DO you have what it takes to make a difference in the community?

Radstock and Westfield Big Local will host their eleventh Dragons’ Den event in late Autumn, and applications are now open for those with an idea to pitch. This time around, successful applicants could potentially secure up to £1,000 for their venture - double the prize money awarded in previous years.

The Dragons’ Den community event is designed to enable residents and organisations to receive money to carry out projects that will benefit and improve the communities within Radstock and Westfield, including Writhlington, Clandown, Tyning and Haydon.

Dragons’ Den will take place on Friday, November 15 from 5.30pm to 7.30pm, at Westfield Sports and Community Centre, Westhill Road, BA3 3TE. The deadline for those wishing to apply is 5pm on Monday, October 28. The first fifteen applicants will be given the opportunity to pitch, so get your applications in quickly!

Applicants make their case to an audience made up of local residents, who will vote for their five favourite projects. There will be up to ten winners on the night. Previous winners include Fosseway School, Off The Record, Westfield Voices and Youth Connect South West, to name a few.

One of last year’s winners was the Natural Theatre Company, who used funds to start a creativity group focused on wellbeing and theatre. Mark Bishop, Participation Manager of the Natural Theatre Company, said: “We have had the pleasure of pitching at a couple of Dragons’ Den Big Local events. It's a great evening. The audience of locals are always really supportive and the Dragon's questions are more helpful than scary. I love watching other people's presentations and it's such a great feeling when your name is called out at the end if you are successful.

“The hardest thing is squeezing your pitch into 90 seconds. I find using props helps! It's definitely worth a go. You may well get the funding for your project.”

Rob Wicke, Manager of Radstock and Westfield Big Local, said: “We love supporting people to make a positive difference to their community, and the Dragons’ Den has been so successful at doing that. This time we’ve doubled the amount a project can win, and we hope to see some amazing ideas develop from this event!”

The easy-to-follow application form can be found online: radstockwestfield.org.uk/dragons-den-11/

For more details, email Rob Wicke: [email protected] or call 07901 950114.