Parwich Village Action Group was set up in 2000 in response to a Peak District National Park Authority and Parwich Parish Council public meeting in the village. Our initial purpose grew out of the PDNPA’s Discovering Village Initiative and was to undertake a Village Survey and agree a Village Management Plan. A steering committee was set up to oversee the project.
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Coordinating Group
This first Survey was undertaken in 2000 and a Management Plan agreed with the PDNPA Discovering Villages Officers, Parwich Parish Council and the village at an open meeting. Five sub-groups were set up looking at:
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Affordable Housing
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The Village Environment
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Children’s Play Area
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Community & Sports Hall Facilities
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Roads and Traffic
The Housing Sub-Group was instrumental in initiating the three new Nottingham Community Housing Association houses at Parson’s Croft (the Old School House site). The Environmental Sub-Group undertook an number of successful improvement schemes including work on the churchyard, Creamery Lane Well and Staines Trough funded by EC environmental grants and began work on a statement of what is valued within the village. The Children’s Play Area Sub-Group successfully applied, with the Parish Council, for new play equipment on the Green, and disbanded having achieved its objectives. The Community & Sports Hall Facilities Sub-Group had the specific objective of evaluating the feasibility of a new combined sports and community hall on the playing fields to replace the existing Memorial Hall. After coming up with proposals the village majority response was to retain the community hall facilities on the existing Memorial Hall site. The Roads & Traffic Sub-Group had been given less clearly defined aims and felt it did not have a role except as a pressure group on other bodies and discontinued because of lack of volunteers.
In late 2003 and early 2004 we undertook a Review, using a second Village Survey and feedback from the existing Sub-Groups and the Parish Council. A new Village Management Plan was agreed with the Peak Park Community Development Officers (formerly Discovering Villages Officers) and the Parish Council. This involved retaining the Affordable Housing Sub-Group and the Environment Sub-Group, working with the Memorial Hall on their plans to redevelop the existing community hall site, and setting up a new Sub-Group looking at the needs of Teenagers and Young Adults, with the specific objective of developing a skate board area. The Plan retained the previous aims in relation to Roads & Traffic but there were not sufficient volunteers to re-start the Sub-Group.
The objective of developing sports hall facilities was dropped in that it was felt that the village could not support two distinct facilities, and by this stage work had begun on the new Ashbourne Sports Centre.
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The Needs of Teenagers & Young Adults
The Sub-Group looking at the needs of teenagers and young adults got off to an enthusiastic start, but quickly our sixth form age members were distracted by A Levels, the demand for a skateboard area diminished locally and a skateboard park was set up in Ashbourne.
This leaves two sub-Groups nominally currently active: the Housing Sub-Group and the Environment Sub-Group. The Village Action Group despite our remarkable initial achievements has to lost its momentum, a lot of the village’s energy is now taken up in the Memorial Hall new-build project, the village has quite rightly had enough of open meetings and questionnaires, but we desperately need new blood to kick start our work in Housing and the Environment as well as responding to changes in local need/demands.
If you are interested in being involved contact one of the Coordinating Committee: Ann Griffiths (Parish Council Rep), Val Kirkham, Peter Trewhitt (Chair and Environment), Ann Wheeldon (Secretary) or Janice Wigley(Treasurer & Housing)
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