SCF Annual Review 2022-23

12
Annual Review 2022/23
Below:
Acrobatics
were just one
of the activities
at Minehead
Bay Festival,
organised by
Minehead
EYE.
Below:
Our largest
ever grant of
£1.25 million
was awarded to
Bridgwater Guy
Fawkes Carnival.
Photo credit:
Peter J Nicholls
Photography
Above: A grant from
Somerset Community
Foundation, in July 2022,
went towards organising
the first parade at
Taunton Pride.
Supporting
strong,
connected
communities
Creating spaces and places for whole
communities to come together is a
big part of what we do with our grant
funding. These spaces are often the
beating heart of our communities,
where people come together. They
help build connections, friendships
and memories that anchor people to
the place they live. They help people
to feel like they belong.
The Somerset Fund supports many
of these amazing places and spaces,
like West Brompton Village Shop,
which you can read more about on
the next page.
But our efforts to support strong,
connected communities are wide
ranging. They include our largest ever
grant of £1.25 million to Bridgwater
Guy Fawkes Carnival. This was
made possible thanks to our Hinkley
Point C Community Fund. Our grant
will help to create a new ‘home of
carnival’ in Bridgwater and it unlocked
a further £3 million of funding from
other sources. The thousands of
people involved in the carnival are
not just spectators: they are actively
involved in building carts, raising
funds, and providing training and
skills development. In doing so, they
are building and sustaining their
community throughout the year.
In addition to the many village halls,
community centres, and playing
fields we’ve been proud to support,
we supported our county’s biggest
LGBTQ+ Pride event in Taunton.
And in Axbridge, we supported the
only remaining historical pageant in
England, which takes place every
ten years.
All these places, spaces and events
breathe life into our communities,
bringing people together who might
not otherwise meet, building strong
communities that make Somerset a
special place to live.
In a seemingly increasingly
divided society, we need things
that bring more of us together,
more often. My hope and belief
is that by helping the Bridgwater
Carnival secure its future, it will
play an ever more important role
in building bridges across all the
diverse cultures of Somerset.”
Justin Sargent, Chief Executive,
Somerset Community Foundation