BATH & North East Somerset Council’s work to transform Midsomer Norton town centre has received a further boost, thanks to our successful bid for additional grant funding of £856,000 for the Market Square improvement project.

The grant from the West of England Combined Authority supports a new bus interchange on the High Street. The interchange will have widened, accessible pavements and new bus shelters with real-time information displays, enabling new bus routes to access the High Street. The funding also supports the work on the Market Square which is expected to be completed in early 2025.

Continuing the theme of regeneration, supporting local businesses and their employees to thrive is central to the council’s Economic Strategy. In further positive news, the council has brokered specialist skills training support for an award-winning Midsomer Norton engineering company. Bridges Electrical Engineers, based on the Westfield Industrial Estate, were struggling to find the right employees to meet their workload and needed additional training support.

Through the council’s Business and Skills Team, the company secured Skills Bootcamp funding from the West of England Combined Authority. More than 70 existing staff received skills training; 36 local young people who were unemployed attended the bootcamps, with 14 securing long-term employment with the company.

Addressing the climate and ecological emergencies is another focus of the council’s work. We invite residents to join a community conversation on these topics on Wednesday, November 20, at Midsomer Norton Methodist Church. This free event will bring people together to share concerns, explore solutions and learn about local initiatives, leading to meaningful action for the community and informing the council’s Climate & Nature Strategy 2025.

This event will be part of a wider consultation on the Brewery Quarter in Midsomer Norton. We want to hear your ideas on what a sustainable High Street could look like. No experience or prior knowledge needed— everyone is welcome! Book your place at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/local-voices-for-people-and-planet-tickets-1048839225357?aff=oddtdtcreator

Enhancing our green spaces improves our wellbeing. Volunteers from Somer Valley Rediscovered deserve big thanks for their work on a new walking route through the Wild Meadow in Midsomer Norton Town Park. This is part of a scheme to improve biodiversity at five Somer Valley green spaces: Waterside Valley, Haydon Bath, Wellow Brook Walk, Staddlestones Riverside Park and Midsomer Norton Town Park.

If you’d like to volunteer with this project, visit https://somervalleyrediscovered.co.uk/get-involved/, email: [email protected] or call: 01225 477593.

This is just one example of the incredibly valuable contribution that volunteers make to our communities. Bath & North East Somerset Council and its partners have launched the Community Awards which showcases volunteers, carers, charities, or employees who make exceptional contributions to their communities. Make your nominations at https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/community-awards-2024. Nominations close on December 31. Nomination forms can also be obtained by emailing [email protected] or calling 01225 396975.

Ending on another bright note, here’s a festive date for your diary! Come out for the Christmas tree light switch on and market on MSN High Street on Thursday, November 28, from 5.00 – 7.30pm.