WELLINGTON Town Council has unveiled their new reception and outdoor spaces with two official ceremonies in one day.

On Tuesday, April 1, the town council celebrated the opening of their highly anticipated accessible reception, alongside the official unveiling of their recently acquired open spaces.

Cllr Catherine Govier-Wiggins who officiated the events said: “Today is a very momentous day for Wellington Town Council and one of the biggest in its history.

“We are taking on the ownership and management of the green spaces in Wellington as well as opening our reception here for members of the public to be able to reach us more easily and have a better presence in the town.

“We want to welcome our new staff and thank them and our existing staff for all their hard work to get us to this point.

“We couldn’t do anything as a council without our amazing staff who are always working tirelessly behind the scenes.”

Located on Fore Street, in a former Taunton Deane Borough Council community office, the reception has been opened after an 18-month project to create a more accessible street-facing council office.

Previously, town councillors leased the first floor of the grade two listed building from the unitary council with Wellington Museum and Citizens Advice taking up part of the ground floor.

The building was then bought by the town council for £130,000 at the end of 2023 to allow for the continued delivery of local services.

The new accessible reception will now be open five days a week.

Town Clerk Dave Farrow said: “I’m delighted that we’re able to open our reception area.

“As we upgrade our services, it’s important that we’re accessible to the community as a whole so that members of the public feel able to express any concerns they may have.”

Project Assistant Rebecca Hunt said: “I think the new street-facing reception will make a huge difference.

“Hopefully now we can provide the public with better support, and if it’s something we can’t help with, then we can at least point them in the right direction.”

Later in the day, town council members officially unveiled their recently acquired open spaces with a ceremony in Wellington Park.

The event marked the official hand-over of 25 areas of land around Wellington from Somerset Council, none of which have been in local ownership since 1974.

The opening was attended by Open Spaces Manager Darren Hill and the four members of the new open spaces team led by Zac McAuley, with Jay Prosser, Sheldon Hancock, and Alan Wilson, who started work at the beginning of last month.

Darren said: “I’m really pleased. I’ve been connected to the park since 1996 where I first started work as an apprentice.

“I absolutely love this place and working with the team we want to elevate and enhance the park so that others can enjoy it as much as we do.

“I believe that this is the start of something really good, and I am really proud to be part of it.”