News in Radstock

Two play schemes in Peasedown St John that support pre-school aged children have received a funding boost, thanks to the Peasedown Community Trust.

Last year, the Trust set aside funding for community groups to apply for. After a lengthy application process, grants of £100 each were awarded to Seeds Toddler Group and SJs Little Ones.

Litter in hedgerows and verges on the busiest roads across Bath and North East Somerset is being tackled in a seven-week clean-up operation.

Bath and North East Somerset Council's cleansing teams will pick up unnecessary rubbish thrown from vehicles onto verges of A and B roads in a blitz starting this week.

Avon and Somerset Police will get critical funding for 70 new officers after a revised budget was agreed at the eleventh hour. 

Commissioner Sue Mountstevens said a vote by councillors to veto her original proposals had damaged staff morale and sparked claims they were playing politics. 

Last week I received a letter from the School Kit Project (SKiP), a local charity which serves those living in Bath and North East Somerset.

The charity's focus is to help families experiencing financial hardship by supplying school-related items, such as uniform and bags for their children.

Planning for later life, including making a will, is something we should all do, no matter our circumstances or our age but it is one of those jobs that can often fall to the bottom of our 'to do lists'. Yet a will is an important document that enables you to decide what happens to your money, property and possessions after your death.

What happens if we die without a will? Or what if we've written our own will, without using a solicitor to oversee the process? A number of high profile cases in the national press recently have highlighted that these scenarios can lead to wills being contested, to family disagreements and to lengthy legal proceedings.

An update on the local NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme is to be the subject of the latest webinar being organised by Bath & North East Somerset Council.

Residents are being invited to join the hour-long online discussion at 10.30am on Friday 19 February.

As we start the February half term, a time when many of us would usually have been looking forward to a short-break away, the impact on the industry and the economy from the loss of tourism again comes into sharp focus.

A phone box in Radstock, which is now not used, needs a bit of imagination to be brought back into use as something else.

The box is in Southfield.

The Radstock Mayor writes:

Every month, a few members of the Town Council meet in committee to address the details of a plethora of business from replacing broken park benches to agreeing our response to a request or challenge from an external organisation. In fact there are four committees and the councillors are members of at least one with the Mayor being an ex officio member of all four.

Always smiling - that was the verdict of social media when it was revealed that Radstock FC chairman Simon Wilkinson has been voted as a unsung hero of the football league.

Well, we have this photo showing that Simon does not always smile.