Our Vision and Values

Vision

The rural community of Fossoway brings together villages, farmland, and the River Devon. Our vision is to support and improve the quality of life for everyone in the community, for it to thrive and grow in a sustainable way and being respectful of our rural environment. We will achieve this by promoting, supporting and helping to deliver local community projects, working alongside the Community Council and other local groups.

Mission and Aspiration

We aspire to have wide engagement and membership across Fossoway and to act as the `shared voice’ of the community. Projects will be community led, for the benefit of all.

The Fossoway Community Development Trust will raise funds for agreed projects and will manage them until fruition. On completion, the projects will be self-sufficient; if they are able to generate a profit this will help create community wealth that can contribute to future projects.

We will encourage, support and work with existing organisations, so that they continue to deliver great benefits to Fossoway.

Values

Our projects will have the following values for the Fossoway community:

Safe and inclusive: where people from all ages, all abilities and all backgrounds can live, work, play, learn and use our natural and built resources.
Connected: where we have good digital infrastructure and with excellent options for walking, cycling, public and private transport.
Sustainable: where nature is enhanced and improved, for us and future generations.
Enterprising: where people can develop their business ideas and promote rural regeneration.
Leisure: where we can benefit from a range of natural, cultural, and historical leisure activities.
Confident: where we have pride in our environment and celebrate a sense of place

First Project

The inaugural members of the Trust have proposed that our first project be the construction of a new connecting footbridge over the River Devon.

The new bridge would be located just before the start of the Rumbling Bridge gorge, where the previous footbridge was washed away in heavy rainfall in 2011. The footbridge would connect many paths along both sides of the river Devon.

It is felt this project would help connect the community, provide new walking routes, encourage walking generally and enhance the experience of visitors to the gorge and wider area. It would also help promote the ecology, natural environment, heritage, and historic significance of this area of outstanding beauty.

It would be the first of many projects to be initiated and delivered by members of the Fossoway Community Development Trust.

Get Involved

We can only achieve our aims and deliver community projects by having as many members as possible from all parts of Fossoway. Please become members, get involved and help your community. The more members we have, the more we can deliver the projects that matter to us.