A fledgling action group created to support community projects in Honiton has been encouraged by the public support it has received.

Honiton Forward’s treasurer Dave Neale, one of the founders of the group last July, said this week it was a case of “so far so good”.

He said: “It has been a difficult year to do things because of the lockdowns but there are many people involved with us in one way or another.

“We have had thousands of hits on our Facebook page. We are becoming a conduit for the voice of the town. People need to be heard. We had stalls in the High Street in the summer and the engagement was really positive. People said, wow, someone is really listening to us.”

The not-for-profit group is still in its infancy.

Mr Neale added: “In some ways we are an umbrella group that helps people with ideas to achieve things. Our Christmas market was a success and we want to build on that – possibly doing something similar on the Whitsun bank holiday.

“We would like to stage another drive-in cinema event, possibly more family orientated this time. We have other projects but they are under wraps.”

Honiton Forward’s volunteers are currently working on a project with a group called Devon Loves Dogs in which children will be encouraged to design a poster to raise awareness of the need for dog owners to pick up after their pets.

Mr Neale, who is self-employed and runs a business supporting crafters, added: “We are still finding our feet but eventually we want to work with the town council. There is a big push at the moment to get more people involved with local councils.”

He highlighted the case of Jackie Weaver, who found herself at the centre of a social media storm after a virtual parish council meeting spiralled into chaos.

“The National Association of Local Councils has picked up on the Jackie Weaver video. They have been trying for ages to get people involved in local councils. Jackie Weaver has done more in a few minutes than they have managed to achieve in a number of years.”