Charities

Binegar goes bonkers –again

A FANCY dress charity wheelbarrow race around Binegar has raised £200 for the Somer Valley Foodbank.

Six teams – who were joined by a number of runners – took part in the Binegar Bonkers Wheelbarrow Race around the village on Boxing Day, which began and ended at the Horse and Jockey pub.

Organisers say there’ll be another race next Christmas and would welcome entries from teams from surrounding villages and communities. l See Community page 55.

Super Marios – Lewis Cornwall and Justin Draper – were the fastest team

Holy Smoke. The Wizard of Oz team used a smoke device for realism The teams at the start of the race

Wheels on Fire. The Wizard of Oz won the award for the best decorated barrow

Concert helps Freewheelers

WINSCOMBECommunity Singers chair, Simon Page, is pictured presenting Paul Lynham from the charity Freewheelers EVS with a cheque from money raised at a recent concert.

Details: https://freewheelers.org.uk/

Art classes in aid of hospice

David (right) at a previous CHSW charity event

FAULKLAND Village Hall will host a new series of watercolour painting workshops in March in aid of Children’s Hospice South West.

Artist David Graham, who sells his own watercolours to raise money for the charity, is inviting people to book onto the course to learn the basic technical skills or to encourage those with some painting experience.

David took up painting in retirement, building on drawing skills from his training as an engineer, before a varied career in industry, education and business. He sells his art in aid of children’s charities, raising more than £15,000 to date. Since 2021 he has fundraised for CHSW and all profits from the workshop will go direct to the charity.

The eight-week course will run from Wednesday, March 8th. The total cost is £120 (£15 per session), with £100 per person donated directly to CHSW to help the charity support families in need across the South West.

30 years of SWALLOW

METRO Mayor Dan Norris joined local charity SWALLOW to kick off their 30th birthday celebrations.

Established in 1993 by people with learning disabilities and a group of supporters, the charity's founders worked tirelessly to develop a new way of meeting people's needs as an alternative to day centres and residential homes.

Today they employ over 60 staff and support 150 people to live independent, fulfilled lives, teaching them vital skills such as cooking, cleaning and horticulture.

They run football, art, drama and youth groups as well as the super SWALLOW Choir.

Dan Norris said: “Over the years, I have seen this charity go from strength to strength. I visited as the local MP, and it is fantastic now to visit as Mayor on such a positive occasion.

“The service SWALLOW provide for the people of Midsomer Norton and Radstock, and the surrounding areas, is really valuable. Happy 30th Birthday! And here's to the next decades too!"

SWALLOW Chief Executive, Beverley Craney, welcomed the mayor at the charity’s Radstock Community Café. The charity will be launching a special appeal during the year to raise funds.

Green energy fund

CARPETS, curtains and air dryers are a few of the items that Avalon Community Energy have funded for Mendip residents in rented property through 2022.

Its unique Community Benefit Fund supports low-income households in rented property through direct referrals for items that can help improve home energy efficiency. It says that 15 households were assisted last year from a pot of £3,000 sourced from member donations and surplus profits from ACE’s community solar installations.

Madeline Milnes, who runs the Community Benefit Fund, said: “The Community Benefit Fund has only just started to meet a vast need in Mendip, which cannot easily be addressed by other means. We’d love to be able to do much more for people who are on low incomes, in rented accommodation and are concerned and fearful about rising energy costs.”

Service celebrates 40 years

WESSEXCounselling & Psychotherapy, Frome’s longest running counselling service, is celebrating 40 years since its establishment in 1983.

From small beginnings in the early 1980s, with meetings in a local pub to start the organisation, it now offers its services to people in Frome, Street, Bath, Bristol and surrounding areas.

It began when mainly volunteer counsellors started responding to the growing needs of local people for affordable, accessible, open-ended counselling to address a wide range of difficulties.

The charity offers a number of accredited counsellor training courses, with students and trainees coming from all walks of life.

Moving recently to new, larger premises in the centre of Frome has enabled the charity to bring everything together under one roof for the first time and also enables people with limited mobility to access the service and training more easily.

Jane Bennett, who has worked with the charity as administrator and training co-ordinator for the past nine years, said: “I am delighted to be based in the new premises, which offers more space for both counselling and counsellor training, particularly as the demand for both has noticeably increased in recent years.”

The charity says it is enormously grateful for the support it has received from the local community over the years, which has enabled it to offer counselling to people on low incomes.

To mark the 40th anniversary a range of events will be held throughout the year. On Saturday, March 25th, there will be a music event at 23, Bath Street, Frome, to raise awareness and funds for the Youth Space counselling service for 15-18-yearolds living in Frome and surrounding areas.

The Wessex archives show the positive outcomes for local people over many years including one local man who said “…the counselling service saved my life, my marriage and my family. I will always be grateful for the fantastic job counsellors do.

“I am convinced that I would not be around today if I hadn’t taken that very difficult decision to swallow my pride and seek help.”

Hotel supports WHY . . .

THEBest Western Centurion Hotel in Midsomer Norton handed over a cheque for £1,611 to local cancer counselling charity, We Hear You (WHY), as the hotel’s chosen charity partner.

Health club manager, Jolyon Burgess, also ran the Bath Half Marathon for the charity in October.

Details: 01373 455255 or email info@wehearyou.org.uk

. . . as does Nick

LOCALmusician Nick Clinch is hosting Music, that’s WHY a night of live music at Frome venue The Tree House on Saturday, February 17th in aid of local cancer charity We Hear You.

Tickets cost £15 and three bands have generously agreed to play free of charge, Dogs Play Dead, The Lost Trades and Billy in the Lowground.

Jo hitches a carnival ride

FARMER Jo Creed from Westbury-sub-Mendip has raised £750 in sponsorship for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance after taking part in last November’s Somerset carnivals.

Various clubs combined to take the Jubilation Pageant cart to London last June for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. On its return, Griffens Carnival Club were asked to present it on the main carnival circuit and Jo was asked to join them.

Jo said: “I would like to thank everyone who sponsored me and also the Griffens Carnival Club for inviting me to join them for a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“Also my partner Sean for making sure I got to the carnivals on time.” Sean is a life member of the club.

Jo took part in the nine carnivals, plus Midsomer Norton and Exeter. She’s pictured no.5 with Sam Smith no. 7 from the air ambulance with members of Griffens Carnival Club.

RNLI collection

THE RNLI Winscombe & District Branch, which covers the Mendip and Cheddar Valley area from Banwell and Winscombe in the west across to Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury & Street in the east, raised more than £1,000 with a bucket collection at Tesco in Shepton Mallet.

Successful sale

AS usual, the first event of the New Year in the Chew Valley was the jumble sale held by the Chew Valley branch of the Avon Wildlife Trust, which raised about £750.

Unique service expands

PEOPLEFirst, a local selfadvocacy charity that supports adults with learning disabilities, is to host a fundraiser event at The Royal Hotel in Weston-super-Mare on Saturday, February 18th, featuring The Lipinski Band.

The charity, based in Weston-super-Mare, has been supporting local adults with a learning disability, difficulty or autism for over 32 years. It also provides a vital mental health and wellbeing service to its members.

Chief Executive, Michelle Burnett said: “People First supports individuals with learning disabilities to speak up for themselves, empowering them to be in control of their own lives now and in the future. We are a unique service in the area – and our work relies on funding.” This year the charity is expanding its operations by launching a Young People Advocacy Service, aimed specifically at those aged 16 to The Lipinski Brothers 25 years.

Details: nspf.co.uk Facebook Twitter @NSPeopleFirst 01934 426 086 email info@nspf.co.uk

Air ambulance fundraisers

DORSET and Somerset Air Ambulance has announced that registration is now open for this year’s Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge, which takes place on Sunday, April 23rd.

This ever-popular event is not designed as a race and involves cycling through some of Dorset and Somerset’s most beautiful countryside.

As ever, there are 600 places and two routes available; a 55mile route which starts at Watchet Harbour at 10.30am and finishes in the Dorset seaside resort of West Bay and a shorter 11-mile route, which starts at the Royal Oak public house in Drimpton at 2pm, which also finishes in West Bay.

Participants can enter as an individual or as a team and the charity is asking anyone who is fortunate enough to gain a place, to raise a minimum of £50 in sponsorship. Entrance fees are: Adults (£35); U-16s (£15).

The Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge is the first of three events being organised by Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance during 2023. An ultra-cycling challenge with three different distances is planned for June and the 5K Twilight Shift will once again be held during September.

Details: www.dsairambulance.org.uk/our-events www.dsairambulance.org.uk/c2c

Body art festival returns in style

ALIEN Worlds was the theme of the Glastonbury Body Art Festival, held in Glastonbury Town Hall.

Under the theme Alien Worlds, artists and models spent hours preparing for the evening catwalk show in aid of the Children’s World charity, based in the town.

Waiting for the catwalk to begin

Santas plunge into their latest fundraising adventure

VOBSTER Quay welcomed almost 100 hardy scuba divers, who braved the snow and ice, to take part in a mass sponsored scuba dive which raised £3,000 for the RNLI and the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance.

Since 2007 the event has raised well over £40,000 for charity, attracting divers from across the country.