Bradninch Together Community Interest Company

Bradninch Together CIC (‘BradTog’) was established for the purpose of supporting and developing community activities in the parish of Bradninch. We retain a database of over 90 local volunteers, first established in response to community need during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The ability to mobilise this volunteer network is written into the Bradninch and Hele Emergency Plan, which is owned by Bradninch Town Council and was updated and reissued, with BradTog’s support, during 2024. BradTog continues to be involved in discussion about run-off flooding in Hen Street; and meetings took place with Devon County Council (DCC) Officers, Cllr John Berry, the Duchy of Cornwall and the tenant farmer during 2024. In November 2024, the hedges were hard cut; and DCC Highways have subsequently ‘ploughed’ the hedge base to reveal the drains. We continue to press for the ‘buddle holes’ on Stoney Lane and drainage at the bottom of Cullompton Hill to be cleared. The fourth Bradninch Town Fair, which is a collaborative community project coordinated by BradTog, took place on 28th September 2024 at the Bradninch and Kentisbeare Cricket Club. Fair Day once again offered local groups the opportunity to promote themselves and to raise funds; and provided a range of activities and events to encourage residents to try new things, connect with others, demonstrate their skills and have fun. The addition of a Dog Show for 2024 was a big success, complementing the return of the Bradninch Bolt, the Produce Show, the Sustainable Bradninch Wildlife Photography Competition, the Scarecrow Trail and the Artisan Market Space. There was a free Circus Skills Workshop (including aerial hoop) running throughout the day, thanks to funding from Bradninch Town Council; as well as two performances from Spike’s Alternative Punch and Judy and the opportunity for folk to test their strength on Uncle Tacko’s ‘Dum-Tink’ machine. The Fair culminated with an uplifting performance from the fantastic Bradninch Red Barrows. Preparations for the 2025 Fair are under way. During 2024, the annual Bradninch Twelfth Night event became a project under the BradTog ‘umbrella’, with BradTog holding the project’s funds, being a constituted body for grant funding applications and supporting 2025 Twelfth Night communications and the practical running of the event. The event was a great success, with people of all ages with an array of colourful lanterns joining the parade to the Guildhall; then on to the Cricket Field for the bonfire. The BradAid Hardship Fund – established in April 2020 in response to the Covid pandemic and offering modest grants to residents in need of help to meet essential costs – continues to be suspended, all but a small sum of money having been distributed by September 2023. The BradTog infrastructure would enable the scheme’s reopening should more money become available for distribution in the future. More information on BradTog’s people and projects, together with our policies and guidance, can be found on our website, https://bradtog.org.uk