THE chairmam of Sedgemoor District Council opened a new community hub on Fairfax Road in Sydenham this week.

The official opening came as part of the Together Team - East Bridgwater's first birthday celebrations and the group has also published its first newsletter this month.

The Together Team- East Bridgwater is a group of organisations all working in partnership in Sydenham, Bower and Dunwear.

Partner organisations include Avon and Somerset Police, Sustrans and Bridgwater Town, Sedgemoor District and Somerset County Councils as well as local education, housing and health providers.

To enable residents to have easy access to the team and to raise any concerns face to face the new community hub, which will be open to drop-in or pre-booked appointments, will open 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Friday to the rear of Sydenham Community Centre.

Alongside opening the hub the team have been busy over the past year organising events for local residents including the first East Bridgwater Sport Relief Mile, the Coronation Park Family Fun Day, Sydenham and Bower community litter picks alongside weekly family and sporting activities including buggy and health walks and Play in Park sessions.

There have also been regular ‘Tea and Talk’ drop-in sessions to encourage residents to meet the team as well as one-off awareness events on debt advice, computer skills and loan sharks.

Together Team-supported initiatives have included the £230,000 investment at Coronation Park, the new community noticeboard outside Sydenham Community Centre, the planting of the grass verge and bollard painting on Parkway with the Sydenham Street Design Team as well as ‘clear out’ skip days with Homes in Sedgemoor.

Together Team Coordinator Kristy Blackwell said: "We are delighted to be celebrating our first birthday with the opening of the community hub in Sydenham and the first edition of the new East Bridgwater – Together newsletter.

"The newsletter will be delivered to every resident in East Bridgwater over the next week or two and is packed full of local news, info and event details.By working together we can make the local area an attractive, welcoming, accessible and sustainable place in which to live, work and enjoy for all residents."

Neighbourhood Inspector Andy Pritchard from Avon and Somerset Police added: “The Together Team has been very successful in helping to tackle crime and disorder in the area.

"The underlying causes of criminality and anti-social behaviour are often complex and it is crucial for the Police to work with other organisations; the Together Team has brought partners together on a regular and frequent basis not only to tackle current issues but also to prevent problems developing in the future."