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In early 2007 the Rural Renaissance Partnership was pleased to receive an additional contract from the South West Regional Development Agency to deliver further investments that brought about improved access to existing services, or helped provide new services in villages and communities. This strand of funding formed the Somerset Access to Services programme..
 Several projects involving rebuilding and refurbishment have been funded at the Balsam Community Centre giving a greater range and quality of training facilities. The project funded the re-fitting of the training kitchen & equipment and part of the Children’s Centre, and is now funding the Turn Project. This involves the construction and refurbishment of part of the centre to create a dedicated teaching area, counseling & interview rooms and a ’studio’ space for physical and community activities. The outcome will be an increase in groups using the centre, helping the Centre to become more viable in the long-term due to increased use and activity levels.
The Somerset Broadplaces project has also worked with communities to provide ICT hubs in communal spaces such as village shops and community halls. The project aims to support rural communities, provide access to services and increase the use and interest in broadband to support leisure and business activities.
 Wivey Link serves those without access to their own transport or public transport in over 26 rural parishes in particular young people, the immobile, elderly persons and young families. This application enabled Wivey Link to purchase a third vehicle which is easily accessible, low maintenance with the lowest carbon emissions.
The CLOWNS project (Creating Learning Opportunities in West Somerset) enabled refurbishment of a replacement vehicle to provide a new and improved mobile service to families in need across the West Somerset area.
The converted bus will take family support/parent toddler sessions to hard to reach families by going to where they live – helping them to feel a sense of belonging to this provision.
At Winsford In West Somerset, the Exmoor Community Computer Centre received funding to develop and implement a Business Plan for the future organisation and delivery of existing and improved services at the Centre. The Centre has now activated the regeneration process by running two programmes of free computer training at Porlock, to help overcome exclusion, skills gap and barriers to participation. A local training needs analysis was undertaken and from this a range of computer training workshops devised.
These are just some examples of the Access to Services projects benefiting the community funded through Rural Renaissance.
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