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The story of Devon Connect

Devon Connect links local people to nearby activities, groups and volunteering opportunities.

Originally funded by the Lottery on behalf of Age UK Mid-Devon, this free community platform is now run by a consortium of VCSE partners aiming to expand community engagement in Devon.

The platform gathers information, services, support, social groups, events and opportunities from all over Devon. Partners work together to manage their local hubs. This approach maximises impact as costs, resources and marketing efforts are shared.

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In all localities, people are volunteering and making new connections.

Within Torbay's community hub, for example, over 1,000 people have gifted 32,000 hours of their time to help neighbours in need.

Timebanking is a great way to support people with a range of health and care needs by incentivising those who can help them with time credits.

Simon Sherbersky, Torbay CDT

Service providers and social prescribers are using the platform to direct people to community (not clinical) resources, via our integration with The Joy App. This allows them to refer individuals and share data with patient record systems.

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Partners work together to ensure listings are relevant and targeted to their local communities.

They adhere to a set of rules for consistent hub management. We provide guidance in this process.

Administrators use the system to manage members and access insightful data reports relating to member activity. These reports helps to understand the social impact and identify opportunities for community development.

Sitting behind this online platform is a strong and established partnership of organisations who are absolutely committed to supporting communities reach their potential.

Darran Hill, Torridge CVS

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Devon Connect provides big gains for collaborating non-profits operating on tight budgets.

Highlights:

  • 4,000+ registered users.
  • Over 4,000 activities added over 3 year period.
  • Over 500 organisations sharing opportunities.
  • 8,500 hours of neighbourly support per year (Torbay).
  • Self-reported loneliness down from 59% to 29% (Torbay).

Communities tell us they lack up-to-date information about services and support. Devon Connect addresses this, especially for those in rural or isolated areas.

Karen Nolan, Devon Voluntary Action

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