Time Team star's 50p launches public appeal for museum project

TV Time Team star, Professor Mick Aston, has helped to launch a public campaign to raise £250,000 towards the Museum of Somerset project.
The well-known personality, who is a passionate supporter of the Museum of Somerset project, made his own 50p donation to the fund to kick-start it.
The overall cost of the museum work in Taunton is £6.5 million, toward which the Heritage Lottery Fund has set aside £4.8 million.
The public fund-raising campaign wants to raise £250,000 of the remaining £1.7 million to complete the project, which aims to create a 21st century visitor attraction telling the story of Somerset.
Mr Aston (pictured) said: “The wonderful collections here in Somerset deserve a first-class home, so I have firmly supported the bid to create the Museum of Somerset from the beginning.
“It is amazing to consider that, if everyone in Somerset gave 50p, we would reach the fund-raising target.
“By working together we can help to secure the future of Somerset’s important heritage.
“The current museum possesses some truly world class exhibits, however, these precious artefacts need to be presented in a more user-friendly way.
“The Museum of Somerset project will achieve this and improve the whole visitor experience.
“I am pleased that the bid is progressing well and would encourage people to find a little bit of loose change to give to this worthy cause.”
County council adult and community services portfolio holder, Councillor Justin Robinson, said: “Somerset County Council is committed to conserving the history of the county and providing opportunities for people to learn about their heritage.
“We believe that this will be best achieved through the creation of the Museum of Somerset, and over 10,000 people have publicly backed our plans.
“We hope that people will now donate to the public fund-raising appeal.”
One of the ways in which donations can be made is by calling in to the County Museum, in Taunton, and putting money into a large replica castle keep which has been designed especially for the appeal.
Photo submitted.

Lottery windfall means handy home help for needy residents

A WINDFALL of nearly £100,000 from the Big Lottery fund means the Somerset Coast Home Improvement Agency (SCHIP) Fix-it Team will soon hit the streets of West Somerset in their Handy Repair Van.
West Somerset Council environmental health manager Ian Timms said: “We are delighted with the success of the SCHIP’s bid.”
SCHIP, a home improvements partnership between West Somerset Council and Sedgemoor District Council, carries out property repairs and adaptations for people in need who are over 60 or disabled.
The lottery fund has awarded it £98,205 over three years.
Mr Timms said: “The new service will complement the existing core service of organising building works and helping to raise funding for clients.
“We are delighted to be able to extend these services.”
Now, a home repair service, known as the ‘Fix-it Team’, will be able to carry out small jobs, emergency repairs, and help with hospital discharge.
It will work closely with existing projects such as the Safe and Secure scheme, Bobbyvan service, and Social Services, which already provides valuable assistance in West Somerset and Sedgemoor.
The Handyperson scheme will be run along the same lines as the existing gardening scheme - SCHIP Green-Team.

Lottery grant for Vikings to develop basketball for youngsters

NEWLY-formed Minehead Vikings Basketball Club has received a financial windfall from the National Lottery to help it develop the sport in West Somerset.
The club, which is also flying high in the Somerset Basketball League, has won a grant of almost £7,000 from the lottery’s Awards for All fund.
Club founder Alistair Johnson told The Crier the plan was to develop basketball for young people to enjoy, providing them with the self-confidence and skills to follow their interest.
Competitions would also run and training would be provided for members of the club to improve their skills in running the new group.
Mr Johnson said the Vikings was only formed five months ago as part of a Somerset-wide pilot to create satellite basketball clubs based around the established Taunton Tigers team.
He said: “We put in a lottery bid to try to get some funding to help because we do not have that many members, and it is very expensive to hire the hall.
“Basketball is a sport which keeps people active and is good exercise because it is a pretty fast game, not stop-start like some of the others.
“It is also quite easy to play because you really only need to be able to catch a ball and pass it.”
Some of the £6,986 lottery grant will go towards the purchase of playing strip and other equipment, while an electronic scoreboard is also on the list, and the club will also cover the cost of coaching courses for those who want to gain a qualification.
Mr Johnson said: “The more people we can get trained as coaches, the more it helps the younger members.”
Minehead Vikings presently have about 20 members aged from 14 to 51 years and the club trains on Tuesday evenings between 7 pm and 8 pm in the West Somerset Sports Hall, Minehead.
The club has an adult team and an under-16 team in the Somerset League and both have qualified for the play-offs by being in the top four positions.
There are also plans to set up under-14 and under-12 teams.
Anybody interested in joining the club should contact Alistair Johnson by telephoning 01823 365709.
Awards for All is a small grants scheme administered by the Big Lottery Fund on behalf of lottery good cause funders Arts Council England, Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, and Sport England.
The scheme makes awards of between £300 and £10,000 to grass roots community groups and voluntary organisations.

Lottery award helps home impovements for elderly and disabled

A NATIONAL Lottery award of almost £100,000 has been given to support the work of a West Somerset agency which helps elderly and disabled people to continue living in their own homes.
The SCHIP Home Improvement Agency is receiving £98,205 over three years from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme.
The grant will fund the SCHIP Fix-it Team, which carries out basic repair and maintenance work around the homes of local disabled and elderly people.
A handyman will be employed to carry out jobs such as changing light bulbs, fitting garb rails, and moving furniture.
It all helps to ensure elderly and disabled people can remain in their own homes for longer, and increases independent living.
The agency was formed as a result of a partnership between West Somerset Council and Sedgemoor District Council.
SCHIP manager Mary Ewing said: “We are delighted with the news.
“The handyperson scheme will be of enormous benefit to vulnerable clients, helping, for example, with emergency repairs and hospital discharge.
“The scheme will also provide opportunities for volunteers and for additional joint working with SCHIP’s many partners.”
Big Lottery Fund head of region for the South West, Mark Cotton, said: “This excellent scheme will put many elderly and disabled people’s minds at ease with the knowledge that there is somebody there who can carry out basic, but much needed repairs around their homes.
“Our Reaching Communities programme is all about supporting local projects like this, which provide a helping hand to some of the most disadvantaged people living in the region.”