4 Nov

Bridgwater Together Saturday 12th November 2022

Bridgwater Together-a room full of flags

Bridgwater Together is now an annual feature of Bridgwater’s Community Events . Organised by the Bridgwater Together committee led by Michal Puzynski from Poland and Vivyan Rybertt from Chile, the project is sponsored by Bridgwater Town Council, Somerset Diverse Communities, Somerset Film, Fuse performance, HPC Community Fund, UNITE the Union and Bridgwater Trades Union Council. The event was staged in Bridgwater Town Hall. In the Charter Hall, there were a range of talks and in the main Hall 26 different stalls from community groups, live music on stage and food of any nations served up from the kitchen. On top of this, Somerset Film had a room set aside for filmed interviews and there were even people offering Covid jabs plus a special room dedicated to Prayer (not related). Several hundred people passed through the Town Hall during the course of the day which ran from 11am to 3pm.

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4 Nov

Bridgwater History Day 2022 set for Saturday 19th November

The historic Bridgwater Arts Centre in historic Castle Street will be the scene once again for Bridgwater’s popular annual ‘History Day’ where several local historians will pick a topic from the town’s history and present it to an audience who not only get free entry but get a free lunch. Organiser, Town Council Leader Cllr Brian Smedley, says “Bridgwater people are justifiably proud of their history.  This will be seventh history day we’ve run and with 7 speakers a year that’s 42 talks on Bridgwater History we’ve got through and always with a packed room. As usual there’ll be some historic food done for us by Purplespoon and this year there’s an additional ‘cider’ theme to the event. The Day runs from 1030 to 4pm and it’s free. Everyone’s welcome, our history belongs to all of us.”

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1 Nov

Little Adventures Nursery now open at Victoria Park

Mayor Liz Leavy opens new nursery at Victoria Park

Today saw the new Little Adventures Nursery at Victoria Park officially opening its doors with the ribbon being cut by Mayor of Bridgwater, Cllr Liz Leavy. A number of parents with children at the Nursery turned up alongside VPCC staff and Bridgwater Town Councillors and  were all shown round both the very popular baby room and garden and then the age 2-5 area room complete with dressing up area, role play and sensory room and outside space which also comes with a Forest School area. Victoria ward town Councillor Liz Marsh said “The facilities are amazing and the staff were welcoming and clearly already much loved by the children and parents alike. Although the official opening is today, the Nursery opened its doors to children in September. It has a fantastic atmosphere and extra features such as the sensory room are clearly setting this facility apart and are clearly much enjoyed. The other new idea of flexible childcare for those parents and carers working shifts or various different hours is absolutely brilliant and much needed as well.”

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16 Oct

Town Council Call for Ukrainian Winter Aid

Town Council leader Brian Smedley has been on Points West pushing the Ukraine appeal

People will have seen on their news and in their papers images of the intensification of the war in Ukraine as winter approaches in that troubled part of the world and now Bridgwater Town Hall is opening its doors again for a new collection. Town Council Leader Cllr Brian Smedley (Westover) says “When the conflict started in February Bridgwater Town Council set aside the town hall for people to bring donations -which they generously did in large quantities, which we then paid for a lorry to be sent to the Polish border with the hard work and help of local community group ‘You are not alone’.  Now the Ukrainian community in Somerset is asking us for help again with the onset of winter. We have  cleared a room for the collection of the things they need most at the town hall and the intention is to get a vehicle right to the front line by Kharkiv  by the end of the month. We are asking people to bring donations to Town Hall reception Monday to Friday 9.30 to 4.30 and our staff will receive them, store them and then get them to the frontline in co-operation with the Ukrainian community. Since the news story broke on BBC Points West this week donations have flooded in and we are almost ready to send the shipment out in time for the Ukrainian winter”

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16 Oct

World War Two “Brown Babies” Exhibition at the Engine Room

“The Brown Babies” Exhibition, showing at Studio Two in the Engine Room, High St, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 10am to 4pm, Monday 17th October to Friday 21st October, is the hidden story about the sons and daughters of African American servicemen who were stationed in Somerset and Britain is told in this exhibition. The exhibition, curated by Professor Lucy Bland following on from her award-winning book Britain’s ‘Brown Babies’. It tells the moving personal stories of how the stigma of illegitimacy coupled with racism shaped the experiences of children born to white British women and African American GI’s during and in the aftermath of World War ll. The exhibition has toured nationally in the Black Cultural Archives Museum, city libraries, university libraries and has been touring Somerset throughout the year.

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