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The St Thomas Community Association Team

Everyone at St Thomas Community Association is a volunteer. They work hard throughout the year to make things happen in St Thomas.

   Rod Ruffle Association Chair ​

Chrissy Allott & Maggie Bonfield​  Secretaries   

  Ros Johnstone​​ Treasurer  

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Rob Turner  Communications Officer

   Lars Laurisden Festival Coordinator

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How did St Thomas Community Association Begin?

The St Thomas festival grew out of friendship; a few friends would regularly meet up in the park with our children and often talked about the potential of the site. “Wouldn’t it be great to have a bit of music, a coffee cart and a few more people here?” we often asked ourselves.
We shared ideas with a few more friends and finally bit the bullet with an inaugural  meeting of (the yet unnamed) St Thomas Community Association (STCA),which took place in the Royal Oak  Pub in Okehampton Street in July 2012.
Soon we were regularly meeting in Café at 36 (then owned by STCA stalwarts J&S Taylor) and gradually revised our vision of “a bit of music in the park” into something more concrete.
The seemingly endless admin trail was quite daunting at first, as the core committee only consisted of three people. As Chair, it fell to me to do much of the admin work getting permission for the activity, booking marquees, loos, stallholders and not least, musicians. Sue Taylor and Roz Johnson were the other two tireless and invaluable committee members whse energy , vision and commitment made the first festival happen in September 2013.
The project couldn’t have got off the ground without Devon County Council and Exeter City Council grants and the patience, guidance and expertise of Dawn Rivers, (Community Involvement and Inclusion Officer ECC) and Val Wilson (Arts and Events Manager ECC), plus the offer of office space and advice generously donated by Corrinne Bailey of Age UK and the faith, friendship and often tested sense of humour of the small group of dedicated volunteers who had the energy to make the vision a reality."

​Claire Hadfield, First Chair of STCA, 2013 & 2014


​(Speaking in 2017) We're now in our fourth year of operation and glad to say that our core team of committee members has grown significantly. Membership of our association has also been taken up by those willing to lend a hand as and when they can with preparing and staffing our growing list of local events.
The annual festival will now be extended to involve more local schools, businesses, associations and good causes to maximise the sense of ownership. We hope that this will make St Thomas Festival much more prominent across the city drawing visitors and trade for a whole week. Larger events inevitably bring slightly higher running costs and our fundraising officer is seeking collaboration with local businesses to enable our events to become more self sufficient and less reliant on grant funding as we expand. The main day in St Thomas Pleasure Ground will continue to be a free festival of live music, performance, activities, stalls and more with something for all ages and tastes.
Our "St Thomas In Bloom" sub committee have really branched out and are actively improving and celebrating our public green spaces for all to enjoy. This project will have benefits for generations to come as the planning, planting and preservation of our local horticultural heritage is discussed and carried out with local residents, schools and other groups.
There are many fantastic community projects developing in St Thomas and we certainly can't take credit for all of them, but as an association we are on hand to work with all of the other local groups and our database of volunteers is ever growing. We also have an ear to the ground regarding any local issues or concerns that we may be able to help with.

​Kathy Rufolo, Chair of STCA 2015, 2016 & 2017

STCA Rises from Covid...
From early 2020 it became obvious that STCA, would be unable to organise community events and keep St Thomas safe due to the pandemic. Like many families impacted by Covid some committee members had to resign.
In 2021 a small group of determined individuals, including some of the 
last active committee, began to organise regular “STCA Relaunch”  meetings on Zoom to see what could be done.
The darkness began to lift and it was thought possible to organise an STCA
Relaunch Annual General meeting, recruit a Committee and continue organising activities for our lovely community.
The AGM was held on November 2nd , the meeting was quorate, a committee was nominated and agreed unanimously. STCA lives!
We are still seeking a Chair, as soon as possible, so please make contact and come and have a chat if you are interested in this post. 
We are busy organising again;-
an STCA stall at St Thomas Market Saturday November 20th  1-4pm at the 
St Thomas Apostle Church in Cowick St. 
A children’s story competition.(details on this site and at the St Thomas Christmas market November 20th)
Christmas Lights along Cowick Street.
A Christmas event in the Luccombe Oak - date to be decided .