Okehampton United Charities (OUC) has renewed its support with a significant contribution to the core funding of OCRA’s activities. They see the work OCRA do as vital for the community in order to provide opportunities to improve the physical and mental health of Okehampton and its Hamlets. Their support in this year of years has been invaluable to allow the charity to function and to them we are very grateful. They support has meant thousands of individuals have been able to access OCRA’s managed facilities, activities and participation programmes.
OCRA has been supported for many years by OUC and also contributed to OCRA’s Pavilion in the Park as well as the replacement of the all-weather pitch at Okehampton College. In light of this OCRA’s Trustees are keen to see the reduction in reliance of this large scale funding by the charity and ensure more groups around the area are able to receive funding from OUC. The funding OCRA receive is utilised by the charity to fulfil the administration of the charity with all activities, sessions and programmes designed to be self-funding. As OCRA moves towards a more sustainable position the reliance on external funding for core elements will hopefully reduce and is something the charity is actively working towards. To do this OCRA need the continued support of the community and there are some changes happening at the Pavilion in the Park to aid this.
Okehampton United Charity was created in 1873 to manage a number of land holdings in the Okehampton area. Its income was used to provide general charitable benefits in the Okehampton and its four Hamlets. In 1910 a separate charity, Okehampton Educational Foundation was created to provide educational benefits in the same area. Sales of land for development in 2001 and 2005 have created an investment fund which provides a substantial income.