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INTRODUCTION
Bampton is a small town (population 1646), lying on the River Batherm above the Exe Valley and containing the outlying settlements of Shillingford, Ford and Petton within its parish.
In early mediaeval times it was important for its markets - sheep and cattle - with St. Luke’s Fair established in 1258. During the 19th Century this became the nationally famous Bampton ‘Pony’ Fair, held annually in October.
Quarrying was a further source of employment over the centuries and in 1884 railway links with the Exe Valley helped to support local industry and communications.
Today much of this has changed. The October Fair remains as a street market and fun-fair but the quarries are worked out - and the railway closed in 1963.
The town, however, retains its essential shops and services, but is much quieter today, major traffic being channelled onto the North Devon Link Road. It is a popular place for those seeking a country environment, not too far from main routes and larger conurbations.
BAMPTON COMMUNITY APPRAISAL
Planning for Bampton Community Appraisal began in 1997 with the formation of a Steering Committee. Owing to unforeseen circumstances, there were many delays and it was not until March 1999 that the final questionnaire was printed and available for distribution.
A group of volunteers distributed the questionnaires, one to each household on the Electoral Roll in the Parish, and then returned a few days later to collect them.
The Steering Committee thank Mike Knight of the Community Council of Devon who organised the data entry and tabulated the results; 61 tables of categorised data which have formed the basis of this report.
Altogether 761 households received a questionnaire and 237 were returned giving a response rate of 31%, a respectable figure for this type of survey.
The Steering Committee thank everyone who found the time to complete a questionnaire.
All comments on the forms were extracted and collated for further analysis, adding interest and depth to the report’s findings. A few are quoted at appropriate points in the text.
They appear in text like this.Unless otherwise indicated, responses are given as a percentage based on those people expressing an opinion.
550 people are represented in the sample, which appears to be well distributed across all age groups for both males (51%) and females (49%).
Just over half of all households (52%) were composed of 2 people and a little under a fifth (19%) contained only 1 person. The average number of persons per household was 2.3
Males and Females in each Age Group
The personal section of the questionnaire asked for the views of every individual aged 11 years and over. The questions covered a wide range of topics from housing, health and highways to education, employment, environment and entertainment.
472 people attempted this section of the questionnaire and the wealth of information provided can be taken as a representative sample of the whole community.