In June we co-hosted the first "Minehead Act to Adapt" workshop, facilitated by the wonderful Somerset Wildlife Trust!
A group of over 20 Minehead residents attended the workshop that took place in the Minehead community centre on the 20th of June.
During the workshop, participants learned about the latest climate change projections for Somerset and Minehead in particular, and helped create stage 1 of the bespoke climate adaptation plan for the town.

Together, we discussed the local issues and pressure points that are developing due to our changing climate, and workshopped ideas to help co-create an optimistic, proactive and dynamic climate adaptation plan for Minehead.
Participants shared their passions and knowledge about:

• Flood risks
• Biodiversity loss
• Green energy
• Active travel

Everyone had the chance to have their say and make a difference!
If you missed it and would like to have your say please keep an eye on our social media, as we will be asking members of the community to help shape the plan in stage 2 via a range of  community consultations.
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Let's continue working together to ensure our community thrives in a changing climate.

Our World Ocean Day celebration, held on Saturday 8th June, saw lots of sunshine, seashore safaris and wildlife surveying on Minehead Esplanade.
We were proud to, once again, partner with Somerset Wildlife Trust and Exmoor National Park to bring a variety of engaging activities designed to inspire and educate our community about the importance of ocean and wildlife conservation.
Participants embarked on seashore safaris led by local wildlife experts, where they explored the diverse marine life along Minehead's coastline, as well as arts and crafts sessions with Alison from Forest Catkins, where beautiful ocean-themed artworks from natural materials were created.

We were also joined by Somerset-based musician Martin Sheills who entertained passersby with his original rap lyrics and music inspired by nature, as well as Stacked Wonky's "While We Still Can" initiative which encouraged community members to make personal pledges to protect the environment. The day was also supported by Plastic Free Minehead who planned a beach and town litter pick.

We’re grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund, the People’s Postcode Lottery and Hinkley Point Small Grants Programme for funding our work on these important projects in Minehead.

We were very pleased to unveiled two brand new shelters on Minehead’s Esplanade. Construction began on the shelters in November, with the shelters officially opening to the public last week.

The two new shelters, designed by Cerys Dehaini of Squirrels Architecture, provide much needed sheltered seating space for visitors and the community to enjoy the esplanade. The structures have also been designed to cater for parents whose children are making use of the adjoining play area.

The structures were designed specifically with Minehead in mind and as such, have been positioned to provide protection from the elements while ensuring beautiful views out to the iconic North Hill and Bristol Channel.
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With a focus on environmental sustainability, the team made use of locally sourced resources and recycled materials, such as Capton stone from local Williton based quarry. Rustic lock gates from the Kennet and Avon canal between Bath and London have been repurposed to provide unique seating inside and outside the shelters.

With accessibility in mind, the previously raised flooring has been lowered to ensure the new structures can be used by all members of the community.
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In addition, poems from the 2023 Minehead Poetry Competition, which celebrates Minehead and the surrounding area, will be featured inside the shelters.

Jim Whittaker, Trustee of MCDT said, "We were keen to create something that wasn't only useful and effective but also reflective of the rich heritage of our area and its people. Local, natural materials, clever and inspiring design, and local, skilled contractors to make it happen. We hope that the shelters provide comfort and enjoyment for our community and visitors. Huge thanks to Squirrels Architecture, HTSteel and Walker-Blair Building for such a great piece of work".

The shelters were funded by Hinkley Point C Community Impact Mitigation Fund and the Coastal Communities Fund, with support from Somerset Council.

​Works will begin on Minehead Esplanade on Monday 30th October and is expected to last up to six weeks. The work will see two brand new esplanade shelters erected either side of the Pirate Ship Play Area on the eastern esplanade near the roundabout junction to Seward Way. The shelters will provide a much needed sheltered seating space for visitors and the community to enjoy the sweeping views across the bay and out to sea.

The project is being overseen and managed by Minehead and Coast Development Trust and forms part of the wider Enterprising Esplanade scheme, which was funded by the Hinkley Point C Community Impact Mitigation and Coastal Communities Fund, secured by Somerset West and Taunton Council.
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Minehead and Coast Development Trust (MCDT) have been working closely with Cerys Dehaini of Squirrels Architecture, a local architect with a passion for the town and protecting the natural environment.

​Zara Aitken, Project Coordinator for Minehead and Coast Development Trust said “We are excited to see work finally starting on site next week. This project has been a while in the making due to the pandemic, and we’re looking forward to seeing the beautifully designed shelters finished for the community and visitors to enjoy. We have been working closely with Cerys, who is known in the area for her responsible and sustainable approach to sourcing materials and reducing the environmental impact of projects. During the design phase, much thought was given to how these shelters might be used by the local community and how the design will create an impressive impact for visitors arriving into Minehead from Seaward Way. This has been reflected in the functional design and practical approach, with seating in multiple locations to ensure the structures can be used in all weather conditions. We hope the construction phase causes as little disruption to the continued use of the seafront and local residents as possible.”

Summer finally arrived on Saturday as the crowds came out in force to enjoy art, culture, and live music on Minehead’s seafront. More than 3000 people descended on Minehead for the annual Minehead Bay Festival which provides an eclectic mix of entertainment for the community and visitors alike.

​The festival kicked off at 12pm with performances from local multi-generational sea shanty group The Rogues, and Skintight Samba, a Somerset-based samba band. Further performances from Trevor Babajack Steger, and Minehead-based musicians Wob Williams, Alex Cook and The Understairs meant music-lovers were in for a treat, with headliners 3 Daft Monkeys delivering an electric performance in the sweltering afternoon sun.

​Over on the circus green, Higher Beings Circus wowed the crowds with heart-stopping performances from tight-rope walkers, acrobats, and aerialists, while Watchet-based gallery, East Quay, delivered free arts and crafts workshops. Inside the wellness tent, festival goers looking for a more relaxing festival experience immersed themselves in the healing sounds of one of mankind’s oldest instruments – the gongs – before enjoying relaxing yoga sessions with local yoga teacher, Terry Bruce.

​Zara Aitken, Event Manager for the Minehead Bay Festival and Project Coordinator for Minehead and Coast Development Trust said, “From start to finish, the esplanade was abuzz with festival goers enjoying the diverse array of entertainment on offer. We have some incredible local artists here and it was amazing to see the community come out in force to celebrate what makes Minehead so unique. We have been overwhelmed with the positive feedback from those who came to the festival, and we’re excited to start planning next years’ event. I want to thank all those who made this event possible – it was a real community effort, with several local charities and businesses providing volunteers, resources, and equipment. We couldn’t do it without the help and support of the community, and our amazing team who have worked tirelessly for months to make this event such a success.”

​Throughout the afternoon, attendees were treated to live art by talented local artists, Charlie Mcfarley, Patrick Bremer and Zoe Snape, who painted huge canvases live on the esplanade. Meanwhile, world champion sand sculptor and CBBC Deadly Art TV presenter, Nicola Wood, created a stunning sand sculpture of a giant octopus on the beach, with her team delivering free workshops to help families build their very own sculptures.

​Musicians as young as 15 years old were invited to perform at the ‘Busk Station’, organised by local musician, Follow the Dolphin, while local youth organisation, Minehead EYE and the team from South West Skate Ramps, ran skate-boarding workshops and competitions on the 24-foot skate ramp.

​Festival goers commented on the range and diversity of activities available for all ages, while another local resident stated, “I'm always proud to have grown up in Minehead, but this weekend I was the proudest in a while”.
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The Minehead Bay Festival was delivered by Minehead and Coast Development Trust with support from Minehead EYE, Rotary Club, Homestart, and RNLI and was funded by grants from Hinkley Point C Community Impact Mitigation Fund, Coastal Communities Team and Minehead BID.

Saturday 25th March saw the very first Minehead BioBlitz, a wildlife mapping event that celebrated Minehead’s natural environment and coastline. Having secured funding from Wessex Water, we partnered with Somerset Wildlife Trust, Exmoor National Park and the National Trust to deliver a huge range of free activities for all ages on Minehead’s seafront.

We hoped event would inspire the local community to connect with our beautiful natural environment here in Minehead, and encourage people to engage with nature and protect it.

The Somerset Wildlife Trust ran three wildlife surveys along Minehead’s coastline and beach throughout the day, which saw members of the local community involved in citizen science activities using the free iNaturalist app to identify and record all wildlife spotted. Over 25 different species were documented on the day, with data being submitted to Somerset Environmental Records Centre to help inform local decision making and conservation efforts.

In addition to the wildlife surveys, a variety of free nature-based activities were held
throughout the day, including seashore safaris run by Rangers from Exmoor National Park, arts and craft activities and beach sketching workshops delivered by local artists, as well as a guided bird watching walk and a virtual reality tour of the beaver enclosure on the Holnicote Estate.

As part of the event, Plastic Free Minehead and Exmoor ran a full-day litter pick, collecting six sacks of rubbish from around the town, and a photography exhibition was held in the Beach Hotel, showcasing nature-based artwork and photography from students at West Somerset College.

Our Project Coordinator, Zara Aitken, said “We were delighted to see people of all ages getting involved in the various activities and feeling excited about wildlife in Minehead, with one family even travelling all the way from Bristol for the event. Now more than ever, it is vital that we protect and celebrate our beautiful natural environment, conserving it for future generations and ensuring nature prospers in West  Somerset. We are planning two more BioBlitz events this year, centred around seasonal themes. A summer BioBlitz will be held on 17 th June focusing on a plants and insects, while an autumn event, being held on 28 th October, will focus on fungi and lichens, so there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.”

​For more information on upcoming events and how you can get involved, follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

We are extremely pleased to be working with Somerset Wildlife Trust, National Trust and Exmoor National Park on a series of citizen science events in Minehead, commonly known as a 'BioBlitz'.

The events kick off on Saturday 4th March from 10am at the Beach Hotel with an interactive lesson on how to use the 'iNaturalist' app to identify and record any wildlife you spot, whether in your back garden, walking the dog or at the beach! 

The session will include an informative talk from Somerset Wildlife Trust and Exmoor National Park about iNaturalist and how to use it to benefit wildlife in your local area. There will then be an opportunity to go out with our iNaturalist experts to practice your new found skills in Minehead.

Free tea, coffee and cake available for all attendees. Entry to the event is free and you can book your free space here: www.somersetwildlife.org/events/2023-03-04-inaturalist-training

Then, on 25th March from 9am, we'll kick off the main event with a seashore themed BioBlitz along the beach and coastline. Join us from 9am on Minehead's Harbour Wall for a shoresearch survey, looking out for dolphins and porpoises. Then from 10am, we'll meet in the Beach Hotel for a run down of the activities available throughout the day, from seashore safaris with Rangers from Exmoor National Park, free guided walks and talks and arts and crafts activities for both children and adults. Volunteers from Somerset Wildlife Trust will run three environmental surveys throughout the day, with volunteers recording data of any wildlife found on the beach at different tide levels.

We are very pleased to announce that the popular Minehead Bay Festival of arts, culture and wellness is back for 2023. Minehead Bay Festival was first launched in September 2022 on Minehead seafront, providing a wide variety of activities for the whole community to enjoy. From live music, circus shows, arts and crafts activities and a 'wellness tent', there truly was something for everyone.

This year, Minehead Bay Festival will be held on Saturday 2nd September 2023. We'll have a host of new activities and events to get involved in, so save the date now!

We are delighted to announce that MCDT will be working with Onion Collective on an exciting project that will look at mapping community action in Minehead.

Using a tool called Understory, we will map and explore the connections that lie between different organisations who work in this area, for the benefit of the community.  The map will enable us to see what goals everyone is working towards and whether stronger links could be built in certain areas.  It will also help identify who we need to talk to in each section of the community, to make sure as many groups as possible are represented. 

The map will help us to understand social capital in our area, and the wealth of relationships and connections between each organisations which we know to be present, but often cannot see. The map will be a collaborative tool for all those working in the sector to enable better cohesion and collective working. The map will also be available to view publicly, however individual names and organisations will be anonymised.
 
The mapping will take place on 19th January 2023. If you know of a community organisation, charity or social enterprise who you think should be in the map, please contact us at [email protected]. For more information click here.
 
This mapping work has been funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, Understory is a partnership between social enterprise Onion Collective and design studio Free Ice Cream.

We are extremely excited to share the designs for two new shelters that are being planned for the Eastern Esplanade in Minehead.

​The project forms part of the wider Enterprising Esplanade scheme and is funded by the Coastal Communities Fund and Hinkley Point C Community Impact Mitigation Fund secured by Somerset West and Taunton Council.

The two new proposed shelters will be erected on the pre-prepared bases either side of the Pirate Ship Play Area on Minehead’s Esplanade and will provide a much-needed sheltered seating space for visitors and the community to enjoy the sweeping views across the bay and out to sea.

Minehead and Coast Development Trust (MCDT) have been working closely with Cerys Dehaini of Squirrels Architecture, a local architect with a passion for the town and protecting the natural environment.

MCDT’s Project Coordinator, Zara Aitken, said “We are extremely excited to be working with Cerys, who is known for her responsible approach to sourcing materials and reducing the environmental impact of her projects. We have taken inspiration from the local natural and built environment and are committed to ensuring these new structures are sustainable by seeking to use salvaged and locally available materials, as well as reusing and recycling components as far as possible and ensuring the structures are robust and easy to maintain.”
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Much thought has been given to how these shelters might be used by the local community which is reflected in the functional design and practical approach, with seating at multiple locations, both inside and outside, to ensure the structures can be used in all weather conditions. The proposed shelters will also provide protection from the elements, whether it’s from a prevailing wind, taking shelter from rain or respite from the sun.

Consideration has also been given to additional features that might be useful to visitors and the local community, such as a noticeboard, water refill station, beach shower, phone/key lockers and/or solar powered lighting.

We are keen to hear your views on how these shelters might be used and any ideas you may have for useful features you’d like to see included.