WATCHET is set to benefit from a £240,000 grant as part of a government Place Based Social Action programme.

The money, which was secured by the Watchet Coastal Community Team (WCCT), means the town is just one of 10 places countrywide to be awarded funding from the The National Lottery Community Fund and Department of Digital, Culture Media and Sport.

The funding is to support volunteering and social action in the town over three years, and is the result of a year’s worth of work by the WCCT to establish what the local difficulties were and design solutions as to how local people might be involved in fixing some of those problems.

Led by Watchet Coastal Community Team as a membership organisation, the WCCT said it is particularly pleased to have Onion Collective as the delivery partner in the scheme, making full use of their experience and expertise.

The funding will support six projects that include: young people, peer tutors and a ‘mini university’ community transport, information sharing, deliberative democracy and digital gaming.

Part of the mini university project will also be to refurbish the popular Harbour Community Bookshop building on The Esplanade, as a community volunteer build.

If anyone is interested in becoming involved with any of the projects please contact Georgie Grant, secretary of WCCT at Georgie@onioncollective.co.uk

The successful bid is down to collaboration between the whole Watchet community, as well as Onion Collective, the town, district and county councils and WCCT.

Following the three years of delivery for this project, up to five of the ten partnerships now put through will be awarded further funding of up to £255,000 to develop and expand their plans for another three years to December 2024.

Peter Murphy, WCCT chairman, said: “We are thrilled to have been successful in winning the funding for this important programme, our bid was called ‘Watchet Connects’ and at its heart is an ambition to build on the huge strength of community spirit we are lucky to have in Watchet.

"The projects we will deliver will build on that spirit of energy and collective problem solving to help tackle some of our most difficult issues.”

Cllr Anthony Trollope-Bellew, Leader of West Somerset Council, said: “West Somerset Council is proud to have worked closely with the Watchet Coastal Communities Team in support of its successful and innovative ‘Watchet Connects’ bid.

"We have committed match funding and also the lease of the community bookshop building on the Esplanade, which forms a key component of this excellent project.

"This is a model of collaboration between the Council and community to support the well-being and vitality of our area and we are delighted to be involved”.

Mims Davies, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said: “We know that people want to give back to their communities and the issues they care about the most.

"This fund will stretch across the length and breadth of the country, helping even more people to take action – whether that be volunteering their time, skills and expertise, giving money to good causes or through simple acts of neighbourly kindness.”