In a year that saw the community broken-hearted at losing two local fundraisers, full of nostalgia as WWI events were commemorated, opinions divided on the arrival of national brands, Costa and Wetherspoons; much discussion about the River Somer through Midsomer Norton High Street and the controversy of the mysterious arrival and very public removal of the Paulton chicane, there has been plenty to report on during 2015.

Back in January, Wetherspoons announced its intention to invest over £4 million in Midsomer Norton by regenerating the Palladium site into one of its popular gastro-pubs.

Comments poured in from businesses and residents and the development was under scrutiny almost all of the year, with the application finally getting approval, with strict conditions, in November. Another development which continues to cause debate is the NRR/Linden Homes regeneration of Radstock, which is now well underway after over a decade of discussion. The question of car parking in the town has been brewing since January this year, with the Town Council still trying to press B&NES for a parking strategy going forward to support the new businesses that they hope regeneration will bring.

February saw the community left reeling when four people were killed, including four-year-old Mitzi Rosanna Steady, when a tipper truck lost control on Lansdown Lane, Bath.

During the spring, Norton Hill School, as part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Federation, released their plans to build a new primary school for the town. This is firmly underway, with four sites being put forward for consideration and the preferred location due to be revealed very soon.

The continuing development of the Somer Valley isn’t the only thing that has been making headlines over the year. The hard work and success of local man, Darren Ladd, who is currently taking part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and local Olympic hopeful, Corey Walkes, have also filled our pages. Corey has been involved in several trampolining competitions over the past year, having just returned from Denmark and is in need of your help to fund his future events, the next being in Spain, should he qualify. For more information, visit: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/coreywalkes2015

May, of course, saw not only the General Election, but also the local elections. This signalled a change at B&NES Council, reflecting the national scenario as the Conservatives came to power at the head of the local authority, with a return to his seat for MP, Jacob Rees-Mogg. We at The Journal were busy in the lead-up, speaking to all the candidates and putting together a video, giving out the information needed to register and where to find information on all of the parties. Local schools and organisations also held their own hustings, inviting the candidates to speak, including Norton Hill School, which also went on to hold its own election, and community radio station, Somer Valley FM, in which members of the public got to put their questions to each of the candidates in a live broadcast.

The summer months brought sadness to the area, when two much-loved young fundraisers passed away. Lucia Robinson, from Writhlington, was battling an aggressive form of cancer whilst raising money for Bristol Children’s Hopsital, the Teenage Cancer Trust, CLIC, the Rainbow Trust and Children’s Hospice South West. Emma Welch, from Chilcompton, worked tirelessly to fundraise for Brain Tumour Research UK, whilst dealing with her own health issues, but tragically died following complications from surgery on her spine. Tributes from the girls’ schools, friends, families and individuals touched by their generosity poured in and many continue to donate to their causes today. One of Emma’s friends, Victoria Roberts, has set up the Daisy Bear Challenge, continuing Emma’s work for Brain Tumour Research. The challenge hopes to break a World Record next summer by getting local groups to donate crocheted flowers, with a target of 10,000. Local eventer, Hannah Francis, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year, has also been working hard throughout 2015 to raise money for cancer charities. Her campaign, along with her mascot, Willberry the Wonder Pony, has seen events taking place all over the area, with schools and businesses joining in to help. Her school friend, actress, Maisie Williams, donated £10,000 to the campaign after winning a radio call-in competition during the autumn and accompanied Hannah and Willberry to Ed Sheeran’s film premiere in October, where Willberry got to mingle with the likes of Olly Murs and Justin Bieber!

At the beginning of August, Midsomer Norton was shocked by the closure of Casswells, the long-standing hardware shop in the town. The store had been serving the High Street for over 100 years and raised questions about the long-term future of Midsomer Norton’s retail core. A few months later, national brand, Wickes, opened up at Paulton.

The summer also saw the announcement that coal canal enthusiasts in Paulton have been rebuilding the old route. Members of the Somersetshire Coal Canal Society, alongside land owners, have been working throughout the year to reopen the canal through the villages of Paulton and Radford. The work was well timed, coinciding with the 200th anniversary of the publication of William Smith’s stratigraphic map, launching the science of geology.

While Paulton was working hard to rebuild the canal, local parents in the village were also campaigning for affordable school transport, to help get their secondary aged children to school on time and to limit traffic in the area. Parents teamed up with local B&NES Councillors, John Bull and Liz Hardman, to campaign for more affordable, reliable public transport. By September, campaigners had managed to secure bus transport from Paulton to Midsomer Norton. Several local schools also released revised bus timetables in September, to help ease congestion and transport local children to and from school.

Peasedown St John did its fair share of campaigning in September, as local Councillors once again raised the issue of safety at the A367 junction with Bath Road. Further campaigns took place at the beginning of December, when yet another accident took place there, calling for B&NES to consider installing a roundabout. The money for a feasibility study was promised in 2015’s budget, but this is yet to be forthcoming. We expect to see more on this issue in the New Year.

The autumn months saw the area come together to commemorate local war heroes, with events celebrating 100 years since Oliver Brooks was awarded the Victoria Cross and Chilcompton’s forgotten soldier, Captain William Hollwey, having his name added to the village’s War Memorial. The Journal also had a huge response to the request for your National Service stories – thank you to everyone who got in touch.

Local residents also did their bit this year in responding to European emergencies, collecting items to take to Calais to help with the refugee crisis. Bath welcomed its first group of refugees from Syria, mostly made up of orphaned children, towards the end of November 2015.

Stories that made the front pages in October included the wheels being put into motion to purchase land for a Town Park in Midsomer Norton. There have been aspirations for a Town Park since the early 1970s, with the land finally being sold to the Town Council when planning permission for 35 new homes nearby was granted by B&NES.

The future of Radstock’s regeneration continued to make the front page during the autumn, with a heated meeting at the Guildhall, Bath, to vote on Area Three plans. The application was approved, with conditions, which didn’t appease all of those against aspects of the development. Area Three, which contains the Brunel Railway Shed and the ecologically sensitive Fox Hills is still the subject of much discussion.

As winter and storms Abigail and Barney hit, so did the revised Midsomer Norton Carnival. This year’s procession, which had a shorter route than last year’s, was just as damp with torrential rain, but saw a good turn-out as it made its way along Charlton Road, back up through the High Street, over the Stone’s Cross roundabout and along Radstock Road. Despite the awful weather, the success of this year’s carnival has given organisers and residents renewed confidence in the future of the route – with appeals for business sponsorship to help the event really take off in 2016.

November continued on a positive note, ending with well known Radstock marathon runner and fundraiser, Jean Meredith, being presented with the Town Council’s ‘Making a Difference Award’. Jean, who turned seventy in 2015 and runs a hairdressing salon in the town, has been donating to good causes for many years, gaining sponsorship by running marathons. Her latest project saw her collecting for Radstock Methodist Church and CLIC Sergeant – in the future, she hopes to run seventy miles to celebrate her milestone birthday, hopefully raising more money to donate to local causes.

The Catholic community were left shocked and surprised as it was announced earlier in the year that five local churches would be closing in Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Norton St Philip, Holcombe and Chilcompton. It was decided to bring the congregations together at St Benedict’s, on the site of Downside Abbey, as the ageing local monks were finding their services spread too thinly. The churches were closed by Advent Sunday.

Christmas festivities almost went off with an actual bang when a gas leak was discovered in Midsomer Norton on the same day as the light switch-on. Stallholders rallied round as they were moved and although the event had to finish early as a consequence, spirits remained high. Radstock and Paulton’s festive events, despite the weather, went without a hitch, with a bigger event for Radstock and the first ever Christmas market for Paulton.

The end of 2015 continued with positive news for the Somer Valley, as the area was chosen by the Government to be an Enterprise Zone, which promises to develop areas into business and retail hubs, offering new job opportunities for residents and less commuting.

Residents will be hoping for a better year on the local roads, having spent much of the year in gridlock in Radstock and Midsomer Norton, whilst essential gas, water repair and installations have been carried out, causing long delays on the roads. Nothing got readers talking more than Paulton’s controversial traffic build-out, which appeared at the end of last year outside of Paulton Hospital and left many scratching their heads as to its location. Following long queues, frustrated drivers and safety concerns raised by motorists and the hospital, the Council had to backtrack and have it removed in May after an independent audit echoed the safety fears. It cost £10,000 to install and nearly as much to rip out, with B&NES taxpayers across the area footing the bill. Midsomer Norton also fought the then Lib-Dems in power at B&NES Council at the beginning of 2015, as the 20 mph scheme was rolled out across the area. Midsomer Norton maintained it was never in the consultation zone, after 20 mph signs went up around Charlton Park.

So, what will 2016 bring? A supermarket at South Road? (doubtful), the redevelopment of Welton, Bibby and Baron? The opening of Wetherspoons in Midsomer Norton? What it will definitely be bringing is a referendum to decide the future form of governance for B&NES on 10th March 2016. Voters will be able to have their say on whether or not the area should have an Elected Mayor, which could mean a potentially big shake-up for the local authority.

Many of you might not know this, but we are a small team who live locally, often out and about with a camera in hand, setting all of your adverts and designing the paper ourselves, all done in house, every week, and then delivering 16,000 copies with the help of our driver. It’s this ethos which has seen us producing The Journal for over thirty years and we couldn’t do it without the support of our advertisers and readers.

So, thank you, Midsomer Norton, Radstock and surrounding areas, for doing what you do best. For being lively, vibrant communities and giving us plenty to report on. Here’s to 2016! Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year from all of us at The Journal.