The Liberal Democrat leader, Jo Swinson, has insisted that her party can again make the west of England a stronghold even in places that voted to leave the EU.

In a show of confidence, Swinson’s bus rolled into North East Somerset – Jacob Rees-Mogg’s constituency – on Thursday for a visit to a forest school nursery.

Swinson lit fires, whittled a hazel stick, toasted marshmallows and argued that the excellent results in the local election results in May that put the Lib Dems in charge of places like Banes (Bath and North East Somerset) could be repeated in the general election.

Took a few attempts for Jo Swinson to light this fire - it got a bit tense...but a healthy glow now. pic.twitter.com/Z1G29iVTd9 — steven morris (@stevenmorris20) November 7, 2019

“We can win in places like this,” she said. “Jacob Rees-Mogg has a Liberal Democrat councillor now. The Liberal Democrats are on the up in Somerset and the west country.”

Somerset was a Lib Dem heartland in the days of Paddy Ashdown, until the party’s collapse in the 2015 general election. Since then it has has clawed its way back with good results in council and EU elections.

Winning in the North East Somerset parliamentary constituency, however, still seems a stretch. Rees-Mogg had a 10,000 majority over Labour in 2017, with the Lib Dems a distant third, followed by the Greens. The “unite to remain” pact means that the Greens are standing aside in the Bath constituency – but not in neighbouring North East Somerset, so are likely to split the remain vote there.

In other west of England seats such as Exeter, Stroud and the Forest of Dean, the Lib Dems are standing aside to give the Greens a run. Asked why she wasn’t giving people in such places a chance to vote for her party, Swinson said: “This is an unusual election. I think politics needs to be done differently. There are other parties that want to stop Brexit. If we can work together to make that happen, then I’m proud to be able to do that.”

Many places in the West Country voted to leave the EU. Swinson argued that lots of people had changed their minds. “Liberal Democrats will be standing in the vast majority of constituencies. It is still possible to stop Brexit. In most places, the best way to do this is by returning a Liberal Democrat member of parliament.”

The visit to a forest school nursery, where children learn outdoor skills, was designed to draw attention to the party’s announcements about renewable energy and insulating homes. But the sight of Swinson’s diesel battle bus – Somerset was out of range for its electric one – arriving in the rustic schoolyard proved a little jarring.

Swinson denied that the Lib Dems’ pact with the Greens in some areas meant they were being forced to put greater emphasis on green initiatives. “We have a strong record for standing up to protect the environment,” she said.

During a question-and-answer session with parents, Swinson discussed issues ranging from the shortages of affordable housing in the area to bovine TB.

Lib Dem councillor David Wood - who represents the ward Jacob Rees-Mogg lives in. pic.twitter.com/EwhRwcwUNJ — steven morris (@stevenmorris20) November 7, 2019

Outside, David Wood revealed proudly that he was Rees-Mogg’s Lib Dem councillor, beating the former Tory leader of Banes in May’s elections. “They said that wasn’t possible,” he said. “We proved it was. As soon as you come along with a credible alternative, people will latch on to it.”

His fellow councillor, Andy Wait, who won in Keynsham East against the odds, added: “Things are changing. These are weird times.”