This week’s blog is by the members of the Bridgwater Guitar and Bass Group. The group of new players, rusty players, amateur and semi-professional players has developed into new and supportive community of musicians.

The group was created in the Autumn of 2022 after a successful Clashmob pop-up event in Feb showed there was demand for local guitar and bass players to come together, to dust off instruments they may not have played for a while, to build confidence in their musicianship, and for many to play in front of an audience for the very first time.

The future of the group is developing in exciting ways. This is their story. In the words of one member ‘It is epic!’.

We are extending the deadline to find the right person to join the team. We are looking for a self-starting Communications and Admin Co-ordinator to deliver our communications activities including marketing and public relations, and to support our project delivery including leading on some small projects.

Seed Sedgemoor is based at the Engine Room Bridgwater, with flexible working conditions including partial working remotely (both in the field as required and if desired, from home). Weekend and evening work will be required with TOIL available.  The position is offered on a 35 hour per week, two-year contract to coincide with current ACE funding to April 2025. A salary of £25,480 p.a. is offered.

The new closing date is Monday 22nd May at 9am.

Do you remember the bed races of the 1980’s?

How about the 6ft sharks, pirhanas, and the seal living at the Marineland Aquarium next to The Bays pond?

Maybe you have heard the ghost horses on the Lippiatt?

All of these memories, stories and experiences of life in Cheddar have been collected, illustrated and shared in a series of folk banners made by the artists at Inkjam and members of the local community.

Vanessa and Liz have worked with Cheddar residents and community groups to recall the stories.  School children created  illustrations.  In a series of workshops people learned the skills of lino carving to print them.  Inkjam have stitched them into a series of banners now flying on the streets of Cheddar.

Hear more from the Artists below …..

If you’d like to know more about Seed, what we do, how you can get involved, join us for a free creative pop up at Bridgwater Town Hall on 28 March 2023 6-8pm.

 Seed are holding an early-evening of free creative activities at Bridgwater Town Hall on 28 March 2023 and everyone is invited. 

Seed’s CEO Scott O’Hara says “We’re shifting our focus to Bridgwater in 2023. We have some really exciting and creative projects planned and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to share these. There are so many great ways to get involved!”.

The event at  the Town Hall is open to everyone and offers a chance to hear about Seed’s work and to join in taster activities. There will be opportunities to try clay modelling with the Cheddar Individuality project, to share your stories about Bridgwater with the Hidden Station team, have a go at sound recording with Richard Tomlinson and hear some of his Sound Portraits of the Cheddar Valley, and of course there will be tea and cake to enjoy.

The event co-incides with the 10 year anniversary of the Arts Councils Creative People and Places programme. Seed is a relatively recent CPP project but we’re really happy to share what the project is bringing to Bridgwater.

We’re delighted to announce that Seed Sedgemoor and Severnside Community Rail Partnership have commissioned Bristol-based creative team Zubr Curio to create an exciting new Augmented Reality experience at Bridgwater Station in Somerset. Artists David and Jayde are keen to hear your stories about Bridgwater Station which will be illustrated and brought to life using hand held phone technology.

Two drop in sessions will take place in March on 25 and 28 at Bridgwater Library in which Bridgwater residents can share their personal connection to the station: fond family memories, new encounters, or recollections of friends who’ve worked in Bridgwater in generations gone by. These anecdotes will inspire the creation of  vivid visual narratives to be displayed throughout the Railway Station, featuring distinctive 2D characters magically brought to life with interactive augmented reality (AR) filters for social media. Passengers will experience and interact with this through their phones and other handheld devices.

The team have been interviewed by BBC Radio Somerset and by Planet Hits Radio who were keen to find out about the project, learn what makes for a good Augmented Reality Project and how people in Bridgwater can get involved (See Below)

Look out for workshops taking place in the Town Hall, Bridgwater Library and the Bridgwater Hub later this month.