Community
Parents clash with academy trust over Head’s exit and reports of second resignation
Baltonsborough families packed the village hall to question the ACE Trust. What followed was a clash between Trust-speak and parents’ deep confidence in their teachers. Parents are planning further protests. Baltonsborough is a village school, like so many of the schools across my picturesque corner of Somerset. Small classes, familiar faces at the gate, and…
Read More60 years of Pilton Pre-school!
I was so pleased to join the 60th Anniversary Celebration at Pilton Playing Fields on Saturday. There was a wonderful display of photographs charting six decades of the pre-school’s history — generations of Pilton (and surrounds) children, families and volunteers, and a lovely reminder of how much a pre school setting can mean to a…
Read MoreLate, Non-Existent, No-Show: Can Somerset’s Buses Finally Change?
For a long time now, I’ve been raising the alarm — alongside fellow councillors, our MPs, and the tireless Somerset Bus User Group — that our current bus service model simply isn’t working for the people of Somerset. I’ve seen it up close. Not long ago, I worked with the Bus User Group, MPs and…
Read More“The trees are gathering, inviting the humans”
The Somerset Conference of the Trees — 150 people gathered at Orchard Park Farm in Hornblotton, organised by Somerset Council — was exactly the kind of event that reminds you why this work matters. There’s something quietly profound about a conference that starts from the premise that “the trees are gathering, inviting the humans”. Not…
Read MoreOur Somerset Communities Are Our Greatest Asset
I am truly proud to have been appointed by the Somerset Council Leader to the role of Associate Lead Member for Community Resilience in the Council Executive — a recognition of the community work I have dedicated myself to, and a responsibility I do not take lightly. My role is to support the Council Leader…
Read MorePaths That Connect Us
I was invited to contribute to a film celebrating the Strawberry Line — a path that’s become something of a lifeline for our local community and our sense of wellbeing. This is a short extract from my contribution. The full film is due out this summer.
Read MoreListening to Croscombe: What a Village’s Road Works Reveal About Highways Resident Communication
I have asked for a review of the A371 road works (Croscombe to Shepton Mallet) at the Highways Improvements Board at Somerset Council. The Board was established by the Leader of the Council to give local councillors a direct route to raise concerns and to ensure residents feel heard. While there are many road projects…
Read MoreGrassroots, Evidence, and the Road Not Taken: Rethinking the Glastonbury TrainLink Debate
The Glastonbury Trainlink team were actively working to stimulate demand for bus usage, which is exactly the kind of approach we need, i.e. community grassroots driven. They also carried out valuable groundwork in community engagement, with Parishes, surveys etc. It’s not accurate to assume that a train link via Pilton village would fail. Rather, it…
Read MoreA Five-Year-Old’s Voice That Moved a Council
I’ve always taken the approach that communities should have a voice — and that those who can’t speak up for themselves still need to be heard. A child of just five was upset to discover that their favourite park furniture — two animal rockers — had gone. The family regularly visited their local park in…
Read MoreOur voice has been heard — First Bus U‑turns on Bus Cuts to the 174
I want to thank everyone who signed the petition and those who came to our 174 bus protest on Saturday Feb 14th. Our voice has been heard — working together with bus users, Somerset Bus Partnership, Somerset Council and our MPs: Anna Sabine MP and Tessa Munt MP. Following discussions with Somerset Council, First Bus have U‑turned…
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