About Us

History

In the aftermath of the ‘Great War’, Somerset, like most counties, was suffering the social burden caused by the loss of men folk due to the horrific losses during the 1914 – 1918 conflict. The government's promise of support to rural communities after the war was rescinded and it was this that spurred the formation of the Rural Community Council movement and what was to become the Somerset Rural Community Council (later renamed the Community Council for Somerset – CCS). Since its inception in 1926 the CCS has been proactive in a wide range of activities and has been fortunate to have attracted high calibre personnel enabling it to perform problematic tasks under difficult circumstances. At the time of writing, the UK is suffering one of the worst recessions in history and although ‘cutbacks’ have hit the CCS hard, the CCS team has risen to the challenge ensuring the list of supporting services is as comprehensive as ever...and all delivered with enthusiasm and skill by the current team.

The Community Council for Somerset exist to support action in local communities.

If you have an idea or something to say contact a member of the team. To view our team members, look to the right hand side of this page.

More About The Community Council for Somerset

Karen White, Deputy Chief Executive, tells us more about the Community Council.

Click Here to watch the video now.

Further Information

We are a founding member of ACRE (Action for Communities in Rural England) the national network of 38 Rural Community Councils, all charitable organisations working with rural communities on community development and regeneration initiatives.

We are currently funded principally by grants from National and Local Government. We also rely on support from our subscribing members. We are increasingly seeking to generate income to become less reliant on grant funding.

The Community Council for Somerset is a company limited by guarantee No. 3541219 and a registered charity No.1069260. As such we have a Board of Trustees who are also Directors of the Company. The Board takes responsibility for the strategic direction of the organisation, adapting to the changing climate and needs of local communities.

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Statue of the Ancient Mariner - The statue, unveiled in September 2003 as a tribute to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was sculpted by Alan B Herriot of Penicuik, Scotland. Coleridge lived in the nearby village of Nether Stowey. In 1797, while on a walking tour, Coleridge visited Watchet. On seeing the harbour, it is believed he was inspired to compose The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.