We are a charity that supports communities in Somerset to Thrive.
We believe that everyone living in Somerset should have access to the support they need to meet their basic needs in food, fuel, transport and health.
So why did we rename and rebrand ourselves?
It’s not uncommon for any business or charity to rebrand to stay up-to-date and relevant. We’ve gone one step further by also changing our name. But why?
We were known as the Community Council for Somerset (or CCS for short) and over the past few years we have had overwhelming feedback from clients, employees and partners, that there was a misunderstanding of who we were and what we do.
This confusion has created many barriers and challenges for us as an ever-expanding charity. In fact, the charity element to our work has often been missed completely and we really wanted to put this right.
Tackling poverty
If someone finds themselves in a situation where their basic needs are no longer met, then we want them to know that it is our charity who can help. Simplifying our brand will help minimise barriers to accessing our support services quickly.
Pay It Forward for Somerset
We also want to push our fundraising profile so that we can make sure that our charity and the services we provide are sustainable for as long as they are needed in Somerset. To do this we needed a brand that has one very clear message and one that people living in Somerset will want to support though a variety of different fundraising options.
Local Voices
A big part of our work also focuses on influencing policies and decision making that affect what services are available in Somerset and how they might run. We see ourselves as an advocate for people living in Somerset and want to use our voice to support the county at a national and government level.
We are now Thrive and we are making Somerset Stronger.
We wanted our new name to be positive and empowering. Our new logo reflects how our work is ‘interwoven’ in many ways throughout Somerset. We link with and work with others to support our communities and we want to help people feel connected to theirs.
What won’t change is the huge range of support services that we will continue to provide across the county. Our team of Village Agents will still be on the ground, providing much needed support in tackling poverty, supporting unpaid carers and helping people feel less isolated. We will still be supporting our vital network of community buildings and the voluteers that run them and we will still be championing diversity and supporting minority groups in Somerset.
Making Somerset Stronger
Our new strapline, Making Somerset Stronger, is an ambition that we want to share with everyone living in Somerset. We can all do our bit, no matter how big or small, to make a positive contribution to our community so that everyone living in Somerset has their basic needs met and the opportunity to Thrive.