A NEW grassroots community engagement project has been launched in Midsomer Norton.

The initiative aims to encourage and empower residents to share their views.

Run by Community Connectors, they plan to engage with more than 5,000 residents over the next 12 months through door-to-door surveys, pop-up events and street surgeries all designed to listen to and collate the views of people living in the town.

Project manager, Nathan Hartley founded Community Connectors several years ago. He said: “Community Connectors is all about listening to local people, understanding what their priorities are for the area in which they live, and giving them the tools and confidence to feel empowered to make a difference.

“We also want to give people a voice. Too often we’re told that the views of local people don’t matter, well here in Midsomer Norton they certainly do.

“How the Community Connectors project evolves in the town over the next year will very much be driven by residents.

Often he adds, community voices with the most to offer especially in terms of lived experiences and local knowledge are least likely to be heard.

Community Connectors will not only gather opinions, but creates spaces where voices often overlooked can be genuinely heard.

“We’ve already hit the ground running, with our first newsletter being delivered to over 3,000 homes in Midsomer Norton by our team of volunteers, and to many local businesses too,” added Mr Hartley. “So far, we’ve heard what residents think about local history, public transport and the way local councils spend money.

“If you live in Midsomer Norton and haven’t heard from us yet, we’ll be knocking on your door this summer to gather your views on what you think about the area in which you live.”

By the end of the 12-month project, the Community Connectors team will publish a comprehensive document highlighting what people living in Midsomer Norton think about their community, and what their priorities are.

The document will be used as a reference guide to how organisations can shape future decision making, based on what residents think and feel about the town they live in.

Mr Hartley added: “I set up Community Connectors four years ago when I recognised that in a lot of communities, particularly those with people from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds, local people felt as if their voices weren’t being heard.

“Decision making often takes place in town and village halls, but in a way where voters feel like they can’t engage.

“Community Connectors is about empowering local people, giving them the tools and enabling them to get involved… much more.”

Midsomer Norton’s Community Connectors is being funded by the Westhill Trust, a national organisation that supports grassroots people-empowerment projects.

Feedback so far has highlighted concern about how decisions are made in the town and the perceived lack of transparency around big projects such as the cost and delay to opening the Town Hall, and the decision to remove funding from the Midsomer Norton Community Trust.

For information contact Mr Hartley at: [email protected]