Citizens Somerset

Citizens UK – in Somerset

 Working for Justice through Community Action

Citizens UK is an organisation committed to working with local people, to hear their concerns about their community and take action to put them right. It describes itself as the “Home of Community Organising in the United Kingdom” and has been behind many successful campaigns, including being the driving force behind the introduction of the Real Living Wage (which the Methodist Church and many other employers have now adopted). It is concerned with real world issues of how society works but it is strictly non-party political.

Citizens UK has a number of branches – called Chapters – in London, Wales and many major cities across the country. And now the movement has come to the South West with the establishment of a local chapter “Citizens Somerset” which was formally launched at a Founding Assembly in Taunton in March 2019. It is the first to be set up in a mainly rural area.

The Methodist Circuit of Taunton Deane and South Sedgemoor has formally joined Citizens Somerset as a Founding Member Organisation, joining the Diocese of Bath & Wells, the United Reformed Church in Taunton and the Quakers, together with non-faith organisations like local schools and colleges and a number of committed individuals. The Circuit has taken the view that the goals of Citizens UK are very much in line with the Mission of the Methodist Church, to tackle issues of social justice and unfairness in our society and assist anybody who is affected by them. 

It is early days for Citizens Somerset but the Circuit is looking forward to working with others to address issues which concern our membership. For a link to the Citizens Somerset website and to keep up to date with campaigns on the areas chosen as initial priorities, please click on the link below

https://www.citizensuk.org/somerset

Citizens Somerset Update

Our Visit to meet the Police & Crime Commissioner in Bristol with Citizens Somerset
on the 15th of November 2024

Rev Annie writes: I am very impressed with the role of the Citizens UK Somerset chapter here in Taunton.

At the Accountability Assembly we held in Bristol in April, Clare Moody gave her manifesto and was elected as the Police Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset.

We wanted to follow up progress since the Assembly and we were privileged to visit her in her office at the New Bridewell Police Station in Bristol.

During the meeting, we reminded her that the ‘asks’ we made of her had come from us listening to 1600+ people face to face, mostly young people across Chard, Wellington, Taunton, Bridgwater, Weston-Super-Mare, and Bristol.

She was delighted we had gone to sit around a table and followed up with where she was in her commitment to all the asks at the accountability Assembly and our wish that we could work together. We were encouraged that her draft priorities contained so many issues we made asks on, for example ‘strengthening neighbourhood policing to provide presence and engaging with communities’ which came out very strongly in our listening campaigns.

Our time together was great, and a gift of a key holder engraved with hope was given to Clare and she was quite impressed.

It is my hope that we can come out and join this group when called upon to be involved in these campaigns.

With all good wishes,

Revd. Annie Deche - Circuit Minister.

Faith Rooted Community Organising

An introductory weekend course to its core practices.

Who is it for? People who want to develop or are already nurturing a new Christian community within their circuit or district. Ideally, we would like people to come as a team (at least two people from each team with a maximum of four).

What's it about? Faith rooted organising offers a way to resource and enable people to find out where God is at work in their communities, and join in. What is distinctive about (Christian) faith rooted organising is that it is grounded in who we are as a people of Christian faith; rooted and centred in God, in our practices of prayer and worship, and in the way we live out and share our faith. The weekend will be held at Cliff College, beginning at 1pm with lunch on the Friday afternoon and ending after lunch on the Sunday. For further information or to book a place on this FREE course (various choices of dates) please contact Julian Bond, bondj@methodistchurch.org.uk or look at this page on the Methodist website Faith Rooted Community Organising (methodist.org.uk) He will confirm your place (which includes accommodation at Cliff College) within a couple of days. [Please let Deborah know you intend to book.]

• February 23rd - 25th, 2024

• April 5th - 7th, 2024

• November 8th -10th, 2024

Travel costs to be paid by attendees (if this is prohibitive, please contact us).

Deborah