LiveWest are pleased to support EX5-Alive Community Hub as it plays a large role in supporting the community of Cranbrook.
Based on the outskirts of Exeter at Cranbrook Education Campus, the hub offers a wide range of resources and support for the community.
As part of our renewed commitment to support our communities, we gave vouchers to help the hub develop its quiet room. This comes following the previous support we have given with a healthy food initiative and by funding holiday hunger activities for Cranbrook.
Aynsley Jones, Cranbrook Community Hub Manager, said: “LiveWest’s contribution helped to furnish our quiet room. This room has had an impact on both the community and teaching staff alike where this safe space can bring a little calm to some challenging journeys.
“It is being put to good use within the community and is well used. Mental health and wellbeing are part of everything that we do because community is at the heart of our belonging.”
As the hub has expanded its facilities with a new quiet room, we donated equipment to ensure the room was a safe and comfortable place for the community.
The hub’s support ranges from health and wellbeing information, advice, local services, parent groups, food support and much more.
Starting its journey only a year ago, we are proud to see its growing success in the area.
Aynsley added: “EX5-Alive has had an amazing first year and we would like to thank all the community - individuals, groups, organisations, and partners for their support.
“On site we have health visitors, Action for Children, Home start, Conscious Living, Cranbrook Food Hub, Cranbrook Community Association, Rainbows, Culture Club, Live and Move grant funded groups and so much more.
“This year we have given over 320 food supplies to households, reduced debt in over 50 households, and included more than 250 individuals or groups in reconnecting with their community.”
The community hub has recently won the Ted Wragg Strengthening Communities Award, which recognised and praised its community effort.
The Ted Wragg Awards celebrates the achievements and contributions of students and teachers across a variety of schools involved in the Ted Wragg Trust.
Aynsley said: “We have signposted over 500 people to life changing welfare and healthcare and most of all made sure we had free community events for everyone to be a part of where hundreds supported us.
“As part of these exciting times, we have a Cambridge graduate researching spaces, Plymouth University supporting our growing links and EX5-Alive won the Strengthening Communities Award from the 10-year Ted Wragg Awards.”
LiveWest is local to the community hub in Cranbrook, Exeter, where we have around 800 homes across a variety of schemes, including 400 social rented and 300 shared ownership homes.
We have been a partner at Cranbrook as we look to deliver more affordable homes to the town centre during 2024.
Lesley Browne, our Community Connector for the neighbourhood, said: “Since the quiet room has been completed, we are very pleased that this space has proved to be beneficial and that it has been extremely well used. It’s really important for the students and parents to have a calming and tranquil place to get one-to-one support.
“A new cooking group is about to get started and we are donating shopping vouchers to support food purchase costs for this.
Lesley added: “We have over 500 homes in Cranbrook and lots of younger families so it’s great to have a community hub where families can get access to child activities, health and wellbeing information, connect with local services, get food help and have a safe and trusted place to go.
“EX5-Alive has are also been helping to support a number of refugee families with children at school in the community. The hub is creating opportunities for the families to come together after school and use the hub facilities to do some cooking and share family time.
“It is so important for these families to get together and be able to cook and share a family meal. It is possible that some may settle in Cranbrook and any help we can do to create an inclusive community is a good thing.”
The community hub in Cranbrook is available to groups from 8am-9pm and for the public, with its facilities available Monday to Friday from 4pm.