Exeter Community Initiatives

🎨 Sometimes, creativity can be the start of a connection.

Our Common Ground project working alongside and funded by Wellbeing Exeter, CoLab Inclusive Exeter and the Exeter Community Builders brought people from across Exeter together to create, share, learn and build new friendships through art.

Across four free workshops, 14 people created 43 unique artworks — but the impact went far beyond what was made. From discovering new creative talents to forming unexpected friendships, the sessions created a welcoming space for people to feel connected and part of their community. 💛

One participant even discovered that a neighbour of five years was sitting beside her at a workshop — and they had never met before!

👉 Read the full story and discover how creativity helped bring people together: https://ow.ly/2NMP50ZOHzZ

🌈 Come find Magic Carpet at Kaleidoscopic Minds! 🎨

We’re heading to Kaleidoscopic Minds at Exeter Phoenix — and we’d love you to come along!

Join James from Magic Carpet from 11am–2pm for a hands-on printmaking workshop, where you can create your own autumnal relief prints using a traditional press and natural materials including 🍂 leaves, acorns and berries.

It’s suitable for all ages and is just one of the many creative, welcoming and neurodiversity-focused activities taking place throughout the day.

📍 Exeter Phoenix
🕚 11am–4pm
🎟️ Adults: Pay What You Can Afford from £5
🧒 Under 18s: FREE (booking required)

Come along, get creative and come and say hello to the Magic Carpet team!

👉 Book your tickets: https://exeterphoenix.org.uk/events/kaleidoscopic-minds/

🧡A huge thank you to St Stephen’s Church for raising money for Exeter Community Initiatives through their wonderful words and piano concert.

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped organise the event, performed, attended and made a donation. It was a lovely way to bring the community together while raising valuable funds to support our work across Exeter and Devon.

Every donation, whether large or small, helps us continue supporting individuals, families and communities across the local area.

Thank you to St Stephen’s Church and everyone involved for choosing to support ECI and helping us make a difference in our community.🧡

Do you work with volunteers in Exeter? We want to hear from you! 💬

Volunteers make an incredible difference to organisations across Exeter – but we want to know what it’s really like to recruit, retain and work with volunteers.

We’re asking local organisations to take a few minutes to tell us:

💚 Why are volunteers important to you?
💚 What are your biggest volunteering challenges?
💚 What support would make a difference?
💚 Would you be interested in a quarterly volunteering network?

🎁 Plus, everyone who completes the survey can enter our prize draw to win a £25 Amazon voucher!

Your feedback will help us understand what organisations need and explore how we can better connect and support those involved in volunteering across Exeter.

📅 Deadline: Tuesday 15 September

👉 Take the survey: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/SzwzSCJcbp

Please share this with another organisation that works with volunteers! Exeter City Council Devon County Council Wellbeing Exeter

💙 A huge thank you to

We’re delighted to welcome Stowe Family Law as a new corporate supporter of Exeter Community Initiatives, following a generous £500 donation to support our work across Exeter and Devon.

We’re particularly pleased that the team is also keen to explore volunteering, events and other ways they can get involved in our work and the local community.

We’re looking forward to building a strong partnership with the Exeter team and finding more ways to work together to make a difference. 🤝

Could your business support ECI?

Whether through a donation, fundraising, volunteering, event sponsorship or a longer-term partnership, there are lots of ways to get involved.

👉 Find out more about supporting ECI: eci.org.uk/support-us

Thank you, Stowe Family Law, for supporting your local community! 💙

🧹 Clearing clutter & getting organised! ✨

Feeling overwhelmed by clutter or not sure where to start? Our 3-week practical workshop is here to help you take it one small step at a time.

Over three friendly sessions, we’ll explore:
🗑️ What to keep, discard, sell or give away
📦 How to organise your space in a way that works for you
✨ Simple strategies to help you keep it that way

📅 Thursdays 24 September, 1 & 8 October
⏰ 1.00pm–3.00pm
📍 St John’s Court, Exmouth EX8 4DD

Come along, make a start and discover how a more organised space can make everyday life feel a little easier.

🎟️ Book your place here: https://exetercommunityinitiatives.beaconforms.com/form/a1b5f845

Spaces are limited, so don’t miss out!

✨ Impact in Action: Meet Alisha ✨

Alisha joined our Snapdragon group earlier this year and has become a much-loved part of the Magic Carpet community. With British Sign Language (BSL) as her first language, she attends with her support worker, and over the past six months we've loved getting to know her.

It's been wonderful to see Alisha's confidence grow. Today, she's an active member of the group, happily volunteering to help during sessions, building friendships, and sharing her brilliant smile and sense of humour with everyone around her.

At our recent Magic Carpet & Pelican Tea Party, Alisha was right at the heart of the celebrations—dancing, making new friends and embracing every moment. Seeing her enjoy herself and feel so connected was a joy for everyone who was there. 💙

At Magic Carpet, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to express themselves, build friendships and be part of a supportive community.

💜 Would you or someone you know benefit from joining a Magic Carpet group? .
Whether you're looking for creativity, connection or simply a welcoming place to belong, there's a space for you.

📩 Get in touch to find out more about our groups or visit our website to learn more.