The Zone - Health and Wellbeing Hub.
December 2024
Grant of £3000 for essential repairs to enable the building to continue its use as a community venue.
The Downderry Methodist Church has been a feature of village life for over 100 years. In 2023, the Saltash Methodist Circuit declared its intention to cease holding services in the building thus threatening its imminent closure. A Steering Group of local residents has taken on the task of stopping the deterioration of this iconic village building and bringing it back to life as a community owned and managed ‘Health and Wellbeing Hub’.
In order to do this, the Steering Group is currently negotiating with the Saltash Methodist Circuit, who are the owners of the Chapel. They are supportive of proposals, but are keen to achieve the best price for the building. The Steering Group has obtained positive planning guidance about continued community use of the building, but now need to get formal planning permission to help protect the building and site from future residential development and subsequent loss to the community.
This process will cost in the region of £750. In addition to funding the planning application, very urgent maintenance issues have been listed in a building survey carried out by a qualified surveyor, which initially identified over £30k of works needed to halt the deterioration and promote sustainability.
Whilst not wanting to ‘improve" the building and thus increase its sale value, the Group has identified a number of issues that urgently need addressing.
Current priorities are:
Renew access lights on the path/steps as these are now failing. Update fire detection and emergency lights within the building. £740
Replace and update lights in the large room. £1,770; Replace 3 windows with failed seals. £300
Total program expenditure £3,560
None of the above works will contribute at any increased value of the building for anything other than community use.
Downderry & Seaton Village Hall -
October 2024 - £400
A grant of £400 has been awarded to Downderry & Seaton Village Hall to purchase Christmas lights for the centre of Downderry. In what has become a local tradition at the start of Christmas celebrations, the trustees of the Village Hall are organising a Downderry Extravaganza weekend. On Saturday 30th November, there will be a Children's Lantern Parade (the children will make their own lanterns), singing around the village Christmas Tree led by Whitsand Harmony Choir, the Downderry Lights Switch-On by County Councillor, Armand Toms, before Santa arrives with gifts for the children. The celebrations include a Christmas Fair in the village hall throughout the weekend.
Donations from local residents continue to build the Community Fund which is restricted to support local needs that benefit the local community living inn Downderry and Seaton. This traditional Christmas event is supported by residents and visitors and met the criteria set by the Fund with its focus on maintaining community activities and venues.
In confirming the grant awarded, the Chair of DaSRA's Management Committee, Maura Swabey said:
" We are blessed to have such a resource available to our community - a resource not available within many small villages like ours. The Community Fund is there to enable local groups to access funding for the wide range of volunteer-led activities that need support. Recent awards include funds towards buying the village's community bus; the start-up fees for a future community-led village shop, and now its support to continue a tradition of bringing local residents and visitors together at the start of Christmas celebrations - the ever-bright Christmas lights!"
Downderry & District Community Bus Assoc.
December 2023 - £2000
The local Community Bus offers a vital service in rural villages in the parish of Deviock where public transport’s availability is limited. Ferrying children from Seaton to the local school in Downderry each morning, weekly services to Plymouth and Liskeard and monthly excursions taking residents further afield to places of interest, provides a valuable, and much appreciated service to residents of all ages. The local charity has a tried and tested cycle to ensure that their 15-passenger minibus is replaced every 5 years or so. The 2020 Pandemic affected much of their expected activities. With the current vehicle now ten years old, a new minibus was ordered to arrive in early 2024, and as they were reaching their last stages of fundraising, the trustee successfully gained match funding contributions from Deviock Parish Council and DaSRA’s Community Fund
DOWNDERRY COMMUNITY SHOP Start-up costs total, at July 2024 : £1698.68
February 2024 - £780
The DaSRA Committee approved that a grant be awarded to Downderry Community Shop to employ an independent surveyor to undertake a survey and valuation on Summink Different - a necessary process to negotiate on the purchase of the lease on the property.The grant was to cover the costs Jeffreys in Liskeard to produce a Record of Condition plus ancillary report on Building Regulation compliance £550.00 +VAT - valuation £100.00 +VAT - total figure on completion £780.00 incl. VAT
October 2023 - paid 21 July 2024. £310.
A request for the Community Fund to cover the fee for registering with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as a Community Benefit Society was discussed at the DaSRA Committee meeting on 23 October.
Downderry Community Shop Limited (company registration number RS009207) is a proud member of the Plunkett Foundation and a Community Benefit Society registered by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, registration number 9207.
The request for £310 as the registration fee with FCA was approved. The delay in payment until 21 July 2024 was due to a delay in claiming the registration costs bythe Plunkett Foundation , who processed the application on behalf of Downderry Community Shop.
August 2023 - £608.68
When the owner of Downderry Stores decided to close the village shop, DaSRA organised a Public Meeting for residents in July 2023 to discuss how to respond to the closure. Residents’ support to retain a village store resulted in nine local residents volunteering their time and their expertise to form a Steering Group to explore the feasibility of a community shop in Downderry. It was clear that the fledging Group needed startup funding to put in place an action plan that could deliver what was recognised as an essential community asset of benefit to the local community. The Management Committee of DaSRA determined that the Steering Group’s commitment to establish a local shop would meet the eligibility criteria of the Funds to safeguard community assets and agreed to fund essential start-up costs from the Community Fund.
A Survey was funded to collect essential information on what residents wanted from a community shop. Also funded was a dedicated email address, a facebook page and a website. Membership of the Plunkett Foundation was deemed an important resource to speedily gain valuable advice, information and contacts active in the world of community businesses, so the first year's annual membership was also funded. As at August 2023, the Start- up costs from the Community Fund totalled £608.68
Printing of Shop Survey
17 July 2023 Reimburse* LD Credit Card £ 89.00
The Plunkett Foundation
24 Aug 2023 Cheque for Plunkett Membership £240.00
WIX Domain Aug 2023-25
10 Aug 2023 Reimburse KK Credit Card £ 11.46
WIX Hosting Aug 2023 -2024
10 Aug 2023 Reimburse KK Credit Card £201.60
WIX email Google workspace
10 Aug 2023 Reimburse KK Credit Card £ 66.62
inc KK Discount voucher
(NB KK = Katherine Kowlawski, who took lead on Marketing for Downderry Community Shop from July 2023)
COMMUNITY NOTICE BOARD
March 2022 - £1,348
A Notice Board sited in the centre of Downderry had deteriorated over the years and was in dire need of being pulled down. DaSRA addressed the years of neglect by taking on responsibility for replacing and maintaining what is a powerful communication tool used by local community groups advertising their services and activities. The replacement modern Notice Board was purchased with an award from the Community Fund, plus additional funding from Deviock Parish Council and a donation from a local resident.
SEATON WILDLIFE LAND
November 2021 - £2,000
When news that 4.5 acres of Seaton woodland was being auctioned off with potential for `’low income generation`’ , our local Deviock Parish Council launched a crowdfunding appeal to take the site into public ownership and create a wildlife woodland. The Management Committee of DaSRA - Downderry and Seaton Residents Association - who has the authority to manage and distribute the funds donated to the Community Fund , assessed that the threat posed to the site if sold to a developer would meet the Fund’s criteria for funding. Within hours of the auction deadline, and as the required amount was not quite met, an award of £2000 was awarded from DaSRA’s Community Fund. Deviock Parish Council's bid was accepted. The land is now in public ownership under the management if Deviock Parish Council.
