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 ...