MORE than 25 organisations across Totnes have united to provide a community-led response to the cost of living crisis.

Led by Caring Town, the TQ9: Together We Care programme has been awarded a £3,100 grant from Totnes Town Council and secured a further £3,100 Lotto grant towards its fighting fund.

The programme aims to bring together, promote and support activities and opportunities in the community that take place in warm spaces.

Totnes Town Council has agreed to co-ordinate the programme and will list the activities, events and information on a dedicated webpage on its website - www.totnestowncouncil.gov.uk/your-community/cost-of-living-partnership

There will also be a calendar of warm space activities and a map of locations, both of which will be updated as new activities are offered.

All activities will be free, donation/pay-what-you-can or for a subsidised fee.

The fighting fund will allow Caring Town and its partners to develop new opportunities to support the local community through the winter with warm space activities.

Aydin Boyacigiller, Caring Town project manager, said: “In May we hosted a meeting to focus on food poverty.

“It quickly became clear that our focus should be a community-led response the wider cost-of-living crisis and the difficult winter ahead.

“Over 26 organisations have been involved and we are pleased to bring you the TQ9: Together We Care programme, part of Caring Town's wider We Care...programme.

“So, go online and check out the link above for fun and interesting opportunities in warm spaces.”

One of the first events to be listed are Bouncy Fun sessions at Totnes Leisure Centre in Borough Park Road.

A collaboration between TQ9: Together We Care and Fusion, the sessions offer children up to the age of 8 free bouncy fun sessions in the sports hall during the Christmas break.

Parents and carers will be provided with free tea and coffee, biscuits and fruit.

Sessions are parent supervised and will take place between 11am and 3pm on Friday December 23, Tuesday December 27 and Thursday December 29. No booking is required.

Any donations will go towards the TQ9 partnership.

Caring Town in Totnes was founded by Carole Whitty, Frances Northrop, and Bob Alford in 2013 when they realised budget cuts could mean a tougher time for vulnerable members of the community.

The trio invited local statutory and voluntary health and wellbeing services to work together to enable greater communication, collaboration, and ideas-sharing, with the aim of making Totnes an even more ‘caring town.’

Since then, the organisation has formed the Caring Town network of health and wellbeing organisations; created multi-disciplinary working groups to address key issues of homelessness and safeguarding young people; completed a social prescribing trial in local surgeries; and developed a ‘help in hard times’ guide and an online directory of all local services for public use.