Supporting sustainable, resilient and inclusive rural communities across Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire

Featured news & blogs

Rural news & views
New community-based support service for North Somerset launched
New community-based support service for North Somerset launched

Three local not-for-profit organisations have joined together to provide help for older people who need it; offering advice, signposting to support and encouraging participation in community life.

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Genuine community involvement must be at the heart of rural housing development
Genuine community involvement must be at the heart of rural housing development

Phillip Vincent, WERN’s Chief Executive blogs for #RuralHousingWeek and provides a view on why genuine community involvement is essential to addressing rural housing needs

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Turning local need into affordable homes: learning from what works in rural communities
Turning local need into affordable homes: learning from what works in rural communities

Join us at two upcoming rural housing events this July to find out how parishes and communities can help deliver affordable homes for local people.

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Our work

Our charitable work benefits both individuals and groups across rural parts of the West of England region.

We are best known for our long-standing village agents service, village halls advice and oil buying scheme but we also support a range of other initiatives such as enabling affordable housing, community transport and digital inclusion.

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Digital inclusion

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Village agents

Affordable housing

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A logo for acre network member featuring a blue square with stylized human figures and the words 'acre network' and 'member'.

WERN is a member of the ACRE Network, England’s largest rural grouping of community support charities. Our membership allows us to exchange knowledge and best practice with 37 similar organisations across the country, as well as having a voice nationally through Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE).  

A community notice board with posters and notices, labeled Chew Stoke Village Hall, surrounded by trees and a green building in the background, with a cloudy sky overhead.
Three elderly women and a middle-aged man sitting around a table in a room with large windows and colorful curtains, engaging in conversation.
A close-up of yellow wildflowers in the foreground with a blurred background of a pink house with white window trims and a brown tiled roof, along with other colorful flowers and greenery.