Rachel Gilmour MP praises Home-Start West Somerset’s ‘crucial’ community role amid recent funding challenges

Visiting their site at Alcombe Children’s Centre, Mrs. Gilmour met with parents at the Bump-Start babies group, where she discussed the importance of the services and facilities offered by the Home-Start West Somerset team.

Following this, she then met families at the Community Connect Thursday session. Designed to support the children involved and affected by the Minehead Middle School incident last month, the free sessions have run every Thursday during the summer holidays, allowing young people to connect with their friends. Local organisations such as Moor Outdoor, Minehead Football Club, Somerset Cricket Club and Minehead Barbarians, have all put on free sessions each week, giving young people an opportunity to enjoy a range of different sports. Craft sessions have also been on offer, providing a huge variety of activities for children in the area. 

During her visit, Mrs. Gilmour also heard from staff and trustees about Home-Start West Somerset’s recent funding challenges. The group are a charitable organisation and are working hard to secure the funds to continue operating beyond the coming months and years. Mrs. Gilmour heard from trustees that although they are associated with Home-Start UK, they operate independently and must raise their own funds. Mrs. Gilmour is now working with their team to secure external funding. 

Clare Pound, Manager at Home Start West Somerset, said:

“It was incredibly valuable to have the opportunity to speak with Rachel Gilmour MP about the funding challenges we face at Home-Start West Somerset. Like many small charities, we are working tirelessly to support local families, often with limited and uncertain resources. 

Being able to share these realities directly with our MP helps ensure that the voices of rural communities and the voluntary sector are heard at a national level. We’re grateful for her time and willingness to listen.”

Following the visit, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, Rachel Gilmour said:

“I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Home-Start West Somerset today, where I got to see exactly why their services are so important to the local community. 

The Thursday Community Connect sessions held by their team are a perfect example of why charities like Home-Start West Somerset are crucial to a community like Minehead. The incident last month will have impacted so many families in West Somerset, and the fact that these groups run each week is nothing short of amazing for local young people.

Many thanks to Clare and the trustees who met with me to show me the services on offer. It was also amazing to meet with Dan, who is the coordinator for the Dad Matters group. Men’s mental health is a real concern, and the highly attended sessions held by Dan, such as Dad Walks and barber service (Dad Barber), are taking important steps to remove the stigma around men’s mental health. These initiatives cannot be praised enough. 

I would like to thank Clare, Dan, and all the trustees for having me along. I now look forward to working with their team to raise the funds to secure their long-term future.”