Asda Foundation has donated £22,650 to Newton Abbot Centre Association to help breathe new
life into its community space, The Courtenay Centre.
• Over 60 local projects have been awarded ‘Spaces and Places’ grants between £5k and
£25k to bring communities together and help tackle isolation
• The Courtenay Centre based in Newton Abbot receives a grant of £22,650 with the
support of Asda Newton Abbot
• Investment comes after research shows ‘cost of living’ crisis impacting on time spent
together in communities.
• Research shows families struggling with rising costs are scaling back plans and spending
less time within their communities
Asda’s charity, Asda Foundation, announced £750k of investment in 60 local community groups
and charities across the UK, with the aim of transforming community spaces and places to meet
after customers said the cost-of-living crisis has impacted their social and community
interaction.
Over 60 ‘Spaces and Places’ grants ranging from £5,000 to £25,000, have been awarded by the
Asda Foundation to help community groups improve their community spaces and to help bring
communities together and combat isolation.
One of the 60 project to be a beneficiary is The Courtenay Centre who has secured a £22,650
worth of funding from Asda Foundation with the support of Asda Newton Abbot to pay for
significant improvements to the Courtenay Centre in Newton Abbot. Planned works include
repairing the leaking roof, upgrades to digital equipment, improvements to accessibility and
redecorating works.
Asda’s Spaces & Places programme is informed by work undertaken by the University of
Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. The supermarket has funded a Prince of
Wales Global Sustainability Fellowship looking at the impact of supermarkets on challenges
faced by communities. Early outputs from the research indicates the cost of meeting spaces is a
key barrier to communities coming together, and that ‘trusted, neutral and accessible’ space for
local groups to meet and interact has a positive impact on communities.
Further research from Asda shows that 1 in 4 people feel that the cost of living has impacted
connections to their local community and is already limiting social their social and leisure
activities. The research shows that families are scaling back their plans to reduce costs and are,
spending more time at home with families and spending less time within their communities.
Alexandra Preston, Senior Manager Asda Foundation, says: “We know our communities are
having a tough time right now with the rising cost of living, which is further increasing
inequalities and the isolation experienced during the pandemic. Small grass roots organisations
play a vital role in making positive change and improving people’s lives every day. They
understand the needs in their community and are constantly adapting to meet those needs.
“Community groups and our wider research is clearly telling us that having safe, inclusive spaces
to meet, learn, celebrate and come together builds connection and resilience in their
community. The challenge for many of these groups is having the affordable space to bring
people together to deliver this fantastic work – that’s why we’re investing £750k in breathing
new life into community spaces across the UK and here in Newton Abbot at The Courtenay
Centre”
Jane Entwistle, Community Champion Asda Newton Abbot, says: “We have been working
together with The Courtenay Centre to put forward an application to the Asda Foundation to
help secure funding to repair their leaking roof along with other significant improvements
including accessibility and digital equipment. I was so ecstatic to receive the news that we’d
been successful and I’ve now been to surprise Newton Abbot Centre Association with a cheque
for £22,650 from Asda Foundation. The Courtenay Centre is an amazing local project and I’m so
proud to have been part of it.”
John Addy, Treasurer of the Newton Abbot Centre Association commented that “the grant
from the Asda Foundation is fantastic news for anyone already using the Courtenay Centre, or
anyone looking for room hire for a group in central Newton Abbot. We’d like to take this
opportunity to thank the Asda Foundation for supporting the community of Newton Abbot.
The Centre Association is a Registered Charity and as such we rely on grants and donations to
make improvements. With the increasing cost of living, it is becoming increasingly challenging
to run a community centre. This grant will allow us to make some much-needed improvements
to the facilities at the Centre. The Association is very grateful to Newton Abbot Community
Interest Company for all their support, both in terms of this grant application and in the day-today running of the Courtenay Centre”
If you would like to find out more about the groups on offer at the Courtenay Centre, you can
visit our website at www.courtenaycentre.org.uk or pop into the Centre.
