2019 we carried out an extensive public consultation into the social and cultural needs of the town and published a feasibility study, which concluded that Crediton needed more space for its many groups and activities. We began investigating possible sites to develop a new multi-use community venue, which could include space for performances, cinema, meetings and activities. Then Covid struck and our plans for a new building were put on hold. Instead we focused our efforts on becoming a charity and developing the Crediton In&Around website to support our community through lockdown and beyond.  Linked to lively social media channels, the website is now an extensive and popular resource sharing information about everything our area has to offer, including shops, services, venues and events.   We also teamed up with other local organisations, such as the Crediton Arts Centre, to deliver creative workshops and arts events in the town. Our recent research and conversations have confirmed there is still a need for our proposed new venue and we have identified a potential site. We are now ready to move forward with our plans to deliver a flagship building, which will strengthen our community and ensure its long term resilience.