Community First is launching a new support service for communities in Wiltshire.

The EnAct service will support community engagement and action projects – helping groups and organisations to find out what local people want to see in their communities and to put their ideas into action.

Marion Rayner, community development manager, said: “We are all being asked to get more involved in local planning and decision making. However, we know that many communities need advice and support to help convert their ideas into action.

"Community First is bringing together its existing community development support with a range of additional activities under our new EnAct service, building on the skills and experience that we have developed over more than 15 years of working with communities across the county.

"We hope that this exciting new service will broaden the range of groups and organisations that we are able to work with and the type of local projects that we can support.”

Stevie Palmer, chairman of the community led plan group for Lyneham and Bradenstoke, said Community First had provided invaluable support.

“Community First helped us to establish what to do and how to go about it. They helped us set up meetings for local people, to design a questionnaire, analyse the results and develop a robust plan," he said.

"Now that we know the issues that local people care about, we are putting together an action plan and have already started on some of the projects.”

These include a new business support club which is already thriving, a plan to renovate local play areas, a new link bus service giving better access to nearby towns, plans to re-open a youth club and a new directory of local businesses and services.

The service will be available to town and parish councils, local groups, organisations and social enterprises and will include help with community led and neighbourhood planning, community consultation and engagement, questionnaire design and analysis, help with meetings and events, research, feasibility studies, project development, funding, training, mentoring and group development.

The EnAct service will offer a free consultation and assessment and free online guidance. Further support is then chargeable.