THE next time you shop in the Co-op store on Crediton High Street, or indeed in any Co-op store, 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 during the next year Co-op members will be able to donate one per cent of what they spend in the Co-op to funding a new website.

“We really hope lots of people will choose the Crediton Heart Project as their local cause and help us create a website to promote all the brilliant things going on in our town and villages,” explained Rosemary Stephenson, Chair of the Crediton Heart Project.

“A single website for the Crediton area doesn’t currently exist which makes it very difficult for locals and visitors to find out what’s going on.”

The Crediton Heart Project was set up last year by a group of volunteers who want to keep the heart in Crediton, by increasing opportunities for leisure, health and business activities.

“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.”

The Heart team has been working hard to raise funds to employ a professional website designer to create a site that is informative, attractive and easy to use. They also plan to employ a website manager to keep it up-to-date and relevant.

“We’ve already received generous grants from Crediton Town Council and Devon County Council so this support from Co-op members will really help us reach our target.”

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

To become a Co-op member and start supporting the Crediton Heart Project, just ask for an application form in the store or use this link which tells you all about the scheme: https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/42366 .

As well as developing a website, the Heart Project team has also been consulting local groups and residents about plans to build a new community venue for the town, providing space for entertainment, clubs, services and small businesses.

Results of this consultation and a Feasibility Study will be published soon. To keep up-to-date with the Heart Project’s ambitious plans and to tell the Project what you think, visit: www.creditonheartproposals.commonplace.is .