A new countywide initiative launches this month, aiming to make Somerset a beacon of inclusivity and equity for displaced communities.
Welcome to All builds on three years of grassroots work and responds to a clear and growing need for practical, compassionate support rooted in lived experience and delivered through trusted community organisations.
Led by Community Council for Somerset (CCS) and funded by Somerset Council, the programme brings together a partnership of voluntary, community, faith, local council, and social enterprise organisations – including Charis Refugees, Frome Town Council, Wells Community Network and Wells City Council, and Yeovil Community Church – to deliver a network of six community hubs across Somerset. This will be extended through mobile outreach to reach displaced people in rural and underserved areas.
Val Bishop, CEO of CCS, said: “Welcome to All is a powerful example of what we can achieve when we collaborate with communities and those with lived experience.
“Together, we’re not only building services, we’re shaping a Somerset that can stand as a national example of how to welcome, support and empower those seeking a new beginning.
“It’s about helping displaced people not only find safety, but find their voice, their purpose, and their place.”
Bristol Refugee Rights and Spark Somerset are delivering the lived experience strand of the programme, including the development of a new advisory group that will guide and challenge the work.
This next phase will include mental health and wellbeing support, recognising it as a vital part of helping people rebuild their lives. With new investment, the offer will be broader and more flexible than ever before, including group and one-to-one interventions, trauma-informed training, and culturally sensitive approaches.
D’Loummmies, Mind in Somerset and the Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) are delivering this work, with the expansion of support a key focus for future development and fundraising.
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