Cabinet considers funding boost for Minehead EYE

PLANS for Minehead EYE - a place young people in West Somerset can call their own - could take a step forward next week.
West Somerset Council’s cabinet is meeting to look at agreeing a partnership deal which would be worth nearly £250,000 to the project.
The new multi-million pounds facility will be aimed at youngsters aged 13 to19 years and will feature a two-storey skate and BMX park with a viewing gallery overlooking the 6,000 sq ft facility.
It will also have a recording studio and DJ booth, a multi-media suite with rehearsal space, a computer area, an exhibition area with an art-graffiti wall, a café, and a shop.
A report being put to cabinet members on Wednesday, April 8, proposes removing a requirement for capital receipts to be received prior to funding the project.
It also recommends the cabinet to hand over the balance of a grant for the project amounting to more than £239,000.
The council has already given Minehead EYE more than £6,000 funding.
The concept of Minehead EYE originated about 10 years ago but was recently fast-tracked through the Government’s myplace programme and last year secured more than £3.2 million of Big Lottery funding.
It is one of 21 projects awarded funding to provide world-class facilities across England which work to create safe places for young people to go, where they can become involved in a wide range of exciting activities and obtain information and advice from people they trust.

• Our image shows an artist's impression of how the Minehead EYE could look. Image submitted.

'Too many Vicky Pollards in Somerset' say Conservatives

SOMERSET has more ‘Vicky Pollard’ (pictured) young people than almost anywhere else in the country, it has been revealed.
The ‘Little Britain’ television comedy character typifies NEETs - young people ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’.
Now, Government figures have shown in Somerset the number of NEETS - or Vicky Pollards – rose by 167 per cent between 2003 and 2007, the third-highest county increase in the country.
Nationally, the increase in NEETS was just 12 per cent during the same period.
Somerset County Council Conservative group leader Councillor Ken Maddock said there was no sign on the horizon of any improvement.
Councillor Maddock said: “These figures show there is a problem facing young people nationwide.
“But it is much, much worse in Somerset.
“And that is before we entered the recession.
“Now that the boom has turned to bust, we will pay a huge price for failing to fix the roof when the sun was shining.
“The county council needs to look urgently at measures to help these young people.
“If we fail, we shall be wasting the talents of the next generation.
Somerset cannot afford to let that happen.”

Crowcombe youths asked for views on playing with £34,000

YOUNGSTERS in Crowcombe are being asked how they would like to see a £34,000 cash bonanza spent on improving play space in the village.
West Somerset Council, in partnership with children’s charity Barnardo’s South West and Crowcombe Parish Council, has won £34,000 Playbuilder funding from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Children and young people of all ages are invited to a mini play day and consultation event on Saturday, January 17, at Crowcombe Village Hall.
There is a morning session from 10 am to 12 noon and an afternoon session from 1 pm to 3 pm for children to sample free activities, and have their say on how the play space should be developed.
District council community portfolio holder Councillor Neil Parbrook said: “This is an excellent chance for young people to try out a range of free activities including building dens, ball games, hoops, team fun, and a whole lot of messy but fun outdoor activities.
“We want them to enjoy their environment and their play space, and to let us know how we can spend the money in ways which will inspire them to even more adventurous play.
“A big difference can be made with £34,000 as to how children spend their time, and anything that encourages outdoor games and traditional play is welcome.
“It encourages children to socialise and overcome challenges and provides a healthier and happier start in life.
“We hope lots of people will come along and enjoy the activities on offer, as well as come up with some suggestions on how to make the most of this great opportunity to develop local play space.”
Barnardo’s South West children’s services manager Michael Hammond said: “This funding gives children and communities an opportunity to redesign their local play space to make it a space that children find exciting and challenging, and that communities feel ownership off.
“Children playing happily outdoors can be a sign of a very healthy community.”
All activities are free, but people are reminded to wear old clothes.
Children aged under eight years must be accompanied by an adult.
More information is available by calling Louise Kennedy on 01984 618344 or emailing info@woodlandplaycentre.com.

Good behaviour by youngsters is rewarded by Dreamscheme

POLICE have praised the success of a scheme in Minehead which rewards youngsters for good behaviour on a housing estate.
Teenagers who act as ‘better citizens’ on the development off Seaward Way can enjoy activities such as fishing trips and days out at the Alton Towers theme park.
The Dreamscheme initiative was launched nationally last year with Home Office funding to help cut down youth crime.
Minehead police Inspector Carol Pearce said incidents of bad behaviour in Minehead had fallen greatly since the scheme started.
She said: “About 12 months ago, we were looking at 150 to 200 reports of anti-social behaviour for that period of the year.
“In the second period of the year since we started that process, we are looking at less than 10.
“It is demonstrating that if we do work with young people and the wider community on a one-to-one basis and people get to know who their beat managers are and who the young people are, if we work together and have community cohesion, we will have a better society for all of us to benefit from.”
‘Dreamscheme - Seaward Way’ celebrates its first anniversary this month.

• Our photograph shows some of the youngsters from the estate who were taken to see a Football League match at Plymouth Argyle in February of this year. Photo submitted.

Pupils leave classroom behind to learn firefighting skills

A GROUP of West Somerset pupils have passed out as honorary firefighters after completing a Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service training scheme.
The youngsters, who attend 24/7@PeritonMead School, in Minehead, have been attending the brigade’s Firebreak scheme on one day a week during the past school term.
The course was run at Martock Fire Station, near Yeovil, and also attended by pupils from Buckler’s Mead School, Yeovil, who also passed out.
The trainees were inspected by Assistant Chief Fire Officer Neil Gibbins, and were presented with certificates in front of local dignitaries including the Mayor of Yeovil, Councillor Tony Lock, and family and friends.
The passing out - equivalent to a graduation day - allowed the youths to demonstrate some of the skills they had learned, such as how to use pumps, hoses, and ladders.
The Firebreak trainees also learned how to work together to help each other through the challenging course.
Firebreak is aimed at youngsters who ‘do not quite find everything they need in the classroom’.
Students are issued with uniforms and fire kit and, as with real firefighters, only the highest standards are acceptable.
Although set in a fire service environment, the course provides a varied range of activities designed to promote and improve confidence, teamwork, citizenship, and self-esteem.
The course is suited to young people who have been identified as having an aptitude for practical ‘hands-on’ educational activities and work.
Students have to be carefully selected because the training is physically and mentally demanding.
They follow a code of conduct based on the high standards of self-discipline expected within the fire service.

• Our photograph shows some of the Firebreak trainees showing off their newly-acquired skills at their passing out. Photo submitted.

Teenagers complete firefighting training course with honours

A GROUP of West Somerset pupils will pass out as honorary firefighters next month after completing a Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service training scheme.
The youngsters, who attend 24/7@PeritonMead School, in Minehead, have been attending the brigade’s Firebreak scheme on one day a week throughout the current school term.
The course was run at Martock Fire Station, near Yeovil, and also attended by pupils from Buckler’s Mead School, Yeovil, who will also pass out.
A passing out parade will be held at the fire station on December 3, when the teenagers will be inspected by Assistant Chief Fire Officer Neil Gibbins.
The passing out – equivalent to a graduation day – allows the youths to demonstrate some of the skills they have learned and be presented with certificates in front of family and friends and local dignitaries, who on this occasion will include the Mayor of Yeovil.
Firebreak is aimed at youngsters who ‘do not quite find everything they need in the classroom’.
The students are issued with uniforms and fire kit and, as with real firefighters, only the highest standards are acceptable.
Although set in a fire service environment, the course provides a varied range of activities designed to promote and improve confidence, teamwork, citizenship, and self-esteem.
The Firebreak trainees have learned to use pumps, hoses, and ladders, and - most importantly - they have worked together to help each other through the challenging course.
The course is suited to young people who have been identified as having an aptitude for practical ‘hands-on’ educational activities and work.
Students have to be carefully selected because the training is physically and mentally demanding.
They follow a code of conduct based on the high standards of self-discipline expected within the fire service.

• Our photo shows a group of youngsters training with hoses on an earlier Firebreak scheme. Photo submitted.

AWSOM website helps youngsters find adventure activities in Somerset

A NEW website is helping young people in West Somerset fill their spare time by trying their hand at sky diving, fly fishing, and mountain biking.
The AWSOM (Activities Within Somerset for Young People) website has been created by Somerset County Council and designed by young people to help 11 to 19-year-olds find and participate in all sorts of activities.
AWSOM searches more than 1,000 records to put young people in touch with activities including belly dancing in Taunton Deane, climbing and caving in Sedgemoor, scuba diving in South Somerset, and even submarine excursions in Mendip.
Visitors to the site at www.awsom.org.uk simply have to enter the activity they are interested in and their location.
They are then given details including dates, times, cost, and contact information.
There is also a link to Transport Direct to help them travel to and from the event.
The council’s project manager for participation, John Batt, said: “The AWSOM website has been designed with the help of a group of young people to be simple, user-friendly, and enable information to be found within three clicks of a mouse.
“We are keen to improve it even further and we are meeting with providers to put young people in touch with more great activities.”
Council portfolio holder for young people, Councillor Pauline Clarke, said: “This fantastically straightforward website is helping Somerset’s young people access all kinds of enjoyable things to do.
“I hope that by trying out these activities now, they will develop keen interests that keep them happy and healthy for many years to come.”
If an activity is not found on the AWSOM website, the team can be emailed via a link on the site for suggestions to be passed to potential providers.
At www.awsom.org.uk, there is a link to the Somerset Young People’s Film Council, where there is a short film about the AWSOM website and activities.

• Our photograph shows three of the youngsters involved in helping to design the AWSOM website (left to right) Verity Colin-Smith, Maha Yuaseef, and Steph Walling, outside the Orchard FM radio station, in Taunton, where they helped to agree a script for an advertisement. Photo submitted.