A community-led project at Seaward Way, Minehead has helped get young people away from technology and provide a safe space to be more active and social.
With the purpose of encouraging young people to get involved in new activities and to engage in the local community, the Minehead Eye Project in Somerset has been named a great success.
After requests from our local residents to have more activities in the area, Minehead Eye partnered with LiveWest, Magna Housing and Somerset Wildlife Trust to provide a series of events across the summer and into the autumn season.
Andy Wescott, a Youth Worker at Minehead Eye, said: “The sessions at Seaward Way have been fantastic, full of lots of fun, energy and laughter.
“Throughout this project, I have been really impressed by the community support we have received from the estate. Thank you all who have been a part of it.“
The 16-week project saw around 200 local teenagers and young children (aged between two to 16-year-olds) take part in a series of 16 weekly sessions held in the multi-use games area.
Thanks to the funding provided by LiveWest and Magna Housing, activities were free for the residents so they could come along and have some fun without worrying about the cost.
Shona Stone, our Community Connector is thrilled with the community engagement they’ve received for the project. She said: “It’s been great to see so many young people from the Seaward Way community coming each week to get involved in these sessions.
“Minehead Eye has provided a variety of activities for the young people to get involved with and Somerset Wildlife Trust has also got involved to encourage further interest in the natural world. It's been a special project which LiveWest has been able to fund.”
Our activities ranged from various sporting activities including basketball, cricket and football, as well as large games of Uno and chances for the children and young people to get creative with art.
The Local PCSOs also came along to a session to talk about road safety and Somerset Wildlife Trust brought creative activities with them and young people created a song about the environment.
To help these sessions continue as the weather gets colder and darker, we have teamed up with Magna Housing to provide funding for the Minehead Eye so that anyone attending the sessions over the Summer and Autumn can access Minehead Eye’s clubs for free until February 2025.
Neil Bliss, Customer and Community Involvement Officer, at Magna Housing, said: “Magna Housing were pleased to support Minehead Eye to deliver this community project at Seaward Way for younger people, which has been a great success!”