Big Local

[David G Lloyd 0]

How encouraging it was to see the breadth of interest represented at the update meeting of Big Local which promises to bring big Lottery money to Gobowen, St Martins and Weston Rhyn. Survey data already gleaned shows that there are big issues to tackle and this can be best achieved by participation by the wide range of interests that exist in these communities working together for the greater good. The group set up to get the project underway have done well and earned the involvement and support of all those organisations and individuals who can contribute to future developments. Community on line is the perfect medium through which to pool ideas.

[Maggie 65]

Good, interesting meeting for Big Local. The preliminary results from the questionnaire were very detailed, but the summaries probably what we were all expecting. I'll have a go at putting them onto this site once I have received a copy.

I've also got a nice photo of our glorious community-online designer and founder talking to the meeting and will take bribes not to link that to the site!

There were a lot of good ideas about how to spend our £1,000,000, and people prepared to help run the next next stage of the project, which will see the start of this money being made available to us. There is a feeling around that the process is taking a long, long time, but we all need to be sure that we spend wisely and fairly across the community, and are responding to real problems and needs, and this sort of system needs to be set up from scratch, with attention to where our needs and preferences are. The questionnaire is a very good starting point, so thanks very much to everyone who took the time to complete one and send it in. If you want to get involved in steering this project, and aren't already in our radar, please let me know via this site.

The winners of the prize draw were announced at the meeting but I didn't take notes. Sorry, I did take photos however!. Will report in detail when I have that information and more to tell.

[Maggie 65]

I have received the final report from the questionnaire that a lot of you were kind enough to complete. I have enjoyed going through it tonight and have been fascinated at how much we all have in common. We seem to really value the rural nature of our surroundings and the heritage of the villages, but are concerned at how run down and uncared for a lot of the built up areas are. We want to see more control of traffic, rubbish, dog-poo, parking etc and would like to see money spent on community facilities and activities and play areas and tidying up and improving the countryside walks and the built environment. There were an awful lot of individual comments which I am not going to post in case they are identifiable, but one nice thread running through them was about planting flowers around the villages. There were a lot of suggestions, particularly around provision of housing and road safety, which are really not the responsibility or remit of the Big Local Funding, but rather statutory obligations for other agencies. The Big Local Start Up Group (which includes me) will now inwardly digest this data, burb loudly, and then move forward using these results as a compass.

Please freely comment on this on this site; we will use any of the comments for our discussions.

Any of us that attended the Big Local Meeting will realise that we now need a group of people with ideas to make decisions for the project and are looking for some more volunteers; Hint Hint ;) . This money is for all of us, so please let me know if you think you could get involved or just have something to say.

There was some confusion at the meeting about the boundary of the Big Local Area, which is around Weston Rhyn, St Martins and Gobowen and the bit in between, but leaves out the very rural hamlets of Bronygarth, Selattyn etc. It does not mean that someone from outside the core area cannot get involved in the decision making. The money is to be spent to improve the lot of the central area, but again, this will obviously also be for the benefit of people who live in the surrounding rural areas, so in practice will benefit us all.

Again, thank you if you filled in a questionnaire, and let us know what you think.

[Maggie 65]

I used up all my attachment allowance, but have PDF'd the pi charts that were produced for the Big Local meeting about the findings of the questionnaire and hope to squeeze them on here. I always find this sort of diagram the best way to understand statistics.

Edited November 30, 2011 by Maggie

[Simple Simon 36]

Re: Gobowen boundary:

How much of the old Gobowen to Oswestry railway track does it include?

[Maggie 65]

@Simon

The map I have of Big Local area has a southern margin along the road from Pentre Dafydd through lower Hengoed and across the bypass then across to the railway line in a straightish line, so this would mean that very little of the Oswestry arm, if any, is within the Big Local area. BUT would that necessarly mean anything if it was decided that the money was about the people in the villages, rather than the absolute boundaries themselves? Only saying, nothing has been discussed yet! But I think there are better fits for funding this sort of scheme that the Big Local money.

[Maggie 65]

I've put the agenda for the next Big Local meeting on the calendar, for Monday 27th 2 p.m. in St Martins Centre. From stuff in Shrops Star looks like there might be a few people turning up who want to get involved with decision making process, so this is a reminder to everyone who wants to participate!

[neo 6]

Are these meetings open to anyone?

Well, when I say anyone...... anyone who doesn't work during the daytime.

[Maggie 65]

We now need to get more people involved; it worked better at first with just a few who were pulling together all the ideas from the villages, but now decisions will have to start to be made so that means everyone should have a say. In short, yes please come if you can and be prepared to join in. (I will be the one quietly snoring in the corner because I have been working solidly for over a week on preparing for the Oswestry Museum Opening and I am so so tired)

[Maggie 65]

Big Local photos now on Flickr account, called Gobowen, St Martins and Weston Rhyn Big Local; and here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1919594@N23/