After two years of planning, the new Midsomer Norton Community Trust will launch on Monday, 24th June at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall and the whole town is invited to come along.The aim of the new Trust is to help build a vibrant community in Midsomer Norton. It will have three main roles: managing community buildings and spaces on a day-to-day basis, organising community events and activities and encouraging community groups in the town.Following a fantastic response to the Town Council's appeal in the press in 2012 for volunteer Trustees, it has been possible to appoint a steering group which has been working for the last five months to create the Trust which will apply to register as a charity.With a combination of a membership scheme and use of Facebook, Twitter and traditional posters and mailers, the aim is to ensure that everyone, of all ages, is aware of what's going on and so can join in Midsomer Norton's vibrant community life.It is an exciting time for Midsomer Norton, given the number of projects initiated by the Town Council coming together under the banner of this new organisation.Buildings and Spaces – Rather than relying on uncertain grants from B&NES to fund community buildings, the Town Council believes that by working in partnership with the community, they can manage these important assets more effectively in the long term. In the coming months, the Town Council is hoping to secure the future of the Town Hall as a community hub and centre of the arts by negotiating a 100-year lease with B&NES. At the same time, talks will include the future of the Orchard Hall and the Hollies Garden.Activities and Events – Community activities and events such as the ongoing arts programme and the Christmas Lantern Fayre
require a huge amount of effort to pull together. With modern rules and regulations to ensure public safety, an organisation like the Community Trust will be able to provide leadership and management skills and help smaller organisations to take part.Community Groups – Midsomer Norton has over 100 community groups which are constantly in need of funding to develop and bring forward new initiatives. The Trust will be looking at ways to identify a wide range of funding sources and help groups put together funding bids.Community Development Manager AppointedTo support the Trust in its early years, the Town Council has awarded a grant to the new Community Trust to employ a full-time Community Development Manager. Following the advertising of the new post, Alex Davis was appointed last week and will be working for the new Trustees in the coming months to realise their ambitious plans."I'm Midsomer Norton born and bred and have belonged to many of the local groups that I will now be working with. It's a fantastic opportunity to be able to take part in shaping the development of the new Community Trust from the very start and I look forward to working to make Midsomer Norton more vibrant that ever before," said Alex Davis, Midsomer Norton Community Development Manager.