The Community Development Project was launched by the Parish Council in an effort to bring together all those who serve or live in the community so that, where practicable, their knowledge, experience and other assets can be shared to their mutual benefit.
We have our own community page on Facebook which enables residents and friends of Stambridge to share ideas. It is also used by the parish council for urgent items of news.
The refurbishment of the hall is complete. We still hope we can find funds to enable us to add another smaller room at the end that would be suitable for small groups. This will make it much more versatile and we already have several groups interested in using it. The Clubhouse used by the football club will also eventually be available for hire.
This scheme has been going for some time. It aims to bring together residents in the community, whether church-goers or not. It is open from 10.00am – 4.00pm but it especially attracts parents who meet there after collecting their children and activities are provided for the children.
Speeding is clearly a problem in parts of the parish so the police have trained a number of volunteers in the use of speed guns so they can monitor the speed of traffic. This will provide the evidence we need to persuade the Highways Department of the need to take measures to slow down traffic.
In many areas, Neighbourhood Watch has proved to be a good deterrent to crime. A number of people have volunteered to be local contacts and the scheme is now up and running (August 2014). Their website is here and their Facebook page is here
The first questionnaire aimed to get peoples’ opinions about Stambridge as a place to live. The completed forms have been analysed and our report will soon be on this website.
There are a number of sports that have been adapted so that both physically and mentally disabled people can take part. They will use both the Memorial Hall and the grounds. Three pilot events went well and a programme is now being arranged.
Fishing is a deceptive activity. It looks as though fisherman merely sit, dreaming, all day but it actually requires a great deal of concentration. It is this aspect that enables fishing to grab the attention of youngsters and get them absorbed. Nick Watkins, who runs the project, not only teachers them to fish and to understand the natural environment but he is also a personal mentor.
