The Bishop’s Palace Builds Community Links

Community Membership is a new initiative from The Bishop’s Palace, to encourage local not-for-profit groups and organisations to make the most of this unique heritage site at the heart of Wells.

The health benefits of visiting beautiful places with wonderful gardens, open water and a tranquil atmosphere are well known, so The Palace Trust now wants to ensure that those people who need it most can benefit from it right here on their doorstep. It is also a great way for The Bishop’s Palace to build stronger links with the local community.

To launch the scheme the Palace Trust is delighted to announce that it has given fifty complimentary memberships to local groups including The Lawrence Centre, which provides day opportunities for older people with memory loss and health issues.

Lawrence Centre Manager, Maggie Charlesworth, is pictured on the right receiving ten membership cards this summer. Within a couple of weeks she got in touch with the Palace to say how much everyone had appreciated them. “Already it has made a real difference to some of our members, carers and volunteers.  Some of our more vulnerable members haven’t been out at all during lockdown so it really is a wonderful place to ease people back into the community.  Earlier in the summer we had our team meeting in the garden which was a real treat.”

Membership lasts for 12 months and entitles the holder to free entrance to The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens daily during opening hours, along with members only events, and also to reduced admission rates at Hestercombe Gardens, Kilver Court and Forde Abbey.

Organisations are also able to purchase a membership on behalf of a group, so get in touch with the Palace if you would like to sponsor a community membership for a local organisation, perhaps one that is close to your heart. Each organisation can purchase membership cards for £25.60 each (this is a 20% saving on the standard price). These cards can be used by multiple people in the organisation / group.