The excitement and energy were high at Westfield Sports and Community Centre on a recent Friday evening where around seventy residents of Radstock and Westfield turned up to make the 10th community Dragons’ Den a very special event!

The brilliant pitches wowed the audience, who decided the ten winners. The dragons had a different role - they worked hard to support the pitchers in explaining their project idea.

Congratulations to all the winners, who each received £500 to do something great in the community, and commiserations to the unsuccessful groups, you were amazing too! The Big Local's support doesn’t stop there; they are also going to work hard to help all the groups find more resources to make their community idea a reality!

The Radstock & Westfield Big Local would like to thank Somer Valley Rotary for contributing £500 to the pot, along with Quartet Community Foundation and the High Sheriff of Somerset, for providing three friendly dragons.

Phil Edmonds, Somer Valley Rotary commented: “I was delighted to be able to support such worthy local causes through being a friendly dragon. Somer Valley Rotary providing a £500 donation to the project was, for me, the icing on the cake.”

Long-standing dragon Angela Emms said, “It is a delight to hear the pitches from a wide range of community groups and charities who make a difference to the Radstock and Westfield communities.”

The winners are:

  • Fosseway School – To create a polytunnel for their pupils to learn gardening in
  • Off The Record – To provide listening support to young people at the Hope House Wellbeing Centre
  • Norton Radstock Amateur Boxing – To update their equipment so members can train harder, better, and faster
  • Writhlington Village Hall – To put on events for families to enjoy and take part in
  • Midsomer Norton and Radstock Silver Band – To make learning music accessible to more local young people
  • SWALLOW Charity – To hold an evaluation day and learn how their members want to be supported within the community
  • Radstock Wellbeing Group – To bring in professional support and develop wellbeing activities
  • Welton Primary School – To set up an after-school gardening club
  • Natural Theatre Company – To start a creativity group focused on wellbeing and theatre
  • Youth Connect South West – To renovate their music room to make it better for the young people

If you want to do great things in the Radstock-Westfield community please contact Big Local, who can support you in finding resources to make it happen: [email protected]