Thanks to more than 450 generous supporters across Somerset, the annual Surviving Winter appeal - which provides funding and support to our older neighbours who are struggling to heat their homes - is getting close to reaching its target of £120,000 this winter. Surviving Winter, which is run by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), encourages people who can afford to, to make a donation from the...

Milsted Langdon has advised on the sale of Bristol-based waste brokers, Waste Source, to national market-leader Reconomy UK Limited. Waste Source is an independent waste broker, providing scalable business waste services to retail, hospitality and construction sectors nationwide. The company was an ideal fit for Reconomy UK Limited’s expansion plans, adding to its breadth of capability and serv...

Exmoor-based bespoke metalwork specialists West Country Blacksmiths were announced as runners-up in the industry choice award at the GAGA Construction awards 2020.The awards ceremony was originally due to take place in Manchester, however, the awards were moved online. West Country Blacksmiths' project at the Courthouse Mews development in Somerton was announced as a very close second place be...

The value of Bitcoin has reached an all-time high. The flagship of cryptocurrency peaked at £14,821 per bitcoin, not a bad pay out for anybody holding bitcoin since their creation in 2009 when they were essentially worthless and you could buy 10 bitcoins for under a pound. Before the lockdown in March, the price of Bitcoin was fairly stable at around £6,000, dropping to £4,000 in the middle of...

The pandemic has demanded fast pivots from businesses all over the world. Automation Ninjas wanted to reassure, encourage and build its audience up over this very challenging time.  They decided to create something that was valuable for small businesses to take and implement into their strategies so that they could thrive through the storm. Their COVID-19 counter attack kicked off back in Apr...

When Somerlap saw an appeal from the Nelson Trust for Christmas donations, it decided to not only offer financial support but also to provide a Christmas tree for the charity’s Bridgwater office. The Nelson Trust runs a women’s centre in Bridgwater which opened in 2019 and works with approximately 650 vulnerable women across Somerset. Somerlap learnt about its appeal via the Somerset Chamber ...

The Princess Royal travelled to Taunton School to meet students and staff and to formal open the school's new state-of-the-art dining room and kitchens. The Princess Royal was introduced to Taunton School Headmaster Lee Glaser and Chief Operating Officer Nicola Miller, before speaking with the head boy and girl from the prep, senior and international schools. Her Royal Highness also met represe...

An overwhelming desire to help others, coupled with her own serious health scare, has led to a Somerset woman launching her own coaching business to help organisations and individuals reach their full potential.Jane Phillips who lives in Wellington, Somerset has set up Jane Phillips Coaching and Feel Better Naturally to offer both coaching and mentoring support to help people get more out of l...

Grants worth £72,886 have been awarded to 37 smaller, grassroots charities and community groups in the latest round of The Somerset Fund, managed by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF). Laura Blake, Development Director at SCF said: “It is such a difficult time for so many local charities, many of whom have lost out on donations and fundraising due to the coronavirus outbreak this year. We’r...

Earlier this term, a pupil from King’s College, Taunton had the idea of raising valuable funds for charity at a time when many good causes have struggled to attract donations. Sixth Form pupil Olivia is from a military family and her thoughts turned to helping the families of those currently serving in the Armed Forces as well as veterans. SSAFA, the armed forces charity, is well known for addr...

SS&L has announced it is the new owner of Yeovil-based Little Discoveries Childcare Ltd.  As a not-for-profit Community Interest Company, (CIC), SS&L's vision is to change lives through learning. The acquisition of Little Discoveries Nursery is an opportunity to provide the highest quality early years day care provision, whilst continuing to support childcare apprenticeships and trainees...

Some 17 students from across Taunton School's prep and senior schools will train with Somerset County Cricket Club during the winter period. In addition to county selection, senior school students Ben Mason, AJ McKay, Kian Roberts and Joleigh Roberts have been selected for the Elite Player Programme and have been taking part in sessions at school during the lockdown period. Once restrictions h...

An incredible £4 million has been awarded to local initiatives in Somerset since the Hinkley Point C (HPC) Community Fund was launched in 2017. Val Bishop, Programmes Director at Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), which administers the fund, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that in just three years we’ve awarded over £4m in grants. "The HPC Community Fund continues to support many gro...

Determined to end what has been a tumultuous year on a positive note, Atlas Safety Management has set its sights on raising £1,500 for the charity Prevent Breast Cancer. “We have decided to approach our usual Christmas celebrations differently this year by focusing on the gift of giving,” said Managing Director, Oli Beynon.  “We have already donated our usual Christmas party budget to thi...

Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) has launched this year’s Surviving Winter campaign, which encourages people who can afford it to donate some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment to help local people who are unable to afford to heat their homes. As we head into winter, many of us face an expensive – but essential - bill for heating our homes, while hundreds of our older neighbours in Somers...