The Wiveliscombe Area Business Group (WABG) represents the interests of businesses located within the Ten Parishes area.

Formed in 1997 following a public meeting, this group is closely associated with the Wiveliscombe Civic Society and WABG members automatically become members of the Civic Society. Annual membership for WABG is £15.

The area covered by WABG was designated for rural regeneration in 1996 and within Somerset this is still under the remit of Communities First in Rural Somerset (CIFRS). Under this programme a wide range of initiatives were part funded to encourage economic development. For us this has meant, a Community I.T. Centre at our local school, new signposting, a local free paper called 'The Messenger', shop front enhancement, a business directory and this website.

More recent efforts have centred around the lack of premises for new and expanding businesses;Wiveliscombe has always been a working town and a recent survey indicates over 1000 jobs in the area. Our work has identified a site for a new Business Park, planning approval has been granted and a developer appointed. The build should commence in 2005, once funding and initial business interest has been finalised.

2005 also saw a number of projects to help promote the area to current and prospective visitors. New brochures for Specialist Shops and Services were created to help promote the particular benefits of Wiveliscombe to consumers. This website has also undergone a major revamp and re-engineering to help promote the interests of the area to a wider audience, in the hope that it will enable us to attract visitors into the area for shopping and leisure activities.

WABG also contributes to work on environmental, traffic, community facilities and internet adoption within the community.

The group meets regularly, usually on the second Tuesday of the month at 19:30pm in Wiveliscombe House. These dates can vary, so please contact us for the next meeting date.