Onion Collective CIC was set up in 2012, when plans for a major development of flats on the marina quayside in Watchet had just fallen through. Rather than witness more commercial development that had no community benefit, we realised that by pooling our skills and resources we could help empower our community to make the decisions about what developments take place themselves.
We worked with our local community, asking people 'What does Watchet need for a stronger future?' From that consultation, we built a purpose built Visitor Centre and restored Boat Museum, restored a derelict field to a community garden, built a pavilion with 50 volunteers and started a project called Watchet Community Makers. The experience we have gained from these projects mean that we can now help other communities achieve the same.
