Plea for help to outfit Budleigh’s new community workshop

Ladt year, the Budleigh community came together to help raise funds to purchase the building which was subject to a closed bidding process.

The Budleigh Community Workshop Trust (BCWT) won and are now calling on people to help raise funds to kit out the work spaces to allow for a ‘wide variety of practical activities’ to happen.

Bill McDermott, chairman of BCWT, said: “We now need support to help raise funds to outfit the work spaces.

“We need volunteers to join our Teams to deliver training.

“We need donations of tools and equipment for our creative spaces.

“We need support to keep this social enterprise going.”

The building was vacated by Budleigh’s firefighters in April last year after the fire service decided to relocate them to the Exmouth station at Liverton Business Park.

The BCWT received pledges from a range of individuals as well as other community groups which helped them complete the purchase of the site.

Since then, volunteers have been helping to refurbish the Station Road site, which sits behind the Public Hall.

Budleigh's community workshop, at the former fire station (Image: Graham Taylor)

The new building comprises specially-designed workshop and meeting room facilities and will offer practical, creative and social activities, community support, and learning opportunities.

The trust hopes the building will be open in June but will also be part of an Events Day being held at the Public Hall on Friday, May 21.

There will be demonstrations in the workshop area and people are urged to come along to see what the scheme is all about.

Bill added that anyone who may be interested in being involved with the community workshop is invited to go along and it will also be an opportunity to find out more.

If you would like to join one of the workshop’s teams contact Bill on bill.w.mcdermott@gmail.com or call at the Workshop where you will often find volunteers working.