March/April 2025 Newsletter

Welcome to our March/April 2025 update. Inside you will find our partner news, information about our latest events and more. The headline diary date for the year is our Annual Resilience Day which will be held on 15 October at Taunton Racecourse Conference Centre. Please make a note of the date and watch out for more details in the weeks to come. 

If you have any queries about this or any of the other features in our newsletter, please get in touch at somersetprepared@somerset.gov.uk. We would also welcome submissions or suggestions for future topics.

 Best wishes, 

Somerset Emergency Planning, Response and Recovery team

& Somerset Prepared Partners

Snowdrops 

Resilience Roadshows 2025

Our recent roadshow at Neroche attracted 31 attendees who had the chance to talk face-to-face about resilience with representatives from the Environment Agency, Somerset Council, Somerset Rivers Authority, Somerset Wildlife Trust, the Emergency Volunteer Action Group, the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group SW, and Avon and Somerset Police. Eighteen participants then attended a Flood Warden Workshop and gained valuable insight into this important community role.

Feedback from participants was hugely positive and we will be organising three more of these events across the year. The next one is Minehead, date to be confirmed. Please get in touch with your requests for a Roadshow in your area using this form: https://forms.office.com/e/BU4ectQFsL

Somerset Prepared Roadshow at Neroche Hall, Bickenhall

Somerset Prepared Community Resilience Day  15 October 2025 - hold the date!

Community Emergency Plan Workshops March/April 2025

We have two workshops in the diary so far for 2025 - but more to come.

Tuesday 25 March 5.30pm - 8.30pm at Oake Village Hall

Wednesday 30 April 6pm - 9pm at Bawdrip Village Hall

These workshops are for councillors, clerks and other community representatives and include the following content:

• Demonstration by Rotary EVAG showcasing some of the Property Flood Resilience products they supply to households.

• Overview of the Emergency Planning system and how this relates to response at a community level.

• Workshop to start writing your Community Emergency Plan, using flooding as the worked example. Parishes leave with a partly completed plan and the knowledge to be able to continue to work on it.

To find out more or ask about spaces please email Bel.deering@somerset.gov.uk or Paul. elliston@somerset.gov.uk

Participants at a recent Community Emergency Plan workshop

Communications Update from BT/EE

Digital Changeover Information Event for BT/EE/Plusnet Customers

The Neighbourhood Watch Network are working on behalf of BT/EE/Plusnet providers to help customers with the Digital Changeover of landline phone happening in January 2027.  They have arranged the following dates and venues for the public to attend and receive information and assistance on what will happen.  Please go along to the venue in your area, no need to book.

Bruton (12/03/2025) (13:00-15:00) BRUTON COMMUNITY HALL, SILVER STREET,BRUTON BA10 0EB

Cheddar (18/03/2025) (10:00-13:00) Cheddar Village Hall, Church Street,Cheddar,Somerset, BS27 3RB

Castle Cary (20/03/2025) (10:00-13:00) The Market House, Market Place, Castle Cary, Somerset BA7 7AH

There will be more venues in the Somerset area which will appear in the Somerset Prepared Newsletter in due course.

Partner Update from EVAG

EVAG - the Rotary/Inner Wheel partnership dedicated to working with Somerset Prepared to improve household flood resilience  - is busier than ever following the recent uncharacteristic  (so far!) Rainfall.

We deliver flood resilience kit to households  - we have a wide range of items to ensure that we have the optimum kit for each home. 

Communities which have not yet linked up with us are invited to email - david303welch@btinternet.com to find out more. 

Partner Update from Somerset and Avon Police

Get to know your local officers, supervisors, and police priorities for your area using this link: 

Your area | Avon and Somerset Police

Finally - take three actions to help

This spring here are three things you can do to make a difference for your community:

• Add this date to your diary: 15th October 2025. This is the date of our next Resilience Day at Taunton Racecourse Conference Centre.

• Book onto one of our Community Emergency Plan workshops (see above).

• Get out and about in the spring sunshine and check that your local ditches and watercourses are being kept clear by the riparian owners. If you want to learn more about Riparian Responsibilities, get in touch with Paul Elliston on Paul.elliston@somerset.gov.uk to organise a talk or workshop for your community.  

Watercourse blocked by a discarded door

Featured images 

Here at somerset prepared we like to feature somerset in all its glory! Do you have an image of Somerset you would like to share? Send your images to somersetprepared@somerset.gov.uk for a chance to be featured!