A MAJOR refurbishment St Peter’s Church has seen it adapted to become a community hub for Stolford and Wick, two tiny villages overshadowed by the largest construction site in Europe – the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.

The Hinkley Point C Community Fund, which is administered by Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), gave more than £37,000 to Stogursey Parochial Church Council (PCC) to help fund the work.

It allowed improvements to the existing church, which is a ‘temporary’ wooden building dating to the 1850s, to create a community hub providing a warm and welcoming focus for local activities.

The building has become a much-needed resource for two rural communities, which until recently did not have a space where residents could come together.

SCF programmes director Val Bishop said: “Rural isolation is a form of disadvantage in its own right, often exacerbating the hardships and difficulties many people face.

“We see it as the ultimate ‘hidden’ issue here in Somerset as it is almost impossible to see or measure.

“This application for funding to the HPC Community Fund was a straightforward project to develop St Peter’s Church into a community hub with the aim of reducing the isolation felt in the community.

“It involved connecting the building to the main water supply so that the site could offer refreshments and manage waste water, as well as heating, lighting, and a toilet.”

The grant was made in August, 2020, and there were some delays because of Covid restrictions before the project could be completed.

The hub has created a focus to bring people together and foster social connections, with the intention to reduce feelings of isolation and improve their quality of life.

The Rev Andrew Tatham, Stolford and Wick Community Hub project leader said: “Stolford and Wick lie less than a mile from the Hinkley Point C site, which, like any major building site, has a significant – if unavoidable – impact on those living in the area.

“One of the attractions of Stolford as a place to live is that there is plenty of space in and around the community.

“Many houses are separated from neighbours by fields or woodland.

“While this may seem, and often feels, idyllic, there is a flip side in that being distanced from neighbours can increase the sense of isolation.

“There was a strongly-felt need for community facilities to both provide a focal hub to bind the community together and counter the sense of isolation.”

A service of re-dedication was led by the Archdeacon of Taunton, the Ven Simon Hill and the rector, the Rev Nicky Morgan, to officially open The Hub

The service was followed by refreshments, enjoyed by local Cllrs Hugh Davies, Susan Jones, and Allan Searle, as well as residents and friends of St Peter’s Church.

Hinkley Point C senior community relations manager Andrew Cockcroft said: “It has been fantastic to support the community hub at St Peter’s Church by providing a space for the members of the rural communities of Wick and Stolford to get together and socialise in person without the need to travel too far.

“Community spaces like this can provide a boost to the mental health and wellbeing of those in more isolated areas, it has been great to see how the PCC have led such an important community project.”

SCF has awarded nearly £425,000 this year from the HPC Community Fund’s open grants programme.

Among those supported were the Conquest Centre, Norton Fitwarren, which received £66,000 towards its free counselling for parents project which offers 10-week programmes to parents/carers of young people accessing the disabled riding centre.

Somerset Wildlife Trust also benefited from £90,830 for its ‘Wilder Coast’ project to support communities to access and engage with nature.