Welcome

Welcome to the December edition of Banwell Parish Council’s newsletter. We hope you all enjoy the festivities that the month ahead will bring.  Your council and community are planning lots of exciting events and initiatives, have a browse of this newsletter to find out more.

Your Parish Councillors

You can find out more about your Parish Councillors and contact them on the "Your Parish Councillors" webpage. They are a friendly bunch and are always happy to hear from you!

There are so many ways you can contact your Parish Council:

• Call us on 01934 820442

• Email us on clerk@banwellparishcouncil.org.uk

• Message us via our website www.banwellparishcouncil.org.uk 

• Visit us at Banwell Youth & Community Centre Tues & Thurs 10am-12noon*

• Follow and contact us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

• Send us a letter to Banwell Parish Council Youth and Community Centre, West Street, Banwell, BS29 6BD.

• Attend a Council meeting online or in person (we are working on Facebook live streaming our meetings).

*The Parish Office is located at the Youth & Community Centre (at the bottom of West Street Carpark) and is open to parishioners on Tuesdays & Thursdays 10am until 12 noon – no appointment needed. The Clerk is happy to see you at any other time if this isn’t convenient, just call (01934) 820442 or email clerk@banwellparishcouncil.org.uk

Events and Initiatives

Banwell Christmas Market

Help us support local businesses in Banwell by coming along to Banwell's Christmas Market! #BuyInBanwell. Saturday 3rd December, 11am-4pm at Banwell Youth & Community Centre and the Scout Building at the bottom of West Street Car Park. We will have lots of stalls from local businesses and organisations, refreshments and even a Santa's Grotto. We are also accepting donated unwrapped gifts to give to children that might not be lucky enough to have a Christmas present. We will pass any donated gifts on to the Salvation Army who will distribute them. You can donate gifts up until 15^th December at Banwell Youth & Community Centre on West Street.

Banwell Public Living Room 

Banwell Scout building (West Street car park) is open Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am-12noon for all of our parishioners to use. Whether you want a cosy place to get to know your neighbours or a desk with free wifi to work from, you are welcome to use this space for free. Tablets and laptops are also available to use free of charge. Every one of every age welcome to come along and make the most of this community building. You can help yourself to FREE tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the morning.

Banwell Children’s Centre / Youth & Community Centre

Banwell Youth & Community Centre has all sorts of fun activities and clubs to get stuck into. New members welcome to groups such as Forest School, Youth Club, Craft & Chat, Kickboxing, Tea & Tech and You Can Do I.T. 

The Youth & Community Centre is available for hire Monday to Friday £12 an hour Saturday and Sunday £14 an hour. Please contact the Clerk for more details and a booking form or use our new electronic booking system.

Tea & Tech and You Can Do I.T: Free Digital Dessions

The Tea & Tech and You Can Do I.T  sessions were so successful that Banwell Parish Council are continuing with the help of our wonderful volunteers. The events involve free digital advice with experts on hand to answer questions. Equipment will be available to try or bring your own.  We spoke to people who have taken part in the digital sessions and found that everyone who responded felt more confident with tech after each session.  One participant said, “these sessions are extremely helpful”, while another said that the sessions are “very enjoyable, very useful. [I am] learning a lot”.

 Upcoming sessions (2-4pm) at Banwell Youth & Community Centre:

• 8th December
• 22nd December
• 5th January
• 19th January 
• 24th January
• 2nd February
• 16th February 
• 28th February

Contact Liz to book your FREE spot (01934) 820442 on Tea & Tech or You Can Do I.T.

Terracyle: Recycle Confectionary Wrappers at the Y.C.C

Can't recycle sweet wrappers? What a load of rubbish! You can now recycle your confectionary wrappers of any brand at Banwell Youth & Community Centre (West Street). We have signed up to become a Terracycle drop-off location, helping recycle more waste in Banwell that cannot be collected by your recycling team at North Somerset. You can drop off chocolate wrappers, sweet pouches and chocolate pouches to us and we will send them off for recycling. The drop off location is outside the building, meaning you can use it any time (make sure you put the lid back on securely!). This is our first Terracycle trial, let us know if you would like to see more recycling options in Banwell. 

Zoom Booths

Did you know that the Youth & Community Centre has FREE WiFi and a quiet space for you to connect remotely for advice, training, health services and more?  Our Zoom Booth can be booked by contacting the Clerk or using our new electronic booking system https://venuehire.scribeaccounts.com/Banwell-Parish-Council-

Eco Christmas

Don’t forget that North Somerset Council cannot recycle wrapping paper this year, but we have some tips for you on how to have a more eco friendly Christmas:

• Use reusable fabric to wrap gifts
• Only buy what you need, save money and reduce waste
• Freeze your leftovers to reduce food waste
• Reuse your Christmas decorations or make natural/edible ones
• Put your Christmas lights on a timer to save energy
• Buy local to reduce air miles (like from our Christmas Market!) #BuyInBanwell

Community volunteers 

We are always looking for more community volunteers to help run events and initiatives for everyone in the village. You can get involved as often or as little as you like! We have several opportunities, such as:

• You Can Do I.T digital skills volunteers

• Tea & Tech session volunteers

• Environmental volunteers

• Walking Buddy volunteers

Contact Liz to get started clerk@banwellparishcouncil.org.uk / 01934 820442

Banwell Youth Club

Bored after school? Come along to Banwell Youth Club! The club is open and being run by YMCA Dulverton and there is an exciting range of activities planned for their regular Tuesday sessions between 6:30 and 8:30pm.  New members always welcome. See the Banwell Youth Club Facebook page for more details: www.facebook.com/banwellyouthclub

Notices and Updates

Community Pages and Community Events

Did you know that Banwell Parish Council has a section on its website for community pages and community events? We also have a Local Business Directory. If you have a community group, business, event, club or initiative in Banwell that you would like to put on our website, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with Daisy on comms@banwellparishcouncil.org.uk. 

Parish Council E-Newsletter - Tell us what you think!

You asked us to make an E-Newsletter, and we listened! We hope you are enjoying your Banwell content. We would like to know what you think - what do you like about the E-Newsletter, and what could we do to make it even better? Fill out our quick survey and let us know! Banwell E-Newsletter Feedback - Google Forms