Stepping Stones Totnes is just one of the 11 vital local community groups to have benefited from nearly £25,000 worth of grants from the town council.

The Community Awards support a wide range of local projects that aim to enhance the wellbeing or offer other benefits to the area.

The council’s £2,394.55 grant to Stepping Stones will enable the group, which runs Totnes Food Bank, to buy new IT equipment.

Councillors Ben Piper and Emily Price visited Kit Stevens and Belinda Taylor at Stepping Stones to see first-hand how the group makes a difference to so many local people.

Cllr Ben Piper said: “If organisations like Totnes Caring, C.A.B. and Stepping Stones Totnes were not there, we’d be very much the poorer in our community.

“Fortunately, we have been able to give them robust financial support. 

“So I am able to say, on behalf of my fellow councillors and staff, thank you for all the work you do and thanks be you are still there doing that work.”

Kit said: “We will now be able to work with IT equipment that is efficient, versatile and long-lasting, which will cope with all our communication and admin needs.

“It will also help us to enable vulnerable clients who either don’t have the technology or the know-how to get the help they need and contact friends and family they haven’t been able to see during Covid.

“This grant will make a huge difference to how we run the company and the services we can offer the community.”

Other grant recipients include Totnes Caring which received £4,000 towards the community transport co-ordinator, St John’s Church which was awarded £1,800 for community wellbeing activities and the jubilee event, Inclusive Totnes which benefited from £1,500 towards community benches outside The Mansion in Fore Street and Bridgetown Alive! which was given £940 towards producing a newsletter and noticeboards.

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Cllr Emily Price with members of Totnes Caring. (.)

Totnes Bike Hub received £3,960 for volunteer training costs to upcycle bikes, South Hams Citizens Advice was awarded £7,000 contribution towards outreach support worker in partnership with Totnes Caring, Sharpham/Totnes Park Run was handed £1,000 towards start-up costs, Totnes Garden Trail Group received £1,000 for a notice board at the Lamb Garden and new garden trail leaflets and Participate Arts received £750 for its creative connections project.

In the last year, Totnes Town Council has also supported projects across Totnes to access funding worth more than £545,000 from government grant schemes and other sources.

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