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Launch of Devon’s £9.3m Community Renewal Fund programme


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Team Devon partners are embarking on the UK’s largest Community Renewal Fund programme.

Devon County Council’s successful bid on behalf of the Team Devon partnership to the Community Renewal Fund was announced by the Government in late November, with the £9.3 million funding allocation the largest in the UK for a single area.

The investment will support 13 innovative projects over the next six months, including a range of employment and training, environmental and community investment across Devon through to mid-2022.

In total, the £9.3m programme is expected to help 3,500 people to enter new training opportunities, support 350 businesses, and facilitate the creation of 800 new jobs.

Councillor Rufus Gilbert, Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery and Skills, said:

“This is very good news for people and businesses in Devon. The largest allocation in England is testimony to the good work of the Team Devon partnership and our collective task now must be to crack on and deliver this ambitious programme.

“These exciting pilot projects will promote Devon’s green assets and develop the county’s natural capital, while providing support for hard hit small businesses and disadvantaged young people and adults. It will tackle deprivation and disadvantage within Devon’s most vulnerable communities, as well as support the economic growth of rural and coastal communities.”

Councillor Bob Deed, Chair of the Devon Districts Forum, said: “The support this programme will provide, will benefit so many people across the county. It’s great that so many diverse projects and businesses from all over Devon are being supported. The positive impact from this scheme will hopefully benefit many of our local communities and businesses. I would like to personally thank Team Devon who have done a stellar job in bringing this all together.”

Projects supported include:
• £995,000 awarded to the Retrofit Academy to support training and promote new employment opportunities across Devon around the retrofit construction sector.

• £1.35m awarded to the Biosphere Foundation to take forward a mixed programme of economic and environmental development activity, seeking to build upon opportunities across Northern Devon’s unique marine and rural environment to generate sustainable jobs, industries and investment.

• £1m awarded to PETROC College for two programmes of activity; promoting business innovation and development through new digital technologies; and taking forward additional youth and community activity across Northern Devon, with a focus on working with those harder to reach in rural and coastal communities.

• £500,000 awarded to Mid Devon Mobility to support the development of additional community transport led employment opportunities, seeking to work with those from harder to reach background to access jobs across transportation sector.

• £2.76m awarded to Devon County Council for four projects, including grant activity to support diversification in the agricultural sector, support for the development of digital skills among harder to reach communities, a delegated grant programme to support business innovation among small businesses in Devon, and additional support to assist those with a disability to access employment.

• £500,000 awarded to Project Cosmic to take forward a programme of business support for the social enterprise / voluntary and community sector, promoting digital innovation and building resilience.

• £250,000 awarded to Project Eden to work up a detailed feasibility study around the launch of a new attraction close to J27 of the M5.

• £650,000 awarded to the Dartington Schools for Social Enterprise to support individuals from harder to reach / disadvantaged backgrounds to start their own social enterprise.

• £1.05m awarded to YKTO to support micro business across the county to take up new opportunities emerging following the COVID pandemic.

For more information visit the Community Renewal Fund Projects webpage.


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