Best Village Competition 2013

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ACRE – BEST VILLAGE COMPETITION 2013

JUDGES’ FEEDBACK FORM

Village Name: Helmdon

Marks awarded: 87%

Feedback and possible actions

1. VILLAGE LIFE

Helmdon is a buoyant village having a wide number of thriving village groups. The Reading Rooms have recently been attractively refurbished and it is here that most of the groups have their meetings. The drop in centre and Fellowship are popular social events and the village is fortunate to have maintained a visiting post office twice a week. The long standing WEA group is well attended. The Church is well supported and hosts a number of activity groups for young and old and village events. These include annual village fetes that extend through the village, a Christmas Fayre and craft show, musical evenings and plays. The’ Young Husbands’ group hosts events which seem to be large fundraisers for the other village groups. The August Bank Holiday 5 mile race around the area is open to all contestants and has become a popular event. There is a Wind Action Group which seems to have been particularly effective so far in opposing the installation of a nearby wind farm.

2.COMMUNTIY FACILITIES

There is a regular village newsletter which is clearly presented and has recently been changed to advertise the forthcoming events and activities rather than to mainly reflect on past events, and although there are a number of useful guides to village walks these and a map of the village are not easily available to visitors. Village notice boards are smart though they lack a map of the village. Unfortunately the sports ground is at some distance from the village itself and although pleasant the village seems to struggle top maintain a football team, though does sustain a cricket team. A children’s play area is within the school grounds and is accessible to children outside of school hours. Villagers make use of community transport and there has been a recent small improvement of four new homes added to the affordable housing stock. Funds are raised among the various groups but no mention was made of individual local charities. A neighbourhood plan is to be developed over the next two years.

3. BUSINESS

There is the usual range of local trades and businesses operating from within the village and these support village events in kind and as required with financial support. Local jobs are advertised within the village and employment is available in the limited number of businesses within the village. These are kept going by village people.

4. YOUNG PEOPLE

The ‘Mums and Tot’s group meets weekly in the church. There is a superb new Acorns pre-school facility which we visited and numbers attending are expanding rapidly. The school runs the usual range of after school clubs and the village is fortunate enough to run a number of uniformed groups. A club (ACKERS), for children from age 10 upwards is run monthly by the church. These clubs raise money by their own efforts and also access the funds raised by the Young Husband’s group. South Northants arranges after school and holiday activities in the village for local young people.

5. OLDER PEOPLE

The village is well served by its older residents. There is an informal network of care and support from amongst the groups and the village café and luncheon club are well attended. The Helmdon Fellowship invites members over the age of 60 years to monthly social events, coffee mornings, lunches, garden parties and outings. Each member has the responsibility of checking on the welfare of allocated older residents especially during times of inclement weather etc. Older residents serve on the committees of the various groups and contribute freely to the rewrite of the Parish Plan and published histories of the villages.

6. ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

There are allotments in the village. a gardening club and a park has been created recently with the planting of 700 trees to mark the Queen’s jubilee. The local war memorial and other sites are maintained by volunteers. There is also a wildlife group which holds occasional events and lectures. Young people have wildlife conservation areas within the Primary and Pre School. Maps and guides of the local footpaths are published and guided walks are held during the summer. Litter is cleared up regularly by the villagers themselves as they go about their business. The village benefits from the council having a local recycling centre which opens for villagers to access compost.

7. IT

The village has an outstanding village website through which villagers gain information. Email is widely used to communicate among members of the parish council and other village organisations. There is a Hemdon village Facebook page.

8.YOUR VILLAGE

The closing remarks in the competition application form do not do justice to this friendly and hospitable village. The judges were greeted by 15 villagers who gave an outstanding run down of village activities. There is little movement in the housing market in this village, testament to the satisfaction people have in living there. Although there appears to be a very good network of informal welcome to visitors, there does not seem to be the means to welcome visitors and newcomers publicly, (visibly – through notice boards, or a central information point), nor did we have sight of a newcomers welcome pack (although we understand there is one). Nevertheless, this was an outstanding village in which we were given a very warm welcome.