Tuesday 7th February is CLASH DAY (again)

 It only seems a year ago that Bridgwater formally twinned with the US city of Seattle in order to take part in International Clash Day celebrating the life and works of Joe Strummer, lead singer and songwriter of that illustrious punk band and who famously chose to move to Bridgwater, where he sadly died in 2002, but not before declaring it ‘a Clash Town’.

To keep the International link going, Somerset Film is hosting an International Clash Day event on Tuesday February 7th.From 2pm till 5pm visitors can enjoy Clash music and images in the Engine Room café in Bridgwater High Street with a live link to the KEXP radio station in Seattle.  The station will be dedicating the day to Joe Strummer and the Clash and their music.  There will be live music in the cafe from Claude Sandiford plus a video link to Prague, from where the Leader of Bridgwater Town Council Brian Smedley will be joining in together with Czech musicians and Clash fans. Continue reading “Tuesday 7th February is CLASH DAY (again)”

Westover County Councillor urges support for Somerset Fostering Week

County Councillor Leigh Redman urges support for Fostering

How did you feel when you first came into care? What do you think about your Foster Carer? What do you think makes a good Foster Carer? These are the big questions being answered by children in care in a new video to celebrate Somerset Fostering Week (23-29 Jan).

Five 11 to 21 year-olds from Somerset’s in Care and Leaving Care Councils recorded their touching, insightful and personal interviews. Their thoughts have been stitched together and set to speedy footage of sketched cartoons depicting children and Foster Carers – necessary to protect their identities.

The County Council believes that by sharing their video with the wider public, the young people hope to inspire viewers to consider becoming one of Somerset’s much-needed Foster Carers. A spokesperson says “This video shoots straight to the heart with its honesty and insight. It is both refreshing and thought-provoking to hear these children articulate their experiences of being in Foster Care, from their fears when they first came into care, to settling into their new homes, and getting to know, and grow attached to, their Foster Carers. As we continue searching for more Somerset people to respond to our children’s need for enthusiastic individuals to foster, there can be little more powerful than hearing from the children themselves.” Continue reading “Westover County Councillor urges support for Somerset Fostering Week”

2017 Calendar puts Bridgwater on the Map

Jana Branecka’s Calendar is now available

Talented local artist and web designer Jana Branecka has produced a Bridgwater 2017 calendar.  Jana, from Bridgwater’s twin town in the Czech Republic, Uherske Hradiste, is a web designer and photographer  and is the person responsible for the Westover Web site amongst many others. The calendar is on sale for £7.50 and can be bought as the ideal Christmas present at Bridgwater Town Hall office or West Quay Records.

Town Council Leader Cllr Brian Smedley (Westover) said “In 2017 one of our aims is to vastly improve the promotion of the town, to draw together all the many events that this town hosts from carnival to fair to flower show to Big Bash to Snowflakes and Shopping and to make people aware that there’s always something going on in Bridgwater which they can be part of. We also want to raise our tourism profile as we have new hotels coming to the town and it’s fair to say we’ve been slightly down the ladder of priority when it comes to Sedgemoor’s tourism publicity – but things are changing! Bridgwater  is a growing town and can be a boom town if we make it. Times are changing” Continue reading “2017 Calendar puts Bridgwater on the Map”

Sedgemoor Tories sign up to 3 weekly Waste Collection Despite Labour opposition

Westover District Councillors Kath Pearce & Brian Smedley
Westover District Councillors Kath Pearce and Brian Smedley urged more recycling but opposed move to 3 weekly waste collection

Despite a campaign to prevent Tory Sedgemoor introducing the ‘Recycle More’ project into areas felt by many local residents to be unsuitable, weight of numbers at the Full Council meeting this week sealed the fate of the people and a move to 3 weekly waste collection will be introduced. At the Full Council meeting of 14 December the Tory motion “to implement the new Recycle More Service Model…in Sedgemoor during 2018” was passed 33 votes to 10. All Tories, including their 4 Bridgwater members, voted for the increase whilst all Labour members voted against. The 2 UKIP members voted both ways.

Continue reading “Sedgemoor Tories sign up to 3 weekly Waste Collection Despite Labour opposition”

Sedgemoor Exec vote through 3 weekly Rubbish Collection

Labour members try to stop Tory move to 3 weekly rubbish collections
Labour members try to stop Tory move to 3 weekly rubbish collections

Today’s Executive meeting of Tory controlled Sedgemoor District Council voted unanimously to implement the new ‘Recycle More’ service model for rubbish collection which meant increasing the amount of recycling to include plastics but to increase the timescale for general waste collection to 3 weeks. This brings Sedgemoor in line with other councils across Somerset which have been voting on the change but has raised many questions in urban areas such as Bridgwater which are likely to be adversely affected by the plans.

Sedgemoor’s Executive, which is 100% Tory, rejoiced in the decision with enthusiasm.  Cllr Caswell (Con, Quantocks) said “It’s a really, really, really, really good idea” before explaining how his own rubbish bags were often uncollected, attacked by seagulls and infested with maggots. Cllr Bown (Con, Wembdon) said it would be mainly a problem for the elderly but “they’re not really interested in saving the planet”. She was quickly advised by the officers “actually, research shows that the older you are the more likely you are to recycle”. Cllr Slocombe (Con Wyndham) the portfolio holder responsible, said “The perfect solution would be more recycling and no change in rubbish collection, but life isn’t perfect. If people recycled properly there would be almost nothing in your refuse after 3 weeks anyway.” Continue reading “Sedgemoor Exec vote through 3 weekly Rubbish Collection”