Lee & Lincombe Community Appraisal
Report on the Results of the Questionnaire
1998
6. Final comments and conclusions
It is clear from the responses to many questions that the village is a vigorous community with a wide range of talents and interests which are already put to good use in the village, but could be used still, further for the benefit of the community. 39 people indicated that they already perform voluntary work, a good nucleus for the future. Whilst a good number of residents are retired, 56.8% are employed, self-employed or in full time education. 32.7% run a business, and the village is the main place of work for 58.6% of those in work or education. Although the age profile is higher than that found nationally, the largest number (35.5%) are in the 40-59 age group; 34.3% are aged 60 or over.
''School PTA", "Poor to door charity collections", "Warwick Link Group","Crime Prevention Panel", "Adult Literacy Project'', "Neighbourhood shopping" "Rotary International", "Exmoor Search and Rescue", "Voluntary car scheme", "Playgroup treasurer", etc., etc., etc.
Although they have not featured in the questionnaire or, so far, in this report, there are a number of very active groups in the village. Prominent amongst them are St Matthews Parish Church, the Women's Institute, the Flower Show, and the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. Already referred to are the Residents' Association and the Memorial Hall Committee. A most valuable addition to the life of the village in the last 18 months has been the Lee & Link'em News which has already proved to be a popular and effective community newspaper and magazine. Overall, the potential for positive development is considerable.
If the recommendations in this report are accepted either entirely or in a modified form, a large number of people will be working in different groups for the benefit of the community. The groups referred to above will, of course, be continuing their valuable work. If all this potential is to be fully realised, good quality communication with everyone, including all residents, is essential, and a good degree of co-ordination and co-operation is vital. Therefore the Steering Group comes to its final but very important
recommendation, which is:- That a Co-ordinating Committee be established to bring together the work that is being done, and to act as a clearing house for information to be passed on to each group and to all residents.
- That the Co-ordinating Committee convenes open public meetings for all residents every 6 months, or more frequently if necessary, so that all residents have the opportunity to be updated on progress, have the opportunity to make comments, and when membership and terms of reference of groups set up as a result of the appraisal can be reviewed.
- That the Co-ordinating Committee consists of 1 person from each group set up as a result of the appraisal, the Editor of the Lee & Link'em News, and 1 representative of each of the major village organisations. In order to keep numbers at a manageable level, it is suggested that representatives of the major village organisations are also representing a group set up as a result of the appraisal, but this would not be a requirement.
- That the Co-ordinating Committee exists for as long as the village community wishes, as determined by opinion at the open public meetings.
Appendix 1
The Steering Group
The group has been chaired and led by Fran Nustedt; membership has fluctuated over the year, but the core of the group has consisted of : Bill Ashmole, Enid Bowman, Peter Desmond, Roy Dyer, Ken Huxstable, Brenda Keeble, Kate Madden, Fran Nustedt, Roy Packham, Sue Packham, Peter Ritchie, lan Stuart, Paul Thorn, Jeff Tulett, Julian Witts.
Appendix 2 ……. and finally
The comments used in this report have been carefully chosen to give, as far as possible, the range of opinions expressed. However, they are a small proportion of the total; a further selection will appear in the next Lee and Link'em News, and the full collation (14 pages long!) is available. With 2 exceptions, comments were very supportive of the appraisal process. One person compared the vehicle being driven by the Steering Group to
'an evil tank liable to lay waste to every beautiful' thing around'. Another person believed that the exercise was a 'shocking waste of public resources and tax payers' money'. However, the following 3 comments from 3 different individuals perhaps reflect best the opinions, hopes and concerns that have been expressed:"The village is a most attractive environment in which to live and work. We do not wish to see any major changes. However, no community should fossilise and careful limited change is both sensible and necessary."
"To make places such as Lee work again for the good of all who live in them will require resources and imagination. Consulting us was a first good step now keep us involved!"
"Lee is the most beautiful place to live and personally I wouldn't like it to change, it has a great feel and sense of community and 1 love to come home at night that's it!"
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