National Lottery shows faith in Wells and WCN

WCN was born just before lockdown in March 2020 when eight or nine worried, ordinary volunteers from local community groups gathered in Daniel’s Café’s back room in Queen Street to see what we could do to help.

WCN grew like Topsy and after Covid subsided we did not quit but changed the name to Wells Community Network as we had identified needs which are not being met.

Now WCN can announce that we have received a grant of £243,757 over the next three years from the National Lottery’s Reaching Communities programme.

This will fund the recruitment of a Manager and Administrative Assistant to strengthen our organisation, support our volunteers and expand our work in the community.

The funding is a profound vote of confidence in WCN and will:

• Make our volunteer-only structure more secure for the future with core paid staff.

• Reduce the admin burden on volunteers, give them more time to work in the community and reduce the risk of burnout.

• Strengthen governance, planning, and service delivery.

• Expand services including the Helpline, Welcome Hub, Trishaw, and Microprovider support.

• Expand the Wells Neighbourhood Watch which help reduce crime and protect residents from it.

• Maintain the free fortnightly WCN newsletter which supports community events and charities.

Expected annual beneficiaries include:

• 150 more Helpline users

• 200 mainly Ukrainian refugees via the Welcome Hub

• 25% increase in Trishaw rides

New projects we have in mind include:

Creating a hub to boost our support for the many, and increasing number of carers in Wells, who are isolated and often stressed.

Adding to the supply of community transport.

This grant has been secured by Wells volunteers for the people of Wells and we are delighted that the National Lottery has shown so much faith in our city and our wonderful volunteers.