Our illuminated carnivals are recognised the world over as being some of the biggest of their kind, attracting over half a million spectators in 2008. Our festivals, agricultural shows, exhibitions and events also attract many hundreds of thousands of people into Somerset each year.

One of the counties strengths sits with the many hundreds of community led activities, with May Festivals, Arts and Creative events, Sporting fixtures, outdoor celebratory activities, Folk and live music all bringing people together to celebrate and enjoy Somerset’s hidden treasure.

Such activities don’t just provide entertainment for people of all ages, but also contribute to the economic growth of the county, with many businesses benefiting from the range of opportunities to be found at our events, carnivals and festivals.

With this in mind the Somerset Event Planner was launched to provide dedicated information and resources for event, festival and carnival organisers. Now in its second year the site has supported a range of events, and new content is constantly being added.

The site was designed with the support of the six Somerset licensing authorities and many other partners, community groups and organisers. Funding was found from Somerset County Council and Somerset Rural Renaissance provides

The site can be found at www.somerseteventplanner.co.uk

Today it is the name of a Taunton based club night which looks to try and rebuild some soul into Somerset’s county town night life, and general cultural scene.

It features DJ Don Pablo Escobar and Perspective Zac (both local) who are two of the most travelled and best DJs in the area. We also have T on the Table, who is much younger, but who isn’t far behind on the DJing front. We start the night off with some funky, disco, house orientated beats, and as the audience (predictably) get more intoxicated, the music gets louder and faster… into old school drum and bass, dub, bassline and then we always try and finish on some out-and-out crowd pleaser’s.

GDM is is trying to do something other than just a free party in a room – as that destroys the good points of a free party. We’re trying to create an all round great night out for the people of Taunton to be able to dance to good music, and socialise in a cool, non-commercial space. We look forward to seeing you on the 23rd. It’s based above the Winchester Arms right behind the main bus stop in town.

For more info have a look at the Facebook page

Content submitted by Nicholas Burman

Characterised by a strong belief in individuality and originality, a tendency to challenge and provoke, and an edgy, sometimes unsettling, brilliance – typified by talents such as Mark Wallinger and Banksy in the visual arts, Amy Winehouse and The Prodigy in music and Walé Adeyemi in fashion.

Traditionally independent-minded, UK creative leaders challenge established ways of doing things and value novelty and innovation. The inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, and designer of the iPod, Jonathan Ive, are both British…. bet you didn’t know that !

The creative industries make up 7.3% of the UK economy and are growing at around 5% per year – almost twice the rate of the rest of the economy, which we think is really great. But we also think that things could get better. And that is where Create Somerset comes in.

Somerset has a long history of being really creative; we have our jaw dropping illuminated carnivals, our hundreds of really buzzing festivals and a computer games and music scene that you have to experience to believe.  

But people are not always sure what to do with all their creative energy. Networking, finding new business, promoting your ideas or having a space that allows your creations to germinate and grow are on many lists.

So – we here you cry – why are we here and what do we do????

Well Create Somerset – the Somerset Creative Industry Network – aims to support the development of the creative industries in our fine county of Somerset and make new links beyond.

Our main aim is to:

Support collaboration, innovation, imagination and networking across the creative sectors found in Somerset – to start you off we think some of these include …

Arts and Antique markets, Advertising, Architecture, Boat Building , Computer Gaming, Crafts, Ceramics, All types of Events management, Illuminated Carnivals, All areas of Design, Fashion and Textiles, Festivals. Furniture Making, Film Video TV and Digital / New Media, Printing, Marketing and Publicity, all forms of Music and associated Industries, Sculpting, Stone Masonry and Carving, Software Development, the Visual and Performing arts, Publishing, Radio (both community and commercial), Black Smith and other forms of Creative Metal Work and the Written Word

 If you think of any more please tell us !

 Help give impartial, straightforward advice and guidance to anyone in Somerset who either: wants to go into a creative sector, has an idea but isn’t sure what to do next or who is already in business and wants someone to talk to 

 Signpost members to business support and funding opportunities

 Help raise the profile of the sector as a whole to local businesses and organisations so that they will automatically consider Somerset based creative businesses when sourcing supplies

 Create more opportunities for inter-trading by raising awareness of resources, talent and services available locally

 Support graduates and existing students find business contacts, networks or other opportunities within Somerset or further away

Ensure we make links to other networks, groups and organisations who work in the same areas within Somerset and further afield  

 So how does this all work?

The Somerset Creative Industry Network is for creative people in Somerset, be it businesses, individuals or groups. It’s free for anyone to join, no matter what you age or skill. Our aim is to connect, inspire and facilitate in ways that help you move forward.

We intend to do this by….

Hosting this blog; which is our way of getting important information out there. Our contributors are people who have shown considerable skill and knowledge in the creative sector. Covering many subjects they will be blogging regularly so keep calling back. If you feel you can add to this get in touch.

If you are into film we have a channel on YouTube and Vimeo – screening some top-notch media from around the county, and linking with our friends in the Somerset Film and Media Hub – Somerset’s main film and digital media network.

Music lover? Well have a look at our MySpace pages for the latest on Somerset’s music scene. This site is linked to the Somerset Music Hub a support network for anyone with a passion for the industry.

If photography is your love then our Flicker site will let you showcase your work. We will be running regular showcases so your work will get seen, and we will do our best to link up the many photography clubs across the county.

If you are involved in any type of creative business then our main networking sites are our Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Here you can meet and network with like-minded people not just within Somerset but from all over. Don’t be shy as you never know who you may meet !

And if that isn’t enough our Skype channel will be available shortly for on-line networking events and help further business to business networking.

The Somerset Creative Hubs is also part of all this, see the related section on our blog for more information.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us, either through any of our sites or by email on createsomerset@gmail.com