4 Nov

‘Bridgwater Together’ 2021 at BridgwaterTown Hall Saturday November 13th

Bridgwater Together 2021

Bridgwater Together brings together community groups that celebrate the towns diversity and for several years has organised a public event in the Autumn in the Engine Room. This year the group chose to make the event bigger and better and held the event in Bridgwater Town Hall . The date ,Saturday November 13th, featured live music on stage, talks and films in the Charter Hall and a range of more than 20 stalls staffed by various community groups. The theatre was turned into an international cafe for the day with free food from around the world available so that people could enjoy the many things the event has to offer. The doors opened from 11am to 3pm. It was a free event and everybody  dropped in and out as they wished. Some 3-400 people were involved during the day.

The Bridgwater Together event has been supported and sponsored by Bridgwater Town Council, Somerset Film, Bridgwater Trades Union Council, Unite the Union, Fuse Performance, Bridgwater International and Somerset Diverse Communities. Continue reading “‘Bridgwater Together’ 2021 at BridgwaterTown Hall Saturday November 13th”

26 Oct

Bridgwater Town Council Tree Planting at Bristol Road Cemetery

Cllr Kathy Pearce at Bristol Road Cemetery with BTC ground staff

Visitors to Bristol Road Cemetery will notice tree planting taking place. Councillor Kathy Pearce (Bridgwater Westover) the  Climate Emergency Portfolio Holder, said: “The planting is aimed to improve the appearance of the Cemetery and to create a living memorial. It is also an opportunity for Bridgwater Town Council to provide improved habitat for wildlife and play its part in increasing tree cover within the town, which is currently at 7%; way below national and European averages of 13% and 35% respectively.”

 

New Head Groundsperson Matt Mills

To date, the Bridgwater Town Council Grounds staff, including newly appointed Head Groundsperson, Matt Mills, and Grounds Operative Adam Johnson (pictured) have planted four new ornamental pear trees (Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’) to fill in gaps along the avenue. Four more will follow in the near future, all to match the existing trees.

Cllr Pearce continued “Twenty Silver Birches (Betula utilis jacquemontii ‘Snowqueen’) have been planted  to form a circle on the area where unmarked graves are sited, which until now has been an area of bare grass. This area is where burials took place of those who could not afford a headstone. Therefore, the Birches have been planted to both create a living memorial and to provide an interesting visual and environmental feature.”

19 Oct

Two ‘Good News’ Stories from Northgate

Let there be light……

The 18th October has passed. The deadline for the Northgate lights to be fixed is now history. Will they? Won’t they? ‘YES!’ of course they will. Of course there’s a point to all this. Not only have the Northgate lights been fixed on time but tonight we have, in fact, ‘too many’ lights. But we’re not complaining. Not only have the street lights been fixed but the temporary lights are on as well. Let’s hope they stay on. Because they’ve JUST managed to get it done before the winter nights start to kick in round about 4 in the afternoon . So, thanks for the patience and vigilance of the residents -who are putting up with a lot here – and thanks to the authorities -Sedgemoor and Wilmott Dixon, for getting the lights working again. Cllr Brian Smedley (Westover)  said “Good.”

A dog

And…..another important news flash….Dogs are NOT going to be banned from the new Brewery Field Town Centre park. A rumour has been going round the neighbourhood these last few weeks that there will be a dog ban .

Cllr Kathy Pearce (Westover)  has got to the bottom of the rumour and obtained this statement from a senior source , who shall remain Sedgemoor Deputy Chief Executive Doug Bamsey , “There is no truth in the rumour. As you would expect, the fenced children’s play area will be a dog exclusion zone. Aside from that, it will all be as before in terms of access for dog walkers.”

So this month it’s  Hooray for everybody!

14 Oct

Northgate: Let There Be Light!!

Northgate finally sees the light

The concerns of angry residents have finally been listened to and the whole Northgate site is now lit up like a…well, like a site where people need regular safe access ought to be lit up. But let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth and credit where credits due. Ward councillors have pressed Sedgemoor and Wilmott Dixon about the lack of lighting on the school lane for months and warned that dark nights were drawing in. And then, like a bad script, the lights at Blacklands went out as well. This week residents were getting angry and councillors were raising the pressure….but it brought results and now we have not only a relit Blacklands passage but some fine bulkhead lighting down the school lane.

Continue reading “Northgate: Let There Be Light!!”

12 Oct

The Brick Settee is Back

Bricking it

After months of being left damaged on the side of the docks the Brick settee (which is a sculpture of a settee left damaged on the side of a dock)  has finally been restored. Ward councillors raised the issue of the vandalism earlier this year, and kept insisting and now it’s sorted thanks to the Clean Surrounds team, Scott Mason and Steve Prowse.

the damaged version

 

Action in action

Westover Councillor Brian Smedley commented “I was on the Sedgemoor arts panel when the two dockside settees were first installed.  I wasn’t sure at the time that what we needed was a couple of sofas that looked like they’d been dumped, but more concerned for anyone wandering back home from town late evening, thinking they’d got home and then throwing themselves down on the sofa only to find  they’d landed on solid brick. However, like most things, they become a feature and as such need to be looked after. So we thank Sedgemoor for their work in sorting this out and restoring these ‘interestingly themed benches’ to their original (ish) form.”