The results of the recent Village Hall and Playing Fields survey are in!

Details of how villagers responded to this survey, including their level of support for future possible plans and innovations, were announced at the recent Annual Parish Meeting.

In total, 171 people responded, which represents about 20% of the population of the village based on the 2021 census. Over half of these fell into the over-60 demographic, with the younger age groups not as strongly represented.

Only a very small percentage of the people who responded said they never used the Village Hall or its playing fields, but in a village that has so many thriving organisations and such a myriad of activities, it is not at all surprising that overall it is well used (and loved). Club and society membership appears to be the biggest driver of usage.

Just under 50% of those who responded said that they would like to see improvements to internal decorations, including keeping the current colour scheme from the BBC filming and replacing the curtains with blinds. Many would like a better heating system. Less noisy was one request. Over 60% of people were in favour of sustainability improvements with an extremely low percentage expressing no interest whatsoever.

In the under 40 age group, of the 34 villagers who responded to the survey within that age range, 60% expressed a wish for a gym.

As far as the outside of the hall was concerned solar panels and an outside toilet were very popular. The idea of flower beds/pots was also popular and would admittedly look very attractive, but the practical question has to be asked about who would look after them as it must always be remembered that the village hall is run entirely by volunteers. There was low interest for EV chargers in the car park.

In the comments section there was a wish expressed for picnic tables and benches. It is worth noting that four of these have been provided by the Village Hall Committee in recent weeks.

A tarmacadamed path around the whole site was universally popular while an upgrade of the playground would be welcomed, particularly among the under 40's. This is an improvement for which the Parish Council are currently actively seeking funding and sponsorship. The under 40's also expressed an interest in a golf driving net as well as an all-weather pitch, which could, as pointed out in the comments, prove a valuable source of income for the Hall.

Many comments were received that something was required for older children and teenagers as it was felt that there was nothing specifically for this age group in the village.

Almost half of the people who responded would be willing to help implement any of the changes decided upon by the Village Hall Committee

Commenting on the results, Chairman of the Village Hall Management Committee, Phil Goodier, said “Many thanks to everyone who took the time to fill in the survey which will prove invaluable in prioritising the improvements we intend to make over the next few years. The Village Hall Committee will review the results in detail over the next few weeks. Some suggestions like the picnic tables have been acted on already and others such as the perimeter path and outside toilet are being worked on – we will look to access “commuted sums” from developers to fund these. For me, the views of younger participants are especially important as the Village Hall does not have a balanced user base in terms of age. We are very fortunate to have such wonderful facilities but also must recognise that some of the activities that the Hall and Playing Fields were designed around are no longer being actively used by village-based organisations.”

To read the survey in full, together with some of the comments made click