HOPE event for people facing prejudice or harassment

AN event is being organised next month in Dunster for anybody who has experienced or is worried about being harassed or facing prejudice because of their race, faith, sexual orientation, or disability.
HOPE - Harassment or Prejudice Event – will take place in the Tithe Barn Community Hall on Wednesday, October 8, at 1 pm.
Speakers at the event include the police, local council, Crown Prosecution Service, Somerset Racial Equality Council, and Witness Service representatives, as well as somebody with personal experience of these sorts of incident.
Information will be available about support services and crime prevention and Tthere will be an opportunity to ask questions of all the organisations involved in tackling the problem.
The day will feature display stands from agencies involved and there will be a panel of representatives who will explain how the agencies work together, as well as a victim story.
A number of discussion groups will cover topics such as
Hate crime reporting - exploring the reasons why people do not report offences and what the agencies can do to encourage and make easier the reporting of such incidents
Safety awareness for businesses – for anybody running a business to share their experiences and find out what help is available to them, and to have their say in what should happen in the future
Your experience matters - where experiences of hate crime or being part of a minority community are shared with others, and suggestions made on how everybody can affect change
The court experience – finding out what happens if somebody is called as a victim/witness to court, the help and support which is available, and suggestions for improving the system
Free transport to Dunster’s HOPE is available via community transport scheme Atwest, which will be picking up from the Williton council offices at 11.15 am, from Butlins at 11.20 am, from the West Somerset Railway, in Watchet, at 11.25 am, the council offices in Summerland Avenue, Minehead, at 11.30 am, Driftwood Café, Blue Anchor, at 11.40 am, Silvermead, Alcombe, at 11.40 am, opposite Carhampton Post Office at 11.50 am, Ellicombe at 11.45 am, and Dunster at 12 noon.
To book a place at the event or to obtain further information, call 01935 402122, or just turn up on the day.

Restoration of 700-year-old hall wins chartered surveyors award

PAINSTAKING restoration work on Clerks Cottage, in Spaxton, together with the owner’s social responsibility during its conservation last night saw the building project named as one of the winners in the South West regional heat of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards 2008.
Clerks Cottage (pictured) is a Grade II* listed 14th century hall which has been restored from extreme dereliction using traditional craft skills and locally-sourced materials.
Another local project also impressed the judges - Dunster Tithe Barn Community Hall, which was highly commended for the outstanding support of the local community in the rescue and restoration of the barn for community use.
The project at Dunster comprised the restoration and repair of the tithe barn and adapting it for life as a multi-purpose community hall.
The two projects were among four from Somerset which were recognised at the regional finals held in the Bath Pump Rooms and hosted by local broadcaster Bob Constantine.
Now in their 18th year, the RICS Awards celebrate and recognise exemplary projects across five awards categories - building conservation, regeneration, sustainability, community benefit, and project of the year.
The winning projects now have the opportunity to compete in the national final which takes place at the Millennium Hotel, Mayfair, on October 17.
Kevin McCloud, presenter of Channel 4’s Grand Designs, will host this year’s grand final.
RICS regional chairman Tony Westcott said: “The RICS Awards celebrate excellence in managing the wide variety of buildings that make up our rich built environmental heritage.
“The standard of competition for our awards, as always, has been extremely high.
“The achievement of these Somerset projects in winning so many of this year’s awards is truly remarkable.”
Clerks Cottage was a finalist in the building conservation category, where entrants are required to demonstrate particular attention to background research, the construction materials/techniques used, and the project’s long-term prospects.
It was also nominated in the project of the year category, which was sponsored by English Partnership.
Dunster Tithe Barn was a finalist in the community benefit category, where projects must demonstrate outstanding achievements in providing community facilities, and also in the project of the year class.

Archaeology forum to focus on historic buildings on Exmoor

THE seventh annual Exmoor Archaeology Forum is to be held on Saturday, December 1, in the Dunster Tithe Barn with this year’s focus on Exmoor’s Historic Buildings.
Organised by Exmoor National Park Authority, the day will comprise a series of brief illustrated talks looking at the kinds of historic buildings which make up Exmoor’s historic built environment, delivered by those working on aspects of historic buildings.
Ian Constantinides, an expert on the repair of historic buildings, will deliver a keynote speech ‘Why Does Conservation Matter?’.
Mr Constantinides is a director of St. Blaise Ltd, a company set up 25 years ago specialising in the repair of historic buildings and is well-known as a lively and colourful speaker.
Other presentations include ‘Restoration of the Dunster Tithe Barn’ by Graham Lamacraft, ‘The Conservation of Exmoor’s Historic Buildings’ by architect Jonathan Rhind, ‘National Trust Farm Buildings on Exmoor’ by Isabel Richardson, and ‘The Setting of Buildings: A Landscape Perspective’ by Caroline Garrett.
National park archaeologist Rob Wilson-North said: “I am really pleased that this year, for the first time, the Exmoor Archaeology Forum will be focusing on Exmoor’s historic buildings.
“They are such an important part of the landscape and tell us so much about the lives and economy of the local community - but a great deal of work is still needed to tease out the stories that they contain.
“Historic buildings can be fragile. They are vulnerable to change, neglect, and unsympathetic owners, but some are in good hands and will survive into the future.
“These are very uncertain times for many of Exmoor’s buildings and it is right to focus on why they matter and how they contribute to Exmoor’s distinctiveness.”
Tickets for the archaeology forum cost £15 per person, which includes tea and coffee, but those attending will need to make their own arrangements for lunch.
There is a choice of venues in Dunster or delegates can take a packed lunch if they prefer.
Places are limited and booking is essential by emailing smparkman@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk or telephoning 01398 323665.