Welcome

Welcome to the summer edition of Banwell Parish Council’s newsletter. The sun is (sometimes!) shining, the flowers are blooming and Banwell is looking as beautiful as ever. 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 Youth Club - Summer Special & Cookery Course

The term time Tuesday evening youth club will be on pause over the summer holidays, but the summer special will be taking its place! The following exciting trips and activities are being planned throughout July and August, spaces are limited so get in touch if you are interested:

• Beach trip to Clevedon                
• Ninja Warrior Trip – Cardiff                                                                                    
• Screen Printing Workshop
• Wild Place Project trip 
•  Wet and Wild games and BBQ                                                                                                                            

Dates and times to be confirmed. New members always welcome. See the Banwell Youth Club Facebook page for more updates or contact clerk@banwellparishcouncil.org.uk. Ages 10-18 welcome (year 5s starting year 6 in September also welcome!). 

The Youth Club will also be hosting a  6-week cookery course at the Youth & Community Centre this September (June course fully booked). The course involves 5 weeks of training followed by a meal cooked by you for family and/or friends in week 6!  This course is fully grant funded by North Somerset Council and is completely free for participants. Spaces limited. Be sure to book, contact us on clerk@banwellparishcouncil.org.uk.

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.

Jubilee Celebrations 2022 - Thank You!

The Parish Council want to give a huge thank you to everyone that helped plan, run and volunteered at the Jubilee celebrations across Banwell. Thank you to the W.I for making over 300 meters of bunting for the Community Picnic – that’s the height of the Eiffel Tower! Thank you to everyone who volunteered at the Bone Caves. Thank you to the Scouts for running the duck race, the Football Club for hosting their Jubilee party, the Churches for their joint service, the Twinning Association for their meal, B.A.D and Banwell Singers for their entertainment and the British Legion and Banwell School for the Hog Roast at Banwell Castle.  Also, to Banwell Garden Centre for their ‘Tree for the Jubilee’ planted on Riverside Green.

Thank you to all our residents who came along to the events – they would not have happened without you. Thank you to the National Lottery for the funding that went towards the events. If you attended any of the events, let us know what you thought, and we would love to see your photos for our Jubilee gallery! 

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 and Alive 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”.

 Next sessions at Banwell Youth & Community Centre:

• 7th July, 2-4pm
• 21st July, 2-4pm
• 28th July, 2-4pm
• 4th August, 2-4pm
• 18th August, 2-4pm
• 23rd August, 2-4pm 

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

Autumn Window Wander Art Trail October 14^th – 16^th  

We hope you loved Window Wanderland 2021, followed by our Jubilee Wander event in June. If you did, we have good news for you! The Banwell Autumn Window Wander Art Trail is back for October 14^th, 15^th & 16^th.  After signing up, your window will be put on a trail map. Last year we had over 40 properties take part!

You do not have to be an artist to join in! You have free reign to create your window designs, from paintings to cardboard cut outs. If you want inspiration head to the gallery on our website.

Sign up form for the Autumn Window Wander Art Trail (or contact us if you require support). 

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?  Our Zoom Booth can be booked by contacting the Clerk or using our new electronic booking system https://venuehire.scribeaccounts.com/Banwell-Parish-Council-

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

Book an appointment with the Citizens Advice Bureau if you are having problems with: Paying your council tax, discrimination, paying your water bill, universal credit, managing other debts, budgeting, consumer issues or benefits. Weekly appointments held at either Banwell Youth & Community Centre or Winscombe Community Centre can be booked via the Parish Clerk on (01934) 820442 or email: clerk@banwellparishcouncil.org.uk. 

Plastic Free July - Join the Challenge

Sign up to the Plastic Free July challenge  to reduce your plastic waste by heading to the Plastic Free July website. You will recieve tips and tricks for reducing your plastic waste. Let us know how you get on or if you have any ideas on how to reduce plastic in Banwell! Whether you switch from single use water bottles to a reusable one, or choose loose carrots over packaged ones, every little swap will help. 

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

Notices and Updates

Recognition of Service to the Community Award 2022

Last year Covid still dominated and thanks must be given to our vaccination volunteers and general volunteers who have continued to work hard to support our community. 

This year we have two volunteers that the Parish Council would like to honour. The Parish Council would like to say a huge thank you to Jill Jenkins & Viv Bailey who are this year’s winners for going above and beyond in their service to the community. Both of them have supported the community in a variety of ways, including serving refreshments, baking cakes, volunteering at vaccination clinics, taking part in our walking buddy initiative, driving people to hospital appointments, delivering Christmas meals and food parcels and contributing to the food bank. Thank you, Viv and Jill!

Vacancy: Thought about Becoming a Parish Councillor?

Have you ever thought about giving something back to your community by becoming a parish councillor? The Parish Council aims to make a difference to the area we live in and can be a rewarding experience by improving our local environment. We currently have four vacancies on the Council and would welcome applications from anyone in the village with an interest in getting involved. Residents aged 18 and over can apply. The Parish Councillor role provides excellent voluntary experience in local government. If you would like to know more, check out our YouTube channel, website and Facebook page to find out about the Parish Councill, the role of its officers and how you could contribute as a Councillor.  Alternatively, please ring the Clerk on 820442 for an informal chat or email clerk@banwellparishcouncillors.org.uk or contact one of the Councillors whose details are above.

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. 

Riverside Fencing and Play Area

For health and safety reasons, the fence surrounding Riverside play area needs to be removed and replaced by the Parish Council. The fence will be replaced by a steel fence, which will be powder coated in green to maintain the rural nature of the area. The replacement fencing will cover a smaller area, however the current internal fencing around the play area will also be removed, resulting in a larger, more open play space. 

The Parish Council has recently applied for funding from North Somerset Council. If successful, this funding will go towards a multi-use piece of play equipment, multi-user see saw, accessible swing, tactile topiary and another picnic bench as requested in the Riverside consultation in 2019. We will keep you updated on this grant application on the Parish Council website and Facebook page. 

Banwell Bypass

We have been speaking with North Somerset Council to seek answers to your frequently asked questions. If you want to know more, head over to the Parish Council bypass FAQ website and follow the Parish Council on Facebook. You can also contact North Somerset Council’s bypass team if you have queries banwell.bypass@n-somerset.gov.uk /  01934 888 802.

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