A message from Cllr Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset CouncilCongratulations to all the nominees and the winners in this year’s Community Awards. It was a real honour earlier this week to meet everyone at the presentation and hear about the amazing work that individuals and organisations do across Bath and North East Somerset to improve the lives of others. The Community Awards 2024/2025 give us the opportunity to shine a light on the contributions of so many people and a huge variety of organisations who go above and beyond to support others. Thank you also to our partners the Student Community Partnership (University of Bath, Bath Spa University and Bath College), Bath Ethnic Minority Senior Citizen Association (BEMSCA), CURO, Bath & North East Somerset Third Sector Group (3SG) Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) HCRG Care Group, who also supported the awards. You can find out more on our newsroom about the winners and those who were highly commended as well as the work they do across Bath and North East Somerset – well done to all involved and thank you to residents who took part in the public vote. Many community groups and charities across Bath and North East Somerset are actively helping Ukrainian guests to rebuild their lives and gain independence. More than 350 Ukranian guests have found hosts in our area thanks to the national Homes for Ukraine (H4U) scheme which provides a home for Ukrainians who want to come to the UK to escape war at home. Ukranian families seeking refuge need more than homes and new government funding has been made available for charities, community groups and voluntary groups that support refugees with independence, language, wellbeing and skills. We administer the Ukraine Support Fund locally and have opened the fourth round of it and are welcoming applications. You can find out more about the fund on our council website. Finally, it has been great seeing Bath and our surrounding areas so busy and buzzing this week with many families, visitors and residents all enjoying the great weather in our amazing city and towns. Thank you to all our council teams who will be working over the long weekend to keep services running while others enjoy a well-earned break. I wish you all a very happy Easter. | 
