Bridgwater Town Council has announced a new initiative aimed at enhancing public safety by installing 24/7 public access defibrillators in areas currently lacking these critical life-saving devices. The locations of these devices is key and Bridgwater Town Council need your help to ensure these defibrillators are placed where they are most needed. Ideal spots might include parks, social clubs, popular cycle routes, or local cafés. Councillor Liz Marsh (Labour, Victoria) the Community spokesperson for the Town Council, said of the initiative, “Working together, we can ensure that life-saving defibrillators are accessible to all, especially in areas where they are most needed. I’d like to ask everyone to help us with identifying the best locations for these devices.”
Heritage Open Days 2024 will take place from 6 to 15 September. Bridgwater will be participating with a variety of events and activities that showcase the town’s rich history and hidden gems. Bridgwater Town Council spokesman for all things historical, cllr Brian Smedley (Westover) said “Bridgwater loves its history so here’s an opportunity for people to get stuck in ahead of this years annual history day set for 28th November. There’s history all around us. Get looking and learning.!”
Dr Miles Kerr-Peterson, Glasgow University
On Wednesday 11 September at 7:30pm in Victoria Park Community Centre, The Bridgwater & District Civic Society will be hosting a talk on “Bridgwater’s lost medieval castle”. Miles Kerr Peterson will delve into the history and archaeology of Bridgwater’s hidden medieval castle It is free admission for society members, £3 for non-members, more information at https://bridgwatercivic.org.uk/events/
The Bridgwater Arts Centre, the country’s first arts centre, will open its doors for guided tours on 9, 10, 11, and 13 September at 2:00pm. Visitors are encouraged to arrive at least 10 minutes before the tour starts, with no booking required.
The Engine Room café and film centre will also be participating, offering visitors a chance to see and enjoy their newly refurbished café. Local archive films will be shown on their screens during café hours, visit https://www.somersetfilm.com/the-engine-room for more information.
On Saturday 14 September there are a number of events happening in and around Bridgwater.
Marie Emmerson ‘Brick and Tiles Museum’
Somerset Film will be digitising archive film from the C S John Sparkes Collection at Café Burtle (Burtle Village Hall) between 10:00am – 12:00pm. This activity is part of the A Village Apart, Villages Together project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Discover more about the project, see some of the archive that has captured local life and digitise some of the 8mm film.
Additionally, there will be a walking tour of Wembdon Road Cemetery at 10:00am organised by the Friends of Wembdon Road Cemetery. This free tour, led by Miles Kerr Peterson, will explore the history of the cemetery, notable stories of those buried there, and the restoration work by volunteers.
Blake Museum in Blake Street, Bridgwater, the house where Robert Blake is said to have been born, will be open as usual from Wednesday 11, until Saturday 14 September from10:00am – 4:00pm (Last entry at 3:00pm). It is free to enter , however donations are always welcome.
Bridgwater’s own Vegan and Eco festival’SEED THE DAY’ is making a welcome return on Saturday 14th September. This event, which has been a feature of the varied food offer in our town centre, has been going since 2019. This year the event will be in Blake Gardens. and is free for visitors to attend between the hours of 1000am and 3pm. The event is expected to bring in vegan (and vegan-curious) visitors from regions near and far to enjoy all things plant-based and cruelty free. The market will deliver fresh and exciting vegan products and produce, from an array of vegan street food, baked goodies and sweet treats to sustainable clothing brands, cruelty-free cosmetics and beauty products, and ethical arts and crafts stalls, to name but a few. There will also be a selection of children’s entertainment including face painting and giant bubbles.
At last, it’s here ! SEED’s pop-up shop lifted its shutters with a flourish this morning. Townspeople, creatives and councillors including the Mayor, Jacqui Solomon, poured into the space.Even the BBC’s Points West were there, so expect to see it on your screens in the next couple of days. It’s located in the corner of the Angel Centre,next to Iceland,the former fruit and veg shop, has been reincarnated as a creative location, open for all, whether working on a project or exhibiting.
Bridgwater people get down and dirty with their river (pic Terence Peppin)
Social media has been wringing its hands this week over the sight of shopping trolleys at low tide under Bridgwater’s town bridge. Then suddenly at the low water mark on Friday volunteers turned up out of the blue, with magnets, hooks and lorries and it was sorted. Well, it wasn’t ‘quite’ out of the blue as Andrew Cosby from Towpath Dippers, the group behind the clear up, explains.“A guy called Ben Bishop set the ball rolling by posting pictures on social media of the trolleys and then he put out a call for anyone who could help to turn up at Town bridge, 4pm, Friday at low tide. Tow Path Dippers turned up with our magnets and hooks and the community joined in. I’d spoken to a bloke from the Town Council and he’d arranged for the town council workers to remove whatever we brought out and that’s what happened”.
