I WRITE as Chairman of the Trustees of the Queen Elizabeth’s Education Foundation, owners of the Exhibition Road field in Crediton.

I would like correct a number of misunderstandings which have appeared recently in pages of the “Crediton Courier” regarding Lidl and this field.

We have been letting the field to the Rugby Club since the School had no further use of it in order to gain some income.

For some years now this site and that of the Rugby Club have been earmarked for residential development within the Local Plan and two years ago Lidl approached the trustees, having sought and failed to find any other location within the town.

Negotiations resulted in a planning application being granted to them recently.

Queen Elizabeth’s Education Foundation exists, totally separate from the school, and of course the Ted Wragg Trust.

We provide support for students in various ways, bursaries, prizes, equipment and support that otherwise might not be forthcoming from any other source.

The agreed price, £800K for the Lidl land, will be invested solely for the Foundation to use in supporting existing students and past students up to the age of 25.

This is, of course, a significant sum and will enable us to do much more to help.

All the funds will, of course, be retained by the Charity.

It is interesting to note that including the £400K to the Rugby Club to help the provision of improved and alternative playing facilities, means that the arrival of Lidl will see £1.2m of funds dedicated to the Youth of our community, surely something to be pleased about.

Peter Bryan

Chairman of the Trustees