Share views about life in Pontesbury and Minsterley

People living in Pontesbury and Minsterley are being invited to share their local knowledge about life in the towns at a special event on Thursday 17 February 2011.

The one-off event will be held at Minsterley Parish Hall, with refreshments from 6.30pm ahead of a 7pm start. The event will finish at around 9.45pm.

Shropshire Council is looking for up to 30 local people to take part in the event.

Anyone interested in taking part should contact Lois Dale on 01743 255667 or lois.dale@shropshire.gov.uk by 9 February.

Participation will be on a first come first served basis and the aim is to have a mix of people of different ages and interests.

The event will provide a chance to find out people’s current views about what it is like to live and work in Pontesbury and Minsterley. It will also help ensure that Shropshire Council has the best quality information possible about life in the towns, based on local knowledge and views, as well as on the information that the council already has.

One of a series of similar events being held in market towns across the county, the event will use an interactive approach, already in use with rural parishes in Shropshire, and based on a set of questions about what makes a community sustainable. The same questions are asked wherever it is used, so the answers can be used as a guideline for planning priorities and community priorities in that area.

People will also be asked to give their views on what community benefits might be important to the area and help their community develop and thrive in the future. They will also be asked to share with their local councillor any ideas that could help to revitalise their market town using investment through the Market Towns Revitalisation Programme.

Councillor Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for community working, said:

“We all want to make sure that Shropshire Council decisions are based on the best and most up-to-date information possible, which is why we need local people to get involved and tell us. These events are great opportunities to gain a shared understanding of local priorities for each of our market towns, based on listening to local people.”