Updates from Big Local

Radstock and Westfield Big Local has been investing money in the local community for eight years, and consulted and planned for three years prior to that!

The money came from a £1.15m grant from The Lottery Fund (now called Community Fund), and it is up to the community to spend it how they think best, so long as it is based on the needs of local people and helps build on our many strengths. Any resident within Radstock or Westfield can join the group and help make the decisions on how to invest the money.

Health and wellbeing has been a key concern since the start, and we’re pleased to have invested £250k in the Hope House Centre to provide a space that’s available for groups to hire to promote healthy living.

So far it’s been used for music therapy, yoga, youth support, social prescribing projects, and much more.

Get in touch with Hope House if you want to hire the space.

Of growing importance is the use of local green space, in both structured and unstructured ways. We’ve given grants out to allotment groups to widen accessibility to more people; to projects based on growing plants, taking exercise and increasing play in nature; and we’ve supported people to plant trees and make improvements to the river.

For the next couple of years we aim to build on these investments, especially supporting people to access local green spaces. Please get in touch with us if you want to get involved! robwicke@radstockwestfield.org.uk / 07901950114