A COMMUNITY forum grown out of the Okehampton Market and Coastal Town initiative will be highlighted at a seminar in London this autumn.

The Devon Heartlands Community Forum is an initiative of the Devon Heartlands Community Development Trust, which succeeded the Okehampton Area MCTi Partnership.

The initiative will be highlighted as a rural case study by the Carnegie UK Trust at an Empowerment and Engagement seminar.

Heartlands manager Ewen Rae said: 'We were determined to deliver the MCTi Action Plan both by delivering projects and by continuing our community engagement activity.'

Explaining how the meetings of the MCTi group were transformed into an inclusive and independent community forum, Ewen added: 'It was self evident that the capacity and involvement of the community should continue to connect with other partners and our Local Strategic Partnership and a Community Forum seemed to be an ideal way of doing this.'

Forum chairman, the Rev Philip Wagstaff, said: 'The Devon Heartlands Community Forum has grown steadily by working with partners, community members and groups in tackling issues raised by the community and is proving an excellent method of exploring ways of engaging with and helping to empower the local community.'

The forum has attracted the attention of others also looking for a way of developing valuable levels of community engagement.

This includes the insights and opportunities generated through previous initiatives such as the MCTi and the work developed in partnership with the local authorities.

The forum has also been invited to make a presentation about the concept of community engagement at the South West Neighbourhood Resource Centre Roadshow organised on behalf of IDeA and GOSW that will be held in Plymouth on Thursday, October 23.