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The Pucklechurch community website |
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If you have signed up for emails and are not getting them please check the following: |
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December 2004 |
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CA open meetion on anti-social behaviour. More... Boys' Brigade and Friends to tour the area with their Carol Float and Father Christmas. More... |
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As an ordinary member of the public and an interested, concerned resident of Pucklechurch, I attended the meeting organised by the Community Association to discuss the anti-social behaviour of some people that occurs in the village. I was extremely pleased to see that there was going to be a police presence, but I was disappointed that our community officer would not be attending. Besides local councillors and representatives from the council, our MP Steve Webb was also going to attend. I hoped that this indicated that there would be a positive outcome from the meeting. The impression that I received was how nice people were in the village. They get on with their lives and put up with problems without complaining. Because of this, Pucklechurch is considered a quiet, peaceful place. While it is not a hotbed of criminal activity, it does have its fair share of problems that inconvenience residents. If we do not work together to address the issues, the situation is likely to get worse rather than improve or go away. As I understand it, there is a distinct possibility that the village is in danger of losing its village hall because the cost of repairing the malicious damage that is caused on a regular basis is costing more than the money raised. This would be a shame because the hall is such a significant feature of our village, both in terms of its physical presence and its usefulness to the large number of groups that use its facilities. We all need to work together to keep this marvellous asset. The question is how do we do this? I was hoping that the meeting would provide some answers to this, giving advice and suggestions as to immediate short-term actions that could be taken, as well as advice on what could be done in the long term. There seemed to be little of this, certainly of what could be done in the short term. Rather, there was a considerable amount of information about how the current system operates, what long-term options are available for us should we qualify, and how the council is involved. Various issues were raised and discussed, but it seems to me that if anything is going to be done, we, the ordinary residents of the village, will have to do it ourselves. Even so, I came away from the meeting in a positive mood because I did think that the situation was not as hopeless as first appeared and that something can be done and the more we do, the more that could be done. So what can ordinary people do? The first thing was suggested by the police. As far as records are concerned, very little happens in Pucklechurch. If we want more police time here in the village, we have to change that perception. The way to do this is not, as we have done in the past, just put up with things. We MUST phone and report all incidences to the police, no matter how small. They will probably not take any action at the time of reporting, but it will get logged onto their system, and as the number of incidences increases, so Pucklechurch will figure on their regular list of duties. So if you see anything around the village that is unacceptable, report it to the police. The next thing that we can do is to make the Neighbourhood Watch a more active organisation. This would be very useful in gathering information for the police and helping and supporting other villagers when trouble occurs. I am sure any such meeting can suggest other ways in which we can make the village a better place. Perhaps information about Neighbourhood Watch could be advertised locally, in the Pucklechurch News, or in the newsagent and the post office. Also, I think starting a residents' association would improve the situation. Just helping to keep the village neat and tidy would have an impact. It has been shown that those areas that make an effort to tidy up have fewer problems. I am sure that there are many other ways in which such an association could enhance village life. In addition, it would be welcome assistance for the Parish Council through helping and supporting their initiatives. Finally, the young people need to be considered. I know a lot has been done in the past but there are different children now. If we are to address the situation and have any kind of success, we need to look at the root problem. We need to be able to offer the young people an alternative to hanging around the streets of the village. Though Pucklechurch is a lovely place to live and there is a lot of activity in the village, there is very little for young people to do and there is NO public transport for them to be able to go anywhere in the evenings. Provision needs to be made for them to have a place to meet and some kind of activity. The Avon Youth Association is prepared to help, as is the council. Unfortunately, the villagers seem content to moan about the problem rather than do anything about it. For almost a year now, some of us have been trying to make some provision for the youngsters. First of all, a viable committee needs to be established to apply for grants and to access the help that the Avon Youth Association can provide. Several times requests have been made for volunteers from the village to join the youth committee. No one has come forward. Secondly, a place needs to be found in the village where the youth can meet and where activities can be based. (For example, at one time there was an offer of computers and Internet access if a suitable place could be found.) If these two obstacles could be resolved, from this small beginning, we could offer the young people more and better options. Until we try, we don't know what is possible, and the present situation will not improve. Having made these suggestions, I am quite prepared to be part of all three groups suggested. I think Pucklechurch is a wonderful place and is worth the effort. I would like to help make it an even better place if possible. Is there anyone else who agrees with me and is prepared to help in some way? Anna Sharpe Please Note: This version is the full version of the letter recieved. For space reasons the letter published in the paper version of the Pucklechurch News was edited for length, -- Ed. |
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Once again the Boys' Brigade and Friends hope to tour the area with their Carol Float and Father Christmas to raise money for a number of charities including CLIC, breast screening, etc. The dates we plan to do this are:
We hope to tour all areas between 6.00 and 9.00p.m. We hope local residents will support these worthy causes. P. J. Green |
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