Chance to share views about life in Bomere Heath parish
People who live in Bomere Heath parish are being invited to share their local knowledge about life in the area at a special event in early November 2011.
The one-off event will be held at the primary school in Bomere Heath on Wednesday 2 November 2011, with teas and coffees from 6.30pm ahead of a 7pm start. The event will finish at around 9.45pm. There will also be a midpoint break for light refreshments.
Shropshire Council is looking for between 20 and 30 local people to take part in the event, aged around 11 years and up. People will be mixed into group discussion tables to share their knowledge and perspectives with each other, so the council is keen to hear from people of different ages and interests, and from different parts of the parish.
Anyone interested in taking part in the event should contact Mathew Mead, the local community action officer, on 01743 252534 or mathew.mead@shropshire.gov.uk, by noon on Monday 24 October 2011. If there are more than 30 people, names will be drawn out of a hat at that point.
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 the parish, 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 Bomere Heath parish. This information will help shape how we meet the future needs of our communities, in partnership with the parish council, who are very much involved.”
Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for community working, said:
“We need people to come along and take part to tell us what Bomere Heath 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.
