Education And Training

There are 252 people who have no formal qualifcations. Of those who do have qualifications, 171 have a diploma, and 146 have O levels. The rest have a wide variety of different qualifications.

288 people would be interested in taking work based training, either now, or in the future. There was also a lot of interest in all kinds of training, but sad to say, most people think that provision for adult learning in Combe Martin is poor. There is a lot of interest in new technology/computer training, as well as managerial/professional training and skilled/craft training.

When it came to travelling outside the village for training, people were fairly evenly divided upon whether they preferred to travel to Ilfracombe or Barnstaple for training.

Tourism

It was interesting to see the strength of the support for more tourism to be encouraged in and around Combe Martin. Most people wanted more tourists to stay in the village, particularly in guest houses, bed and breakfast and hotels. Camping sites, caravans and permanent holiday caravans were also favoured.

All the tourist activities listed were seen as being suitable for Combe Martin although the most popular were walking/rambling (976 responses) nature study (756) photography/painting (731) and sight seeing (711).

Health And Medical Services

The Doctors are the most used service, and the District Nurses are used occasionally by quite a lot of people. The other services are not heavily used.

On the whole most people thought that the medical services in the village are good. Individuals may sometimes have problems, but no specific concerns were voiced.

The main problem with these services is transport. 38-50 people said that they often have difficulty in getting to the dentist, the chemist and the doctors, whilst 148 people occasionally have problems getting to hospital, and 132 occasionally have diffculty getting to the dentist.

Policing

Many people commented on the lack of policing, late night drinking, under age drinking and drug taking.

Local Countryside & Environment

One of the most sore points is dog fouling in public areas. The message is clear, a solution has to be found to this anti-social practice.

Many parishioners are also concerned about litter in public areas, lack of litter bins, and lack of dog bins.

The largest number of respondents felt the beaches should be protected. There was also a lot of support for protecting open moorland, strip field hedges and unusual buildings. Various other suggestions were also given at which we shall have to look.

Ways should be found to improve the situation in the above areas to make our community a more pleasant place in which to live.

There was considerable support for the overhead wires being replaced by underground cables.

Nearly half of the respondents (46%) said that they can usually follow the footpaths and bridleways around the village without much difficulty. For those who do have diffculties, the main reasons are mud or water, overgrown hedges and inadequate signs.

There is a lot of support for maps/leaflets of the public footpaths and bridleways in Combe Martin.

It was also very encouraging to see that 26 people said that they would be willing to donate or sell a strip of land to the Parish Council to enable the extension of the Riverside Walk. This is good news, providing we can find you!

The Future

How would you like to see Combe Martin develop? The chart shows your answers.

Most people want Combe Martin to develop as a balanced community.

It was encouraging to see that 42% of respondents would be willing to pay a slightly higher parish council tax in order to meet some of the needs of Combe Martin. This was a very strong response.