Get up to £5,000 from Mid Devon District Council to support your town centre this winter over the festivities period!

Mid Devon District Council is looking to support projects that will help revitalise its town centres. For Spring/Summer 2024, we are looking for applications that support cultural, arts and heritage programmes and events and improve public realm in our town centres.

Using funding made available through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Love Your Town Centre supports ideas from local businesses, town councils or organisations with projects that will increase footfall on our high streets and help them to flourish for the future. The fund offers £5,000 for any single project, across Mid Devon’s three main towns: Crediton, Cullompton and Tiverton. This includes projects that makes use of an empty shop or disused space or increases dwell time in the town centres.

We are looking for initiatives that will support cultural, arts and heritage programmes and events in our town centres. Bringing people together in our communities is a key factor to help our town centres thrive, especially. We are looking for ideas that can make short-term impact and have a lasting effect. We encourage projects to come forward for this fund.

The Love Your Town Centre: Vibrant Town Centres Fund opens for applications on Friday 1 March 2024 and closes at 11:59pm on Sunday 31 March 2024. Applications will go to a Funding Panel for assessment with funding decisions announced by 30 April 2024.

The Vibrant Town Centres Fund is intended to support cultural, arts and heritage programmes and events in our town centres as well as public realm improvements. A few examples could be:

• Literature: e.g. a literature festival celebrating local authors, bookshops and libraries or a literature trail.
• Heritage: events, experiences, activities or trails that celebrate the town’s history and heritage.
• Arts: music, dance, cinema, theatre or arts festivals and events that encourage footfall and celebrate the local arts community.
• Culture: events and activities that celebrate local culture including seasonal events or food festivals.
• Walking Festival: projects that support the upcoming September 2024 Walking Festival through tie-in events and activities (e.g. guided tours, meet and greet experiences, visitor trails, character tour guides).
• Public Realm: functional improvements to enable greater accessibility, enjoyment and variety of use of public space in the town centres e.g. pocket parks, signage, seating and infrastructure (e.g. electric points to allow for provision of town centre entertainment).

This list is not exhaustive and proposals for other projects that support cultural, arts and heritage activities or public realm improvements in the town centres are also welcome.

Previous successful projects include:

• The Walronds ‘Nights of Lights 2023’ in Cullompton
• Mid Devon Libraries’ Arts and Cultural Programme 2023 in Crediton, Cullompton and Tiverton; and
• Summer Arts Programme in Crediton 2023 organised by Crediton Arts Centre and Crediton Heart Project.

Town Centre groups are encouraged to consider projects that they could put forward for funding. The projects must be delivered by 31 December 2024. Funding cannot be used for projects already delivered or initiated unless it is for a separate phase of a wider project. Applications must be for projects delivered within designated Mid Devon town centres or within Mid Devon town boundaries with a demonstrable direct positive effect on the town centre.

The full criteria and application process guidance is available to view on the Council’s website.

For more information about the Love Your Town Centre Fund, or if you have an enquiry about a potential project, please contact funding@middevon.gov.uk.