Community groups and individuals with an idea that would benefit the local area stepped into the Dragon’s Den last Saturday, albeit at the Victoria Hall, Radstock. Facing Journal Editor, Becky Brooks, Victoria Hall’s George Hill, the Somerset Guardian’s reporter, Suzanne Norbury and James Carlin, Development Manager at Local Giving, each participant gave a pitch lasting ninety seconds to which the dragons would ask questions, prior to a public vote to decide who would win £500.

The event is part of Big Local’s drive to distribute small pots of cash to worthy causes and projects that will provide long-lasting change for the area. In 2010,

Radstock and Westfield was awarded £1 million of Lottery funding to be distributed over ten years, with Westfield Parish Council acting as the locally-trusted organisation which manages the money. The evening was compered by Somer Valley FM Station Manager, Dom Chambers.

£500 awards went to SWALLOW, which supports people with learning disabilities for a project to make and sell jams and chutneys from their café in Radstock; Jim Plunkett-Cole, who will be delivering talk and run sessions to schools in the UK via Skype whilst he runs across America (see page 18); £500 to support the running costs of the local Confessions of the Youth Theatre Company; a project to inspire children to take up gardening at Westfield Allotments; support for the Victoria Hall Acoustic Sessions and Radstock Cinema Family Screenings, as the Bath Film Festival support is about to expire; money to pay for half-term Family Fun Days, courtesy of the local NCT group, an initiative to get Radstock cooking and sharing local recipes; a basketball net for the Radical Street Space Youth Project and money

towards a storage area for St Nicholas’ Church Centre.

Sarah Westell, from Big Local Radstock and Westfield, said: “I thought it went

fantastically well, we thoroughly enjoyed the new venue and we had some

really diverse pitches this time. It was a really positive event – obviously it was

disappointing for those who didn’t get the grants, but we will encourage them to apply for bigger pots of money for ongoing projects in the meantime. There will definitely be a fifth Dragon’s Den event, which will probably be around April/May time if anyone would like to find out more.”

To keep up-to-date with Big Local, ‘like’ them on Facebook at BLRadstockWestfield or to discuss your idea prior to the next Dragon’s Den, contact Sarah Westell on: 07845 756700.