Funding boost for junior Exeter football team

An Exeter-based junior football team have secured a £1,000 donation from a local developer.

Persimmon Homes South West – also based in the city – awarded the grant to Stoke Hill AFC Under 9s after an application came from Ryan Cumner, a senior surveyor with the business and a dad to one of the team’s players.

The funds have been used to buy tracksuits, emblazoned with the housebuilder’s logo for the players to keep them warm and dry while training.

Stoke Hill has junior teams running from U7s to U17s, four girls’ team, and a veterans side for over 35s, with a women’s team starting next season. The club plays its matches at Hamlin Lane whilst the youth teams all play in the Exeter and District Youth League.

The club’s most famous alumnus is Ethan Ampadu, a centre-back and defensive-midfielder who currently plays for Leeds United and the Wales national team.

Persimmon has a significant presence in Exeter and on its East Devon outskirts: it currently has two sites at Tithebarn – Ashworth Place and Cherrywood Grange, where homes are available for purchase from £259,995 – and is one of the developers involved in the expansion of Cranbrook.

It recently secured outline planning consent for up to 50 high-quality homes, 35% of which will be designated for a local housing association, on land adjacent to Blakeslee Drive in Newcourt, with green space and biodiversity enhancements making up a sizable portion of the scheme.

The five-star developer gives away over £700,000 each year to good causes and much-valued organisations across Britain. Recent local recipients include Hospiscare, Isca Netball Cub, and Ladysmith Infant & Junior School.

Commenting, Stacey Harris – Persimmon Homes South West Sales Director – said: “Persimmon has a proud tradition of using our Community Champions fund to support junior sports teams and we are delighted to help one out in Exeter.

“As a local developer that sells most of its homes to people who already live in the areas in which we build, its highly likely that some of the players we have helped out with this donation will be a future Persimmon customer.

“With our sites at Tithebarn, we are providing high-quality and much-needed homes for local people in Exeter and East Devon – they may prove invaluable for families who wish to stay in the area to raise their children, who may even go on to be Stoke Hill players.”

Sam Gedye, Stoke Hill AFC U9s manager, added: “This donation from Persimmon has been an enormous help as it is always difficult to fundraise as a small club, so we are thrilled to have been able to secure these new tracksuits for the kids.

“The volunteers and parents who help and encourage the children to play the sport they love do it because they love it too – with physical and emotional benefits for all of us – so help like this to keep us going is much appreciated.”