Ellie Taylor: What Exeter's Oldest Community Charity Has Learnt About Lasting Change

Ellie Taylor, Chief Executive of Exeter Community Initiatives, traces the thirty-year history of one of the city's oldest charities and explains why the most important outcomes of its work are often the ones that never make it into a spreadsheet.

ECI was founded in 1993 by a coalition of city centre churches responding to homelessness and poverty. Its first two major projects -- what became St Petrock's and Turntable -- grew into independent charities that are still operating today. ECI now runs six projects with a team of thirty-seven, covering community building, family support, adult coaching, arts and health programming, children's preloved retail at Jelly on Fore Street, and the newly opened Custard Town family play space in the Guildhall. In 2024 it welcomed Magic Carpet, a forty-year-old disability arts charity, under its umbrella. D'Arts followed shortly after.

Ellie arrived in Exeter a week before lockdown, spent six months in the garden with two small children, and found her way into the city's voluntary sector through a single job application. She talks about the nine community builders who knock on doors across Exeter's neighbourhoods and help residents turn small ideas into lasting change; the Transitions project that coaches adults through life challenges without doing the work for them; the Family Resource project supporting families across Devon and Cornwall who have experienced serious crime; and the Safer Separation Framework being developed to fill a gap in court-ready family documentation. She is also frank about what it means to run preventative services in a city where the hardest thing to explain is what did not happen.

Get Involved

• Exeter Community Initiatives website
• ECI on Facebook
• Devon Connect -- volunteering opportunities across Exeter
• Jelly children's charity shop: 148-149 Fore Street, Exeter EX4 3AN. Preloved children's clothing, toys, equipment and maternity wear. Volunteer opportunities available in store.
• Custard Town family play space: first floor of the Guildhall, Exeter. Open to families with young children. Check eci.org.uk for session times and booking.
• Transitions workshops: free to attend, open to anyone over 18. Topics include managing money, anxiety, executive function and decluttering. Book via eci.org.uk or 07531 870203.
• Transitions coaching: one-to-one volunteer coaching matched to individuals. Contact ECI to find out more.
• Magic Carpet arts and drama groups: weekly sessions for people with learning disabilities and mental health challenges, in Exeter, Honiton and Exmouth. Contact ECI for details.
• Annual volunteer fair at Exeter Cathedral -- usually spring. Sign up to the ECI mailing list for dates.