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VILLAGE FACILITIES
42% participate in Church activities, and a very credible 34% are long suffering enough to sit on committees. Other popular activities include a Garden Club (32 people), Local History Group (30), Badminton (30) and Art Groups (19). 26 children are recorded as being Playgroup members, 22 in Mother & Toddler Groups and 11 in the Youth Club. (But we know the membership of some of these clubs is often greater than the numbers recorded here).
"Community open space vital - nowhere for kids to kick a ball or play without danger from traffic"
An impressive 40 people said they would be willing to help run activities for youngsters, and as far as a wider range of activities is concerned a Computer Club, Table Tennis Club, Crafts Group and classes in languages would receive enough support to start up.
"A playing field is required in Ugborough"
About 50% gave opinions on indoor and outdoor sports facilities in the Parish, and the overwhelming view was that they are poor. Keep Fit, Tennis, Swimming, Cycling and Five-A-Side Football were viable suggestions for new sporting groups.
For those less sportingly inclined Drama, a Dining/Gourmet Club, Sewing Circle, Short Mat Bowls and Senior Citizens’ Group would be welcomed by more than 40 people in each case. Nearly 70 people would like After School Clubs and Skittles made available. And a Community Green Space and Sports Field is needed say over one third of people - an inclination not encouraged by the local topography!
"Could be much better but site inadequate. Temporary stage would improve the facility considerably… and provide focal point for an otherwise featureless building"
84% of people in Ugborough are satisfied with their Village Hall but 65% of Bittaford residents feel that their Hall is inadequate and say that a new Hall is needed. 80% of those who want a new Hall are in favour of new facilities on a different site. Other parishioners have little opinion on the Bittaford Hall but we did not ask if they felt wider parish interests could be catered for in a brand new building.
"Parish should have kept Moorhaven Hall for community use - wasted opportunity"
"More funding desperately needed to rebuild existing hall"
How do these findings fit with the desire for more indoor sports facilities and the emerging plans for re-development of the school?
Village Shops are said to be vital to rural communities - but how well do we support them? 30% who replied say they don’t use the shops in Bittaford, Ugborough and Wrangaton; 10% (69 people) claim to shop daily and a quarter (165 people) use them on a weekly basis. Three-quarters of respondents to this question, (229 people) do use the Post Office counter facilities.
"Must maintain shop /PO as a valuable village amenity"
EMPLOYMENT
A third of parishioners are in paid employment and a further fifth are self-employed. 10% are in full time education and just over 22% are now wholly retired. Less than 3% is a low unemployment figure, although a further 7% would describe themselves as ‘unwaged’. 14% are seeking new employment at present.
The majority of those employed travel between 11 and 30 miles to work (36%), over a quarter work from home and 29% travel less than 10 miles. Fortunately only 6.5% of employed people thought their job opportunities had been restricted by lack of transport, family commitments are twice as restrictive.
Professional (25%) and Agricultural (21%) are the biggest employment categories, then Construction (15%) and Hotels/Catering/Tourism (11%).
Over 40% of people would support the creation of employment opportunities locally in light industry. This should surely influence Council policy regarding planning and incentives for new employment opportunities. Over a quarter of working parishioners do run their own businesses, and nearly a quarter involve themselves in voluntary work of some kind, which is a tribute to the ‘community spirit’.
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Page Created: June 2000
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