INTRODUCTION

by Anne Kilshaw
Steering Group Chairman

Last year Devon County Council announced its intention to sell the Sunningmead School site in Lazenby Road, Wilcombe, Tiverton (Canal Ward) for housing development.

At the instigation of the Town Council and with the assistance of the Community Council of Devon, a Community Meeting was called and those attending unanimously called for the school site to be considered for use as a Community Centre. The main feeling expressed was that Canal Ward had very little community, social or recreational provision for any age group.

A voluntary Steering Group was given the task of finding out what the people of Canal Ward thought of this idea, as well as their opinions on services and activities that they might like provided. A Community Survey was drawn up which, after successfully testing its suitability with a small pilot scheme, a large band of determined volunteers distributed in March to almost every household in the area, collecting it a week later (no mean task!).

This Report is the result of the analysis of this survey. The Community Council arranged for the survey to be computer analysed and then the Steering Group studied the results. Aside from the standard answers there was a wealth of valuable individual comments given, all of which has been considered and the Report outlines the principal findings.