A REMOTE corner of Somerset made up of mudstones formed in the late Triassic/early Jurassic period may feel a million miles from the high-flying political debate over climate change.

But the Poldens, between the Mendip Hills and the Somerset Levels, are at the heart of the problem.

As incidents of flooding and heatwaves are expected to rise due to the changing climate, the area is particularly vulnerable.

So, parish councils and others have united in a bid to take positive action.

On Thursday, March 21, parish councillors and their counterparts at Somerset Council representing the Poldens, came together at Cossington Village Hall to discuss how they could work collectively to put together an action plan to combat the effects of climate change.

The seminar held by the PEN

The annual event, sponsored by Gravity, was hosted by the recently formed Polden Environmental Network (PEN), made up of individuals from villages across the Poldens.

PEN representative from Puriton, Jamie Kingscott-Edmunds, opened the event

“The network was created in 2023 to promote positive action for the climate, grow and connect the wild spaces across the Poldens and support and enable residents to take action for nature in their villages,” he said.

The Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT) Climate Adaptation team were invited to lead the climate change workshop, and SWT will now support each community represented at the event to create a climate adaptation plan for their village.

Somerset Council portfolio holder for climate change, Dixie Darch, also attended alongside other Somerset Councillors.

Somerset Councillor Dixie Darch at the event

In this often-overlooked corner of Somerset, work is now underway to shine a light on the issues we all face – and what we can do about it.

For more information about climate adaptation, visit www.somersetwildlife.org/climate-adaptation, and to join PEN email poldensgroup@outlook.com, or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/380310044555052.