Posts by Cllr Claire Sully
On or off the Buses!
Earlier this year Somerset County Council bid for £163m to improve rural bus services, however the Government has only offered just £11.9m, just over seven per cent of what Somerset County Council estimated would be needed. Patronage on local bus services across the county fell dramatically during the pandemic. This has not recovered with passenger…
Read MoreSally Atkins – celebration of a life of a popular lady
Today, I attended a coming together to celebrate the life of Sally Atkins of Ditcheat, formally of Stoney Stratton. Sally was a cornerstone of the community, and a hugely popular person. This was evidenced by the large numbers who joined her family today at Castle Cary Rugby Club. Sally was always encouraging and interested in…
Read MoreFrome – sowing seeds and seeing transformation in a Somerset town.
In 2008 I was asked to present ideas for place marketing to the Catherine Hill Traders, who were a group of business owners based on and around Catherine Hill, in Frome. At this time Catherine Hill had few thriving businesses, while it did have something special: people with great ideas prepared to come together and…
Read MoreUncovering Shepton Mallet Prison Raises More Questions
Shepton Mallet Prison’s future seems certain as a reincarnation into luxury apartment blocks by a high-end property developer who was sold this grade II* listed building by the MoJ. The development has been postponed until up to 2020, although work can begin any time, with just four weeks notice. However, questions are still being asked…
Read MoreTHE BATH WIFE MURDER PRISONER SENTENCED TO DEATH – BRISTOL MERCURY (EXTRACT) NOV 25TH 1891
Harry Dainton, 35, Mason, was indicted for the wilful murder of his wife, Hannah Dainton, at Bath, on the 8th September last. Mr R. W. Kingslake and Mr G. R. Askwith prosecuted on behalf of the Crown, and the prisoner was defended by Mr H. E. Duke. The prisoner pleaded “Not guilty” in a clear…
Read MorePortillo’s Hidden History – Revealing Britain’s abandoned heritage gems
In this truly unique take on evaluating Britain’s “lost” history, Micheal Portillo shows he is a man of the people (after all) by shining his torch light on history that although abandoned still bears witness to extraordinary stories. Episode 1 tells the fascinating, but squeamish, story of the Royal London Hospital. Best not to watch…
Read MoreGhostly Attention at Shepton Mallet Prison
Shepton Mallet Prison has been dubbed Britain’s most haunted prison, even The Sun has splashed this headline. What happens next may be down to the stories or the ghosts of Shepton Mallet Prison itself, who may now be having their say prior to the property developer outlining in detail what they intend to do with those…
Read MoreHuman stories remains a big draw for Shepton Mallet Prison
Shepton Mallet Prison – one of the UK’s most ancient prisons – is proving that demand for its untold human stories and history is not abating. Recently, TV production company Transparent Television spent a week at the prison filming for a major television series for Channel 5, presented by Michael Portillo. Transparent Television’s programme about…
Read MoreBuy a prison flat – but don’t bring your car.
Shepton Mallet Prison has been lost to a developer’s viability plan, denying the town of its rightful share of a windfall heritage asset. It came down to a planning committee, with 8 voting for the proposal and 4 against. We now will have a 400 year old ancient prison of some significance being transformed into…
Read MoreShepton Mallet Prison’s Last Stand
January 2nd 2017 is the deadline for feedback on the latest plans for Shepton Mallet Prison. The prison was sold in January 2013 in a bid to save £63 million a year in running costs across six prisons. A timeline of the prison sale has been published here. Below is my objection to the latest…
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