Mendip Hills Fund

25/10/2026

Come and experience The Enchanted Wardrobe
Wednesday 28 October 12pm - 4pm
Free entry

The Enchanted Wardrobe invites communities on a journey through time to imagine the future of the Mendip Hills

What if a wardrobe could take you through thousands of through time - taking you back to the Ice Age and forwards into a future you can write for yourself?

A magical wardrobe is coming to communities across the Mendip Hills this autumn, inviting people to step inside, journey through the history of the landscape
and imagine what the Mendip Hills could look like in 2036.

Created and produced by Trigger in partnership with Mendip Hills National Landscape, The Enchanted Wardrobe is a free immersive experience touring communities
across Mendip this October.

Visitors will step inside the specially created wardrobe and be taken on an audio journey through the history of the Mendip Hills, from the Ice Age to
the present day. At the end, visitors will be asked to look ahead and imagine the Mendip Hills of 2036, sharing their hopes and ideas for the future of this extraordinary landscape.

The project invites local communities to think about how the Mendip Hills might change over the next ten years, and what we might want to protect, nurture
or create for the future. Responses will help inform future strategy for the Mendip Hills, exploring how the landscape can respond to a changing climate while continuing to be a place where people and nature can thrive.

Step through the wardrobe. Travel through time. Imagine what's next.

21/10/2026

If you have the fortune of meeting Pauline Drew, the Chair of Croscombe Village Hall, do ask her to show you the latest results on her smartphone’s Energy Consumption app!

With thanks to funding from the Mendip Hills Fund, Pauline and her fellow committee members have used grant funding towards purchasing 42 solar panels and back-up battery storage.

The village hall was affixed with solar panels in June, and already the committee are seeing huge money-saving and energy-consumption reductions. ‘Last June and July our electricity bill was into the hundreds of pounds, this July it was only £15!’ says Pauline, ‘this app is brilliant – take today’s results. The hall had over 100 people in here this morning and we have used 44% solar power, 52% battery power and just 4% from the grid – and it’s not even a very sunny day.’

’Our energy costs were going through the roof,’ says Pauline, ‘Historically, our electric bills were £6 per hour – and that’s just for heating – it was more if you included lighting as well! When you hire the hall out for village events during the day at £10 per hour it’s just not sustainable.’

‘As a committee we work collectively and we’ve achieved a lot,’ says Pauline ‘it is with thanks to the Mendip Hills Fund alongside our other fundraising efforts that we can now offer an environmentally- conscious community space. We welcome everyone to come and enjoy our future events.’

Jim Hardcastle, Manager, Mendip Hills National Landscape says, ‘Looking after the Mendip Hills National Landscape also means helping the communities within it to make sure it’s a vibrant place to live. Village halls play a really important role in creating strong communities and I’m really pleased that the Fund is able to support the hall, reduce their bills and reduce their carbon footprint.’

12/10/2026

08/10/2026

C***r and apple juice will be flowing later this month with the grand opening of a new community orchard nestled amongst our Mendip Hills.

The Apple Day, hosted by Rodney Stoke & Draycott Parish Council, welcomes everyone to come and experience the new community green space which was funded by the Mendip Hills Fund and further additional grants. Visitors are welcome to enjoy a walk amongst the orchard which boasts a wide range of apple varieties.

Lynda Dearden, who has been a councillor for the past five years said, “Creating this orchard has been a real eye opener for me - so many people have helped to create the orchard – it’s a testament to our community’s farming roots.”

The parish council have achieved the works by securing funding including a £1000 grant from the Mendip Hills Fund. “The grant from the Mendip Hills Fund allowed us to create a gravel path through the orchard,” said Lynda, “which means that our elderly community can access the orchard as well as enjoy the seating area too.”

Jim Hardcastle, manager of the Mendip Hills National Landscape said, “This is why we created the Mendip Hills Fund. Easy to access financial support for projects that help communities do amazing things for the Mendip Hills. A community orchard helps wildlife and people at the same time. Love it!’

Apple Day 🍎
Sunday 25 October
2-4pm
Memorial Hall
Draycott
BS27 3UE

📹 courtesy of: LBG Carpentry & Construction

The Mendip Hills Fund is a partnership between Mendip Hills National Landscape and Somerset Community Foundation

05/10/2026

We're delighted to announce that the 2027 GWR is on its way - on Sunday 18th July 2027 😁😁😁

We're back to our traditional weekend in the calendar and entry is now officially OPEN, so come & join us and help to make it another great day out 👍

And please get your entries in NOW if you possibly can - it's a huge help with our planning, and really does make a difference! 👇👍

https://www.greatwestonride.com/online-entry

24/09/2026

Another source of funding for your local environment project on Mendip? https://www.bristolavoncatchment.co.uk/catchment-partnership-fund/how-to-apply/



c. Lucy Masters

23/09/2026

The Mendip Hills Fund helped over 600 school children and villagers from across the Mendip Hills to embrace their creativity through a series of sculpture-led workshops.

Soap Soup Arts, founded by Creative Producer Tomasin Cuthbert, was awarded a £2000 grant from the Mendip Hills Fund which enabled her to gather young artists to work together on a huge art installation project which was unveiled at the Winscombe Festival earlier this year.

Tomasin worked with fellow artist, Fiona Campbell, to inspire school children from Banwell Primary School, Sandford Primary School, Winscombe Primary School, Axbridge Academy and Churchill Academy to get creative.

“Climate change puts people in a state of freeze” says Tomasin “and so we wanted the children to get excited about the natural world, to think about supporting biodiversity and to think about how they can have a lighter tread in the world.”

You can read more about this community project via the Mendip Hills NL landscape website. (Link in our bio.)

📷 Edward Felton
📷 Tomasin Cuthbert

https://mendiphills-nl.org.uk/2026/09/23/our-art-brought-people-from-the-mendip-villages-together/

Banwell Primary School
Winscombe Primary School
Churchill Academy & Sixth Form
Sandford Primary School
Axbridge C of E Academy
Somerset Community Foundation

06/08/2026

25/06/2026

It has been an exciting few weeks for the Fund that helps the Hills.

The Panel met recently to review applications for the last round. There were many interesting applications and a real variety of ideas which made for some lively discussions for our panel.

And on top of that, we have received our largest ever donation from the Butcombe Trail Ultra marathon. They work closely with us each year and we are grateful for their continued support.

More details in our news article: https://mendiphills-nl.org.uk/2026/06/25/ultramarathon-runners-make-largest-ever-donation-to-mendip-hills-fund/

Somerset Community Foundation

24/02/2026

Have you followed the Axbridge Heritage Trail? The trail was set up a few years ago with a contribution from the Mendip Hills Fund and it has been a great success, encouraging visitors and locals to engage with the area and learn about the history of the village too. Recently, a creative group translated the trail into a textile wall hanging and they have worked diligently on this over the last year. They applied to the Fund for a grant towards framing this piece of work and the Panel thought it was a lovely addition to the trail. If you want to take a look it is on display in St John the Baptist Church in Axbridge.

If you have a project like this, the Mendip Hills Fund is open for applications right now. You can apply for grants of up to £2,000 until 2nd March. Please take a look at our website for more information and get in touch to discuss your application.
https://mendiphills-nl.org.uk/caring/mendip-hills-fund/


Somerset Community Foundation