Community is very important to Didcot First and working in close partnership with local organisations, Didcot First is able to reach out and support the growing population of more than 35,000 people.
In 2021, Didcot First was a founder member of The Didcot Powerhouse Fund which was set up to address inequality in Didcot and the surrounding villages. Powerhouse is a Donor Advised Fund, providing grants to community focused organisations and Didcot First is a Quantum level annual donor to the Fund. Registered charity, Oxfordshire Community Foundation adminsters the Fund and it is managed on a day-to-day basis by volunteers from The Didcot Powerhouse Fund Advisory Panel, some of whom also serve as contributors to the Didcot First Board.
In 2023, Didcot First set up the Didcot Community Forum, identifying priority areas in the town, and works with local charities and organisations to influence change and improvement.
Café Scientifique events, is a programme of free of charge talks that was introduced by Didcot First and regularly hosting expert speakers who discuss and share a wide range of science and environmental topics with members of the public. Given the close proximity of Milton Park, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus and Culham Science Centre to Didcot, the local area has a strong reputation for ground-breaking science, and Cafe Scientifique provides a window onto some of the exciting developments taking place.
The Didcot Garden Town itself has become one of the UK’s foremost sites in the UK for the construction of new homes, as well as businesses. Didcot First champions the town with stakeholders to ensure it receives the full support it needs to be able to contribute towards the prosperity of South Oxfordshire and beyond.