Photo: Home-Start Exeter
Following a nomination round focused on Devon and Cornwall – ten organisations have been selected at random to receive a grant of £1,000 through Community Choice. Thanks to players of The Health Lottery this funding round offered charities and CICs with an annual income of £300,000 or less the opportunity to receive a £1,000 grant. We are delighted to share the organisations who were selected, with information about how they will spend their grant.
BASICS Devon (British Association for Immediate Care)
BASICS Devon are specialist volunteers delivering emergency pre-hospital care and vital life-saving education, across the county. They have 17 responders and in 2025 they attended 467 callouts, including 159 at night, arriving first on the scene 42% of the time. The £1,000 will support the continuation of the service.
Be Creative Cornwall CIC
This £1,000 grant goes towards Creative Pathways, a project providing weekly creative learning for young people in Cornwall struggling at school because they don’t have EHCP (Education, Health Care Plan) funding. Through small-group activities, Be Creative Cornwall participants build confidence, develop relationships and experience achievement.
Chronic Pain Coaching CIC
Pain cafes connect people, provide peer support and build the skills needed to self-manage pain. The £1,000 grant will be used by Chronic Pain Coaching to continue to provide free access to those suffering from chronic pain. The donation will help to cover core costs, such as insurance, accountancy and volunteers.
Home-Start Exeter, East & Mid Devon
Home-Start train volunteers and staff who support families. This £1,000 grant will be used to run their Mothers in Mind group. This offers new mothers in Exeter who are struggling with their mental health a place to find comfort, advice, support and friendship.
Luna’s Fund
Luna’s Fund supports families who leave hospital without their baby by providing early bereavement intervention to prevent isolation and crisis. This £1,000 grant will deliver one-to-one support, restorative breaks after the funeral, and wellbeing events to build connection, resilience and hope.
Morvargh Sailing Project
The £1,000 grant will fund two practical boat visits and a day sail for ten disadvantaged Cornish young people. Part of the Beyond the Horizon programme, these experiences will help young people build confidence, improve wellbeing, develop friendships and teamwork. The Morvargh Sailing Project helps people discover their potential through sail training.
Pippins Community Centre
The Resilience Group meet regularly to maintain their sobriety or abstinence from alcohol or drugs. This £1,000 grant will be used by Pippins Community Centre for this practical peer support group – a place for creativity and chat about drug and alcohol recovery in a safe, inclusive space.
The Mental Health Community
35% of employees report workplace mental health discrimination. This £1,000 grant will be used by The Mental Health Community to support the co-design and testing of an employee toolkit including resources to give staff practical tools to request adjustments and communicate their needs confidently, enabling them to stay in work.
Timebank South West
Timebanking is about exchanging skills and time with others. £1,000 will support the delivery of all activities. Timebank South West offer a diverse and vibrant range of sessions, including skills exchanges, practical workshops, repair cafes, IT support and singing groups. They help people discover their true value in the community.
Totnes & Rural Community Transport
This £1,000 will help pay for the administration and publicity needed to extend the bus service across a wider rural area, taking in more villages. Totnes & Rural Community Transport know that regular day trips and excursions for, mostly elderly, residents plays a big part in reducing loneliness and rural isolation.
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- Be Creative Cornwall
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- Totnes & Rural Community Transport
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- BASICS Devon
Community Choice – £30,000 in 2026
We have had three Community Choice funding rounds across 2026, distributing £30,000 to 30 charities. In addition, we had one open application round for larger grants and several closed application rounds.
We are planning a variety of different methods of distributing funds in 2027 including Community Choice, which is a fair and time efficient way of gathering nominations from smaller organisations.