DARTINGTON VILLAGE APPRAISAL
Life in the Parish
Generally people thought that the parish was a good place to live and several commented that the nature of the community had attracted them to live here in the first place and they wanted to preserve its good qualities.
On the other hand, some parishioners had no sense of being part of Dartington.
"Dartington is a rare gem of a village. At present it has little crime, is safe for children and the elderly. It has plenty of attractive housing set in tranquil green surroundings. Please let's not destroy this with new housing estates".
"I think that, as kids are our future, we should shape the village to include them more."
"The last time I saw people of the village together was during the garden show and a Dartington Hall anniversary. The whole village participated in making a flag and emblem for their own area. The following procession was a sight to be seen, with everyone of all ages gathering and watching.
" ... Provide a good base for our children, with a pleasant environment of green sites, good architecture, good play areas".
Health & Environmental
There was a high level of satisfaction with most of the Health Services. Of those with an opinion
By contrast, of those expressing an opinion, 25% thought Mental Health services and the Care Manager services were poor. A quarter of those responding had some difficulty getting to an NHS Dentist. A few mentioned they would like a doctor's surgery in the village.
With regard to the Environmental Health Services, 97% thought refuse collection was reasonable or even good (and some praised the voluntary litter collectors).
795 people wanted a rubbish skip for community use.
There are strongly held but divergent views on how the verges should be maintained and how litter should be dealt with.
Sense of Community
Retail Services
Some 16 people asked for a pharmacy to be set up in the village, but over 50 people said that one way or another, we are well provided with retail services and they would not want more retail activity developed in the parish.
Employment
Of the 895 who answered:
General Improvements in the Village
Some people asked for benches around the village or, competitions to encourage people to make the parish look more attractive, and in particular for wheelchair ramps to help wheelchair bound people to get around.
Also respondents wanted there to be more social events to enrich the life of the parish and suggested, a village fair, an "annual knees up", the return of the luncheon club, etc.
From some of the answers in the questionnaires it is clear that some parishioners do not know what is available in the parish. Several people asked for a booklet to be produced, regularly updated to give information about events and facilities.
65% of those who expressed an opinion would like to see Meadowbrook developed as a social, cultural and sports centre.
78% (506 people) of those who expressed an opinion thought the school should be available to the local community out of school hours as a home for various social and educational events.
"The village of Dartington has more amenities for its size than, most other villages.. The village problem is not a lack of amenities, but lack of use of existing facilities by the village inhabitants".
"As a member of Meadowbrook Community Centre, I feel it offers cultural, social and sporting activities to meet the needs of the village, but it is not used by a large percentage of the villagers".
Education, Training & Social Opportunities
Recreational
Only 7% thought the provision of adult learning classes was good, but 488 people (54.9% of those who responded) said they would attend classes if they were provided. For example:
Vocational
313 people said they would be interested in training, with 181 looking for New Technology/Computing although 99.7% of those who responded said they could get into Totnes.
Clubs
When asked about indoor clubs, only a few topics produced possibly viable numbers.
Youth
The under 21's were asked what they wanted to see. There were 60 responses, but insufficient support emerged for any one activity.
12 wanted a Youth Club, 10 wanted various sports activities, 3 young people asked for bus times to be reviewed to take into account the needs of Youth.
"I feel it is important to encourage our youth to be proud of their village and provide interested and innovative people to supervise areas where they can spend their leisure time creatively or peacefully".