Chance to share views about life in Astley parish

People who live in the Astley parish are being invited to share their local knowledge about life in the area at a special event in April 2011.

The one-off event will be held at Astley Village Hall on Wednesday 6 April 2011, with refreshments from 6.30pm ahead of a 7pm start. The event will finish at around 9.45pm.

Shropshire Council is looking for between 20 and 30 local people to take part in the event, aged around 14 years and up.  Places need to be reserved by Wednesday 30 March 2011 and the aim is to have a mix of people of different ages and interests, and from different parts of the parish, in group discussion tables.

Anyone interested in taking part in the event should contact Lois Dale by 30 March 2011 on 01743 255667.

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.

John Everall, Shropshire Councillor for Tern, said:

“We are keen to hear from people who may not have been involved in anything before but would be able to give up an evening on this occasion, as well as from people already active in the community who want to share their views.  This will help to ensure that we have the best-quality information possible about life in the area, based on local knowledge and views, as well as on the information that we already have about Astley parish.  This information will help shape how we meet the future needs of our communities.”

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

“We need people to come along and take part to tell us what Astley is like, its positives and negatives.  This will form a base for us to work from to plan for the future, delivering what the community wants and needs.”

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.

The end results on the day will be an improved evidence base about the local area, and a visual snapshot of the community arrived at using a colour wheel.