The Turning Tides Project (TTTP) believes everyone should have equal access to music, the arts and life. At the Crediton Station Tea Rooms, and in the community, they have been working to make this right a reality for people with learning disability or autism labels by offering regular music, art, sports and social sessions and events, alongside many other enabling services and opportunities. 

St Swithun’s Church in Sandford has won an award for encouraging wildlife and people to enjoy its churchyard. It all started three years ago when the Church was given an extra piece of land and a team of volunteers got together to make the churchyard more environmentally friendly. They are delighted to be runners up in the Best Devon Churchyard Competition but, as team member Jean Hope explains, the rewards go way beyond winning a prize.

For more than 30 years Crediton Arts Centre has been offering a busy programme of classes, workshops and live events from its base in East Street. But since it was forced to close in March, the Centre has been finding new ways of working and fundraising, including the auction of some stunning wooden sculptures, as Administrator Jack Robson explains.

This time of year is usually filled with spooky Halloween discos, dressing-up and trick or treating. All is not lost though! Local mum Charlie Richards has rounded up a few ghastly Halloween themed things to do in and around Crediton to keep the spirit alive.

A few years ago writer Ysella Sims and her husband moved to Devon from the South East looking for a new start. They lived first in West Devon, then moved to Upton Pyne near Exeter, until they finally found the house and place they wanted to be - in Sandford, near Crediton – to where they moved last year. In this closely observed piece she takes us on a walk around the village with her dog, Cooper. 

‍If you live in Crediton, or are visiting the shops, you will have probably noticed a new look to the town square. Twelve picnic tables with parasols were installed in early July, to provide a safe space for people to take a break, meet friends and catch up. Share in the Square was a Town Team initiative, to help raise morale and bring vitality back to the town centre. But its impact has far exceeded expectations, as Town Team Chair Rosemary Stephenson explains.

The blogs on our website reflect local life in very special ways. We all know our lives have changed over the last few months and some of our blog writers tell the story of their own challenges and responses. Our picture editor, Nancy Murgatroyd, picks some highlights from our most recent postings.

One of the key ways that church has always been expressed is when people gather together for worship each Sunday. Yet with the buildings closed for many weeks, churches have remained very much alive. Here Sarah Preece describes how Crediton Congregational Church adapted to lockdown and reflects on what really makes church what it is…and it’s clearly not the building!