Somerset County

Somerset is bordered on the north west by the Bristol Channel and shares its boundaries with the Counties of Gloucestershire in the North, Wiltshire in the North East, Dorset in the South East and Devon in the South West. It is administered by 8 local authorities, which form the boundaries for the Group system that operates within the County.

The area of the administrative county is 13,335 sq.miles and Taunton is the County Town. The county is renowned for its mineral springs as well as cider production, and these can be found principally in the region of Bath and Wells. The Romans mined lead in the Mendips whilst coal was the main industry around Radstock and Midsomer Norton until 1993. There is an abundance of local stone for building in the numerous quarries around the county whilst clay from the Bridgwater area was much used for brick making. Glastonbury, besides being famous for its abbey, used to supply peat but production has been phased out due to conservation issues.

The coastal resorts of Weston-Super-Mare and Minehead and the numerous tourist attractions including Exmoor, Cheddar Gorge, the West Somerset Railway and the Bridgwater Carnival attract large numbers of visitors throughout the year.

The Royal British Legion, Somerset County was formed in 1921/22 and did not have a permanent base until 1958 when premises were bought in Highbridge, from where the County operated until the 1980s when they sold the property and rented 51 High Street in Bridgwater. In 2001 the office was on the move again to Crypton House on the Bristol Road in Bridgwater. Following the re-organisation of Pathway For Growth the County Office was moved to its present location at Dunkirk Memorial House in Bishops Lydeard. At present there are 66 Branches and 11 Clubs within the County, stretching from Bath and Bristol in the north down to Taunton and Minehead in the south and west, and they provide an organisational and social base for over 7000 members.

Dunkirk Memorial House, situated near Bishops Lydeard provides long term nursing and residential care in a 60 bed unit and dementia care in a purpose built 30 bed unit.

We also have the Weston-Super-Mare Branch Office & Advice Centre situated at 77 Meadow Street, Weston Super Mare, Somerset, BS23 1QL. This will be manned Tuesday and Thursday from 10.00 – 14.00 by the Operations Team & Branch Volunteers for Welfare Advice.