CCS Village, Community and Carers Agents are working extremely closely with both the health services and social care to broker a range of support, phoning people to check on their welfare and connecting residents with local support groups.On the 23rd of March, the start of the lockdown, CCS launched a county-wide universal referral link which within four weeks received over 32,000 enquiries. As Village Agent Julie says: “The past four weeks have been absolutely MANIC!”
Every week should be ‘Green Week’ given the Global climate crisis, but Sunday 21st to Saturday 27th August it actually IS ‘Green Week’ here in Bridgwater. This is a new initiative by Bridgwater Town Council through it’s ‘Climate Emergency Forum’ chaired by Climate Portfolio Holder Cllr Kathy Pearce (Westover). Bridgwater Town Council is sponsoring a full programme of events to inspire action and to raise awareness about green issues and the climate emergency. You can find more information on Facebook here. Theres also SEED THE DAY coming up on September 10th here
The Men’s Shed is situated in Westover ward alongside the Canal just off the Old Taunton Road. It’s been up and running for several years but was largely mothballed during the covid years. Today they came bursting back onto the Bridgwater scene with an ‘Open Day’ to remind people exactly what they offer and how they can enrich the community in and around our town. Several Town Councillors dropped in to see them headed by Mayor Cllr Liz Leavy, and including Westover Councillors Kathy Pearce & Brian Smedley and Fairfax councillors Alex Glassford & Richard Morgan.
Hamp Community Association (HCA) and Bridgwater United Community Sports Trust (BUCST) are getting together to provide a Summer of football on Mansfield Park to try and help with a focus on holiday , hunger and fitness. The plan is to offer FREE weekly football, food and fun. HCA have funded the project which is open to local young people 7-15 years to go every Friday in August to Mansfield Park on the Hamp estate, for 4 hour sessions.
Bridgwater Peace Group assembles at Kings Square 6.8.2022
2022 marked the 77th anniversary of the dropping of two nuclear bombs by the United States on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War Two, and people throughout the world gather on August 6th to remember this fateful event. Members of Bridgwater Peace Group gathered at the Bridgwater Peace Memorial, Kings Square at 12 noon on 6th August, and members of the public were invited to join them there. Songs of peace were sung and thoughts and contributions from the participants shared.
Bridgwater people will have access to a new health and wellbeing hub which is to replace Victoria Park Medical Centre. The hub will provide a range of services, including support for children and young families as well as older people. In August 2021, the difficult decision was made to close Victoria Park Medical Centre in Bridgwater due to clinical staffing shortages. While NHS Somerset worked collaboratively with practice staff to find a solution it was not possible to find a way to provide a clinically safe service at the practice and patients were supported to re-register at other local practices in the area. To ensure the health needs of the local population were met, NHS Somerset set up a programme of work with the aim of considering the best model of care that should operate from the premises in the future. The programme included representatives from Victoria Park Community Centre, the District Council, Healthwatch, local health and care providers and NHS Somerset, with support from NHS South Central and West Commissioning Support Unit.
