On Friday afternoon, more than 30 people from across Bridgwater came together at The Rollercoaster for a lively and inspiring neighbourhood workshop. The room was full of energy, connection and commitment, a real reminder of the strength we have when schools, services and community come together around our shared purpose.
We were joined by headteachers and senior leaders from three secondary schools, the Family Intervention Service, Avon and Somerset Police, Bridgwater Town Council, Citizens Advice, Public Health, LiveWest, Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service, the new Active Place team, the Community Safety team, Village Agents from Thrive, and many of our amazing local community connectors and volunteers — including Lesley Gates and Ann-Marie Gould from Sedgemoor Community Connectors.
The session explored how we can keep building a way of working in Bridgwater that puts relationships first, creating support that feels local, human and joined-up for families and young people.
Aaron Reid, Headteacher at Haygrove School, shared how the Cradle to Career model can complement the neighbourhood approach already developing across the town, helping us align education, family and community around what helps children and young people thrive.
Rob Semple from Bridgwater Town Council spoke passionately about their vision for young people, calling on partners and the community to help bring it to life, while Craig Lloyd from Youth Unlimited shared what the are seeing day-to-day from young people across Bridgwater, their hopes, challenges and ideas.
We ended the afternoon with a ‘fishbowl’ conversation, an open, honest discussion around the challenges we are facing for our young people in Bridgwater and how we can respond together. The conversations were rich, hopeful and full of practical ideas that will shape our next steps as a collective.
Everyone left feeling genuinely excited about the direction we are heading in Bridgwater
