VISITORS to Kilve beach were able to enjoy five brand new picnic benches which were specially assembled there on Saturday.

Bridgwater Men’s Shed, part of a nationwide charity which provides drop-in centres where men can just visit and chat or also do woodwork, was commissioned by Kilve Parish Council to make the picnic benches.

They were the first part of other improvements for visitors planned by the council.

“We approached the Bridgwater Men’s Shed and they were delighted to do the benches,” said Mark Walton, vice-chairman of Kilve Parish Council.

“They were assembled last Saturday and two out of the five were already in use by the time the men finished.”

The council is also planning an interactive guided walk, together with the Quantock Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), to be ready by late summer.

Visitors will be able to log in on their phones and hear about local points of interest, including the 15th century chantry which is being renovated, Kilve’s historic church; the oil retort where oil was refined, the lime kiln on the beach which manufactured lime for fertiliser, and Kilve Pill, where smugglers used to dock their boats.

The Men’s Shed provides community spaces for men to connect, converse and create.