Ridlington PCC

Results of Village Survey about proposed new facilities at St Peter’s

1 Background

1.1 At the end of March/beginning of April 2021 we surveyed the views of all Ridlington residents and other interested parties about the proposed new accessible toilet, servery and meet and greet area at St Peter’s.

2 Method

2.1 A total of 90 printed questionnaires were hand delivered to all properties in the village, and the questionnaire was also put online.

2.2 Completed printed questionnaires were collected by hand, and a total of 57 were received, plus 12 online responses, nearly all from village residents, giving an overall total response of 69. This equates to a response rate of 77%, which is extraordinarily good.

3 Results

3.1 The two key questions we asked in the survey were whether residents/interested parties supported the principle of the new facilities, and whether the existence of the facilities would make them more likely to attend community events.

3.2 The results are set out below.

Table 1: Overall support

Question

Yes

No

% Yes

1. Do you support the principle of the church having these facilities?

66

3

96%

2. If the church had these new facilities, would you be more likely to come to the community events at the church?

56

10

81%

3.3 The results show virtually complete backing for the principle of the church having the new facilities, and perhaps more telling, a large majority of respondents indicating that they would be more likely to come to community events at the church if these facilities were in place.

3.4 We also asked what sort of events people would be interested in attending, and the results are set out in the table below.

Table 2 Types of events

Q 3: What type of event would you or your family be interested in, if they were held at the church? (tick any that apply)

Types of activity

Number

Interested

% (of total responses)

Craft fairs

55

80%

Talks/concerts

52

75%

Social groups/coffee mornings

40

57%

Local interest activities

13

19%

Youth groups

12

17%

3.5 The response to this question underlines the high level of potential interest in activities. The most popular being craft fairs and talks and concerts, but also substantial interest in social groups/coffee mornings. Youth groups attracted less interest, no doubt relating to the age profile of the village.

3.6 The final question in the survey was to ask respondents whether they had any other ideas about what we might do for the village, or other points to make. A total of 24 responses to this question were received, covering a range of issues. These can be broken down as follows:

8 responses gave more detailed information about activities the respondent wished to see being put on – eg music festivals, types of craft group, book swap, home produce swap, interest groups such as walking, cycling and photography, additional skills courses eg basket weaving, sewing crochet, painting, climate change talks, art gallery and the Alpha course.

6 responses were about related issues, including 2 raising the issue of speeding through the village, and 2 emphasising the importance of protecting the bat population in the church. Two responses supported the proposed accessible path but not the other proposed facilities, as it was felt that it would be more appropriate if events were put on in the village hall rather than the church.

There were a variety of other comments, including ones of general support for the proposals; a question as to whether space could be found in the churchyard for an open space for young people, and additional information about the churchyard.

3.7 In summary, the response to the questionnaire is good evidence of major support in the community for the proposed facilities, both in general terms, and more specifically at a personal level. This information will undoubtedly be of help in supporting the bidding process for the requisite funds, and thereafter.

3.8 Issues of concern raised in the responses (eg protecting wildlife and the safety issue of speeding traffic) will be taken into account and followed up as necessary.

3.9 In addition to the other information, 38 respondents provided their email addresses, and this may be useful in information-giving, raising awareness and seeking support in future.

4 Next steps

4.1 In terms of feedback to the community, a summary of the results of the survey will be provided in the following ways:

  • In the Village News

  • In the Coastal Group church news

  • Online with a local blog – https://war-blog.uk and various Social Media platforms

  • By email to those who provided their email addresses

  • On village noticeboards

4.2 Bidding for funds will be taken forward using the survey results as appropriate.

Richard Barker

05.05.21