AFTER living all her life in Withycombe, Claire Huish has moved away, meaning she has organised her last charity bingo evening in the memorial hall to raise money for its upkeep and is stepping down from the parish council and hall committee.

Ms Huish said: “I wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everybody who has supported me over the past few years and helped make these bingo events so special.

“We have had so much fun over the years, and I am incredibly grateful to the villagers and friends who so generously donated prizes time and time again.

“January 17 was certainly one to remember.

“My mum, Ruth Thrush, was our bingo caller, and as always she did a fantastic job, even with a dodgy machine, that was not going to stop her enjoying herself.

“I could not have done any of this without the amazing help of Lisa Freeguard, who helped wrap all 70 hampers and worked alongside me organising everything.

“A big thank you also goes to Leanne Moore for helping Lisa and me with setting up the tables.

“At every bingo I have held, Valerie Barnham has kindly helped serve teas, coffees, and biscuits, and her husband Richard, our committee treasurer, has helped with the money.

“Richard was often picked on by Ruth and made to sing her bingo song - I think he secretly enjoyed it!

The evening included plenty of fun extras, including a lucky ticket hidden under a chair, a special winning sticker in the bingo books, and a raffle ticket drawn for a fruit hamper donated in memory of a long-time supporter who passed away and whose sister picked the winning ticket.

Ms Huish said: “We had the most raffle prizes ever, with over 70 in total, and it was wonderful to see the hall full of people enjoying the bingo and their winnings.

“Even my Tesco team were happy with their shopping basket doubling up as their bin.

“Although I am sad to say goodbye to Withycombe, I wish everybody all the very best.

“Thank you once again for allowing me to organise these events and bring some much-needed fun to the village, it has meant more to me than you know.”

DEVON and Somerset Fire and Rescue (DSFR) firefighter Stacey Pearce has endured one of the most difficult weeks of her career and passed her incident command qualification.

After several assessments both written and practical, Stacey, who serves with the brigade in Nether Stowey, received the result her colleagues knew she deserved.

Stacey will now be able to take the pump and crew out in charge of incidents.

A DSFR spokesperson said: “This is a massive achievement and a very difficult course to pass, but Stacey’s hard work and dedication to continually improve herself has been rewarded by gaining this qualification.

“Stacey will now form part of the management team at our station and give us more availability to continue to serve our community and surrounding areas.

“We wanted to say a massive well done and good luck in your new role.”

FOUNDER Kerry Johnson has ‘shed tears of joy’ as she thanked everybody who has supported her innovative community hub The Kontinuum, in Alcombe, Minehead, through its firstyear.

Ms Johnson opened the centre, which is a mix of creative enterprise, art gallery, and accessible wellness services, early last year.

She said via social media: “I really did not expect the reaction I got to The Kontinuum.

“I prayed it would help people, I worked my soul into the ground trying everything I could to make it work.

“My graft worked.

“The long nights, the Da Vinci boards of ideas and pieces of paper with sketches on, the community growth, the funding applications, the building, the research, the gap I am trying to fill.

“It is working.

“To all the people behind the scenes that helped make this possible, thank you, to the community that helped me understand more about their needs, thank you.

“We go into 2026 with funding, positive feedback, and growth.

“My goal is to help more artists sell their work, authors sell their first book, musicians perform and build confidence, locals make money from their hard work.”

Ms Johnson said she was building connections with the NHS and bridging a gap in mental health and neurodiversity support by giving alternative services and options.

She wanted to connect with the Department for Work and Pensions to support those experiencing social anxiety and depression, and help people back into work with confidence in their abilities.

Ms Johnson said: “To connect the community with creativity because we walk past talent every day.

“I am absolutely buzzing.”

VIP tours are being offered by Minehead’s Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station, which will be marking its 125th anniversary later this year.

An RNLI spokesperson said: “Ever wondered what it takes to save lives at sea?

“Join a VIP behind-the-scenes tour at Minehead Lifeboat Station, meet the volunteers, and explore the lifeboats up close.”

The tours, cost £38.62 and can be booked online and all proceeds go to support the work of the RNLI in saving lives at sea.

They are for up to eight people at a time aged from 14 years, and last for about 90 minutes, ensuring everybody can take the most out of the experience.

The spokesperson said: “We have always offered visits to lifeboat stations, often for schools and other formal groups, but we believe everybody should have the opportunity to see the inner workings of our fascinating lifeboat stations.

“All profit from ticket sales will go towards funding our lifesaving work.”

Those joining the tours will hopefully have an opportunity to meet some of the Minehead crew members, although it is not guaranteed.

The spokesperson said: “Our brave crew are volunteers and give up their time selflessly when called upon, but many also have full-time jobs and other commitments.

“We hope you understand this.”

The historic Quay West boathouse underwent a £1 million revamp in 2023 making it fit for the 21st century, with improved crew changing facilities, a large open plan meeting and training space, and a re-designed hall for the D class lifeboat to enable speedy launches.

THE Environment Agency is urging West Somerset residents to let it know as soon as possible if their home or business was flooded after recent storms.

A spokesperson said there was significant rainfall overnight on Monday (January 26) with some locations recording more than two inches.

It followed two weeks of prolonged heavy rainfall and a succession of three named Storms - Goretti, Ingrid, and Chandra.

River levels were high, and the impacts were being felt widely with several main roads flooded and are closed, and some reports of properties flooding.

The spokesperson said: “Our staff are working closely with emergency services and councils to respond.

“It is important to report flooding to us as soon as you can if your home or business has flooded.

“We understand it is a difficult time when people are affected by flooding.

“However, we would encourage those affected to report property flooding as close to the event as possible.

“Reporting flooding helps us to understand the impacts on properties or communities and prioritise our response.

“By gathering information, specific issues affecting residents and communities are identified and recurring issues highlighted.

“The evidence from flood reporting is crucial in planning effective maintenance and justifying cases for potential long-term solutions.”

Flooding can be reported online.

MINEHEAD Rotary Club held the first round of the national Rotary ‘Youth Speaks’ competition at West Somerset College on Wednesday and Thursday last week.

The annual competition seeks to encourage young people, aged between 11 and 17 years, to build their confidence by speaking on a topic of their choice.

Five teams of three debated a range of proposals reflecting current affairs and two teams in the intermediate and senior categories will go forward to the district round, which is to be held in Taunton School on February 28 involving teams put forward by other clubs in the area.

A Rotary club spokesperson said: “We are grateful to the young people who took part and also to the teachers at West Somerset College.”

ONCE again, West Somerset Morris was last week delighted to present a charity donation of £750 to Somerset mental health charity MIND.

Dan, from the charity, met members in the local office in Minehead to receive the cheque.

MIND is the leading mental health charity in England and Wales offering support, information, and services through helplines, local offices and online resources.

West Somerset Morris, which last year celebrated the 60th anniversary of it formation in 1965, covers dance venues in an area stretching from Lynton to Bridgwater.

Practice sessions are currently held every Thursday at 7.30 pm in St Audries Village Hall.