Keith Owen Fund awards �6,000 to equip kitchen at newly-opened Stowford Community Centre

THANKS to a �6,000 grant from the Keith Owen Fund (SVA), Stowford Community Centre has a well-equipped kitchen.

On Monday the centre opened for business and Barry Jones, fund secretary, presented the cheque to Jeff Turner, chairman of CIC, Company in the Community, the management board behind the venture, which has backing from Making It Local and Devon County Council, as well as other bodies.

Also present was the Reverend Handel Bennett, chairman of the fund, and former Sid Vale Association (SVA) chairman, who said: “The KOF is always pleased to support projects which are of benefit to the community, whether large or small.

“We have been pleased to contribute towards the cost of furnishing and equipping the kitchen and caf� facility.

“We feel sure that Stowford Community Centre will be a great asset to the community in the Sid Valley.”

Mr Turner said: “We are very honoured and grateful to have received this very generous award from the Keith Owen Fund.”

He said the grant had helped them through a difficult period of cash flow problems in setting up the centre, “which would have slowed us down to equip the kitchen to this extent. This gave a flying start for us to have this equipment right away.”

Mr Sullivan said the grant had enabled the board to install professional standard equipment, adding: “Without it we would have been struggling.”