INDEPENDENT charity Devon Communities Together has been awarded £80,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Community Power Fund for its exciting new Power in Place initiative, which will support rural communities in Mid Devon to tackle rural health inequalities and strengthen partnerships with health and wellbeing services.

With 65 years’ experience of working with and supporting rural communities across Devon, the charity plans to enable communities in Mid Devon to harness local knowledge through working with Village Halls, Parish Councils, schools, faith groups and community groups.

Together they plan to design ways to address some of the inequalities that rural living can bring, and build towards establishing health and wellbeing hubs based in those communities.

It is estimated that 23% of people living in Mid Devon are affected by a “poverty premium”, in which households end up paying comparatively more for goods and services compared to people with higher incomes.

Examples of this can include pre-payment energy meters and higher interest rates, as well as smaller choice of retail possibilities and limits to digital connections.

Transport is another factor affecting Mid Devon residents, with fewer options to travel to Devon’s larger towns and cities to access health services.

Devon Communities Together says that in order to tackle these barriers, support and services should be developed in conjunction with local people and organisations.

“It is important to listen to local people and understand their needs and ideas, including those quieter voices that may not typically have influence in the way things are designed for their communities,” said Natalie Campbell, Funding Development Manager at Devon Communities Together.

“That’s where Power in Place comes in. We’ve got the expertise in enabling and facilitating communities to share their experiences and have their say but the real expertise about what’s needed comes from within the communities.

"It’s about harnessing all that local knowledge and energy to make a change. We will bring together rural communities with health and wellbeing services to look deeply at what’s needed to support rural health and wellbeing.”

The project was launched at a Mid Devon Village Halls Cluster event in February, where individuals and groups registered their interest.

Village Hall Clusters bring together representatives from local Village Halls to share ideas, concerns and advice, strengthening the resilience of each hall as well as generating a collective energy and knowledge base across the district. They are run by Devon Communities Together across all districts of Devon.

Natalie added: “Supported by us, the Power in Place project will listen to and understand what communities want and need, be central to decisions and action, and work together with communities to develop a model for rural health and wellbeing hubs within those local communities.

“We’ll be providing training, expertise and support but ultimately the drive will come from within the communities, demonstrating there really is ‘Power in Place’.”

If you are involved in a Village Hall, community building, organisation or group in Mid Devon, Devon Communities Together would love to hear from you.

Get in touch with the Community Buildings Team by emailing [email protected] or calling 01392 248919.