A new Dementia Action Alliance group in Ottery St Mary has been awarded £4,000 to deliver Dementia support in the town and the wider area.

Over £75,000 has been given to a wide variety of East Devon community projects, by Devon County Council and East Devon District Council through their Communities Together Fund.

This includes giving nearly £15,000 to two dementia projects based around Honiton and Ottery St Mary, £3,000 towards two projects to provide night landing sites for the Devon Air Ambulance and £7,700 to help reduce flooding in the areas around Lympstone.

East Devon District Council and Devon County Council worked together to put £1.10 per elector into a central pot, £1 from Devon County Council and 10p from East Devon District Council.

The fund, managed by East Devon District Council, was designed to provide financial solutions to local community issues.

East Devon's not for profit organisations such as charities, town and parish councils and community groups could work together to apply for a grant.

Projects that applied to East Devon District Council and will receive the funding they've asked for are:

Setting up a Dementia Action Alliance across the Ottery St Mary area and delivering dementia support within Ottery St Mary and to surrounding parishes - £10,390.

Exmouth Town Council received over £30,000 from the Communities Together Fund to give out to Exmouth community groups through an Exmouth Community Fund event where the community got to vote on which Exmouth projects were funded.

A project from Honiton Dementia Action Alliance to pay for transport for people with dementia and their carers to come into Honiton from surrounding parishes to access dementia support services and activities - £4,000.

A flood resilience study and associated works in Lymsptone and surrounding areas. The results will be shared nationwide - £7,700.

Adding lighting to Newton Poppleford Playing Field so that the Devon Air Ambulance can land safely at night - £1,500.

Leaflets and online information for two walking routes that go through Seaton - £2,921.60.

Improving 100m of public footpath between Stoke Canon and Brampford Speke, which have become so degraded residents with pushchairs, buggies, wheelchairs etc can't use it - £1,960.

A community street party run by Budleigh Salterton Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Sir Walter Raleigh for Budleigh Salterton and surrounding parishes - £2,687.28.

Adding lighting to King George's Field in Uplyme so that the Devon Air Ambulance can land safely at night - £1,500.

Creating safe footpath access to Glebe Parks sports and playing fields in Upottery as it's on a blind bend - £5,000.

Purchasing full size portable goals for the use of The King's School in Ottery St Mary and West Hill Wasps junior football club - £1,581.

Councillor Ian Thomas, East Devon's portfolio holder for the finance, said: "Our partnership with the county council has ensured that a variety of worthwhile community projects have been supported and these projects will benefit our residents for many years to come.

"It is unfortunate that the scheme has now ended but we are continuing to work closely with the County Council and the police to make extra funding available for East Devon community projects through our crowdfunding scheme, which will be publicised again in due course."

Councillor John Hart, Devon County Council's Leader, said: "We have wanted to open up our funding opportunities to benefit a wider range of local groups and community projects, so this year we announced three new funds worth nearly £460,000.

"We have a Crowdfund Devon fund, a Doing What Matters fund, and a Making the Connection Fund. We believe that this new format will mean a broader range of community groups and local projects will be able to get access to our financial help."

While the Communities Together Fund 2018-19 has closed and won't be running again, East Devon District Council and Devon County Council continue to invest funds in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. Both organisations have grant schemes in operation.

Find out more on the East Devon District Council website by clicking the red button below.

Image courtesy of Derek Harper.