Exeter Community Initiatives

woman wearing Santa hat and orange T-shirt with gifts standing in front of a Christmas tree

Exeter Community Initiatives and Exeter City Football Club Supporters’ Trust launch Secret Santa appeal

Exeter Community Initiatives (ECI) and Exeter City Football Club Supporters’ Trust (ECFCST), have joined forces to launch a Secret Santa appeal.

The soaring cost-of-living has cast a shadow over many households this year, leaving families and individuals grappling with financial strains this Christmas.

To become a Secret Santa, simply donate £5, £10 or even £20 and ECI will send a Christmas gift of equal value to an individual or family.

Teresa Pollard, Exeter Community Initiatives’ Fundraising Manager, said: “In the spirit of the season, ECI and our partners,...

Devon company’s mattress donation helps Exeter charity create sweet dreams!

As part of their commitment to help alleviate bed poverty, Devon-based bed and mattress company, Naturalmat, has donated two new mattresses to local charity, Exeter Community Initiatives (ECI).

The brand-new mattresses have been distributed to a teenage boy and a mum recovering from surgery - both of whom are receiving support from ECI’s Family Resource project.

ECI helps people in Exeter and the surrounding area to improve wellbeing and build skills, supports families facing challenges and hardships, and helps communities to thrive.

ECI’s Family Resource...

Exeter Community Initiatives launches Christmas card competition

Local charity, Exeter Community Initiatives (ECI), is launching a competition to design its official Christmas card for 2023.

The theme of the competition is ‘What Christmas in Exeter means to you’.

As well as some wonderful local prizes up for grabs, the first prize design will be made into ECI’s official charity Christmas card for 2023, and will be emailed to all ECI’s supporters, partners and funders.

The competition has four categories, each with its own prize:

  • Overall Winner & 1st Prize –£25 Amazon voucher
  • Under 6’s - Family
  • ...

‘Big Exeter Feast’ to set out vision for city’s food future

How can we make food more accessible, affordable, healthier, sustainable and celebrated in Exeter?

That’s the key question being asked by the city’s voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) and local food businesses.

To enable the question to be explored, local charity, Exeter Community Initiatives’ Exeter Connect project, is facilitating ‘The Big Exeter Feast’ conference on Thursday, 23 November at Exeter Community Centre.

The conference, which brings together the city’s VCSE sector and local food businesses, will explore what an integrated and...

Exeter Community Initiatives charity shop raises record-breaking £2K selling Exeter City footie kit!

Exeter Community Initiatives (ECI), which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, has raised over £2,000 selling Exeter City Football Club (ECFC) replica kits from last season.

The money was raised during a special event at ECI’s Jelly children’s charity shop on Fore Street, which also saw Exeter City football players Vince Harper, Vin Sinisalo, Ilmari Niskanen, Manager, Gary Caldwell and joint Managers of ECFC Women, Abbie Britton and Aaron Wakley, meet and greet customers.

Ellie Taylor, ECI’s Business Operations Manager, said: “We are over the moon to have...

Exeter Community Initiatives celebrates 30th anniversary!

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Mon, 07/03/2023 - 10:31pm

Local charity, Exeter Community Initiatives (ECI), is celebrating its 30th anniversary this summer!

Established in 1993, ECI has supported more than 50,000 people in Exeter and across Devon over the last three decades.

Initially set up by local churches to help homeless people in Exeter, ECI was originally known as the Palace Gate Project. It soon became an umbrella charity creating more than 25 new community projects, several of which still operate as independent charities today, including St Sidwell’s Centre, St Petrock’s and Homemaker South West Ltd.

Thirty...

Local charity seeks new Treasurer

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thu, 02/09/2023 - 10:00pm

Local charity, Exeter Community Initiatives (ECI), is seeking a new Treasurer.

The current Treasurer is standing down at the end of March and the charity is looking for a replacement to take up the voluntary role.

ECI, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this summer, helps people facing poverty and inequality to get their lives back on track by involving them in community projects to improve their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing, increase their sense of belonging and provide skills to help them succeed in life.

The Treasurer is responsible for ECI’s...

Exeter Community Initiatives appoints new Chief Executive

Local charity, Exeter Community Initiatives has appointed Katie Holland as its new Chief Executive.

Katie takes up her role on 21 November, succeeding Steven Chown who has stepped down after six years.

ECI works in Exeter and across Devon helping people facing poverty, inequality and homelessness to get their lives back on track. It does this by involving them in community projects to improve their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing, increase their sense of belonging and provide skills to help them succeed in life.

Under Katie’s leadership ECI will...

Exeter charity seeks views on how best to support people during cost-of-living crisis

Local charity, Exeter Community Initiatives (ECI), is seeking views on how it can work together with other charities to best support people during the cost- of-living crisis.

The charity works in Exeter and across Devon, helping people facing poverty, inequality and homelessness to get their lives back on track. It does this by involving them in community projects to improve their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing, increase their sense of belonging and provide skills to help them succeed in life.

ECI, along with other charities, will face increased demand over the...

Charity’s furniture upcycling workshop for unemployed gets funding boost   

Authored by News Desk
Posted: Thu, 10/06/2022 - 9:18pm

Exeter Community Initiatives (ECI), a local charity based in Exeter, has received a £10,195 funding boost to run a furniture upcycling workshop for the unemployed.

Funded by the European Social Fund, the 10-week workshop starts on 7 October but will accept starters for up to three weeks. It is open to anyone registered unemployed or economically inactive and considering moving towards employment or education.

Run by ECI’s Remade project, the workshop will teach attendees how to restore old pieces of furniture such as a chest of drawers and side table which can then...

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