We are proud to support a wide range of projects and events throughout the region. Bringing communities together is important to us.
If you have an idea for a community event or project, or would like to find out more about what is going on in your area, our community connectors can help. You can also stay up to date on our Connecting Communities Facebook group.
Take a look at what has been going on throughout the South West recently.
Cornwall
The Kabin at Roscadghill has had a busy few months, with a community open day held in August and other activities going on to help get local people involved in the community hub. There have been events for the parent and toddler group, coffee mornings and a number of information drop-ins with both LiveWest staff and partner agencies including Community Energy Plus, National Energy Action, South West Water and Healthy Cornwall.
You can join the Kabin this Friday 20 December from 10am-12pm for a Festive Christmas coffee morning with mince pies and Christmas cake for their last coffee morning of the year.
In Treneere, a new growing area has been created with funding donated by WMS. The community are using the growing area and making the produce available to all residents. There was also a clean-up day organised, with the community getting together to litter pick and tidy up their neighbourhood.
The Treneere Community Christmas lights switch-on took place on Sunday 15 December, and it was bigger and better than ever. Celebrating its 10th year, the estate was beautifully illuminated with traditional decorations like bells and Santa’s reindeer, along with beloved animated characters such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Stitch, and the Minions.
The event saw a fantastic turnout, with many members of the community and further afield joining in the festivities. The Christmas tree of love, adorned with baubles in memory of loved ones, was particularly well-received. It was a delightful evening filled with music, refreshments, a fire engine, fair rides, and, of course, Santa!
Community Connector Alison Knight visited the Community Fridge and Larder in Saltash to donate advent calendars earlier in December. Community Enterprises PL12 run the project, alongside a wide range of others in the local area to help support the community.
Devon
To help our customers save money, we have been working with South West Water in Plymouth. We organised an advice door knock in Plymouth to promote the water company's affordability scheme and check people are on the correct tariff for their water bills.
We offered advice to over 400 homes in this area and provided support on how to save water, manage any debts, manage devices, and answer any questions residents may have.
Our residents, Sharon Moon and Mark Scoble, said: “It is really helpful that LiveWest are coming around and trying to save us money on our utility bills.”
Find out more including how you can try to save money on your bills.
We have also been supporting the Dartmouth & District Food Bank by donating supermarket vouchers, which allowed them to purchase some fresh products. The food bank supports residents of Dartmouth and the surrounding area, of which a large number live in LiveWest homes. Find out more about the food bank.
We have been supporting pop-up Christmas toy swaps in Plymouth and Tavistock with collection points for colleagues across LiveWest’s offices and lots of donations given from our communities too.
Three toy swaps took place in Foxfield’s Close, and Furse Park in Plymouth and Staple Tor Road in Tavistock to help preloved toys find new homes and bring some joy to families looking for presents. There was also hot chocolate and mince pies for people to enjoy. Thanks to everyone who had a clear-out and donated such amazing quality toys to them.
Some of our LiveWest colleagues have spent some time volunteering in Barne Barton, Plymouth, to create a large community bed for Riverside Primary School children who have forest school sessions at the allotments. Jewson Partnership Solutions provided timber for some of the raised bed plots, which will give the children the chance to learn about gardening.
Somerset
Residents at Ecos Court, Frome, have been working hard to maintain their community garden and grow vegetables, with support from Kerry at the Frome Seed Library. The seed library donated seeds, with seeds saved from the harvested crop and donated back to the library.
There have been regular gardening sessions for the community to brush up on their skills. Other projects have included general maintenance like painting the fence and creating a seating area. The project looks like it has a positive future, giving residents a space to grow vegetables but also come together as a community.
A community clean-up and litter pick were organised in Rhyne View, Nailsea, to help tidy up the neighbourhood. There were 12 bags of litter collected by the volunteers, with a Halloween themed competition bringing some extra fun to the day.
Between January and March 2025, across Highbridge several ‘Great Highbridge drop in’ events are being held where you can get advice and support over a range of issues. LiveWest, Burnham & Weston Energy, Spark Somerset, Highbridge Foodbank, Age UK Somerset, and many other organisations will be coming along. Keep any eye on the LiveWest Connecting Communities Facebook for more information on dates.
A community youth project in Minehead has seen around 100 children try new activities and get involved with the local community. The 16-week project saw around 100 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.
We have donated supermarket vouchers to Purple Elephant Family Support, which have been used to buy fruit and healthy snacks for school holiday activities. The charity based in Frome supports families to enjoy a range of activities and opportunities.
The community garden in Wyndham Park, Yeovil, has grown ever since residents started using the land to grow fruit, vegetables and plants. The project has been beneficial for the community, including earlier this year as we worked with Primrose Lane Primary School to encourage the next generation of gardeners.
Bristol and West of England
We worked with Bristol City Council, Places for People, and Bristol Waste on a clean-up day in St. Pauls, Bristol. LiveWest residents living in the area got involved with the clean-up, with 45 volunteers getting involved on the day, filling a total of 41 waste bags.
In Kaynton Mead, Bath, a community space has been created for local residents to enjoy. With materials like topsoil donated by Idverde, the residents have somewhere they can make the most of outside spaces and come together.
