13 Nov

Councils Given New Government Cash to Help Businesses

Bridgwater during lockdown 1

New national business grants are being made available to support those affected by the recent lockdown period.   The two, new grants available are the Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG (Closed) Addendum) and the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG).  The government has once again asked district councils across Somerset, who are closest to their communities, to issue this funding.  Each local authority across the country has been awarded this additional funding as a one-off payment to support businesses through national lockdowns and any future tiered restrictions.

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12 Nov

Police Priorities Meeting 12th November 2020

Town Councillors on Zoom at the Police Priorities meeting

The second meeting in the newly formed Town Council Police Priorities Forum was held today on Zoom. Questions from members of the public were raised by councillors to Sgt Joe Piscina and also in attendance were Rob Semple and Victoria Whittlesea from Sedgemoor . At the meeting the Police confirmed that Town Centre and Youth anti-social behaviour were their two top priorities but also spoke about the great successes of the County Lines programme, which underpinned a lot of the causes of the above, and also tackled questions of  traffic problems, increased Police resources, stop and search issues and Scams. In the interests of public safety and reassurance we have as near to verbatim a record of the meeting as possible. Continue reading “Police Priorities Meeting 12th November 2020”

12 Nov

Sedgemoor Pantry Now in South Bridgwater

Lewis from the Sedgemoor Pantry bringing in today’s donations

The popular  Sedgemoor Pantry scheme has now expanded to South Bridgwater – the Hamp and Westover areas, and volunteers are reaching out to the wider community to get involved. Fairfax Labour Councillor Hilary Bruce says “It’s great to see that the Pantry scheme can now begin to expand its reach with the opening of the second hub in Hamp planned for the end of November. The Sydenham Pantry was established as a pilot hub and thanks to the support of the volunteers, SDC’s Community Team, ward councillors and of course the residents who have signed up as members, I am pleased to say that it has been very successful. The project offers so much potential, it’s not just about the food – although saving good food from the bin is always a top priority – the Pantry  offers an opportunity for people to learn how to cook and eat well for less, for the community to connect with each other by volunteering and/or donating, for students to get work experience and for people to learn new skills to help them get into employment and even learn how to grow their own food. Thankfully, the pandemic has not prevented this project from moving forward, as Covid-safe practices have been established and successfully implemented. A strong team of volunteers will drive this project forward at full speed, so I hope many will feel confident in applying for the roles that have now been advertised”

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11 Nov

Armistice Day 2020

Mayor Tony Heywood and Klaus Galeitzke of the British Legion on Armistice Day 2020

On Remembrance Sunday the Mayor of Bridgwater Cllr Tony Heywood  placed 2 wreaths on the town’s cenotaph. One from himself as mayor and one on behalf of the people of the town. He was joined by just 5 other people. The MP, Ian Lidell-Grainger, the Chairman of Sedgemoor District Council Cllr Peter Clayton and Klaus Galeitzke Chairman of the Royal British Legion, Bridgwater Branch. Cllr Brian Smedley Leader of the Town Council filmed the event and the Police arrived 5 minutes later. The event was held at 0830 and everyone was 2 metres apart in accordance with Covid regulations. 6 people were present. Two minutes silence was observed, started and finished by Klaus Galeitzke who said “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them.” On Armistice Day (Wednesday 11th November) the Mayor was again in attendance but with civic leaders taking a lower profile as the Royal British Legion honoured the dead with banners, bugles and poetry. About 60 people were in attendance

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10 Nov

Lockdown Songs, a compilation album to help the live music scene

New local initiative to boost creative music industry

An exciting new compilation album of songs by some of the UK’s top live acts is being released to help the music industry as the impact of the covid-19 pandemic begins to be felt. Lockdown Songs, features tracks donated by such names as Neville Staple of The Specials, The Dead South, Ferocious Dog, Mad Dog Mcrea and CoCo & The Butterfields. The money raised from the sale of the album will create work opportunities for booking agents who are at the sharp end, as live music is put on hold for the foreseeable future. The album is the brainchild of Midnight Mango, one of the UK’s leading booking agencies and based here in Sedgemoor.

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