Funding and Economic Development Project Management Chartered Surveyors Energy Carbon Sustainability Barrowden Village Hall Management Committee Barrowden Village Hall Needs Analysis April 2018 Focus Consultants Focus House Millennium Way West Phoenix Business Park Nottingham NG8 6AS T: 0115 976 5050 E: [email protected] www.focus-consultants.com Focus Offices Nottingham Client: Focus House Barrowden Village Hall Management Committee Millennium Way West Wakerley Road Phoenix Business Park Oakham Nottingham Rutland NG8 6AS LE15 8EP Tel: 0115 976 5050 E-mail: [email protected] Client Lead: Brian Edwards Website: www.focus-consultants.co.uk Tel: 07796 191 316 Email: [email protected] Leicester 4 Merus Court, Prepared By: Meridian Business Park Focus Consultants Leicester Focus House LE19 1RJ Millennium Way West Tel: 0116 275 8315 Phoenix Business Park E-mail: [email protected] Nottingham Website: www.focus-consultants.co.uk NG8 6AS Lincolnshire Focus Contact: George Jones, Researcher Focus House Tel: 0115 976 5050 Resolution Close Email: [email protected] Endeavour Park Boston Lincolnshire Project: Barrowden Village Hall PE21 7TT Tel: 01205 355 207 Document Title: Needs Analysis E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.focus-consultants.co.uk Date: April 2018 Authorised By: Heather Frecklington, Partner London 605 Elizabeth House Signature: 39 York Road London SE1 7NQ Tel: 0203 096 9717 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.focus-consultants.co.uk © Focus Consultants 2010 LLP Barrowden Village Hall Needs Analysis CONTENTS Page Nr 1.0 Introduction 2 2.0 Profile of the Local Area 5 3.0 Other Local Provision 11 4.0 Strategic Context 14 5.0 Consultation Report 18 6.0 Stakeholder Consultation 36 7.0 Conclusions and Recommendations 41 APPENDICES Appendix 1 - Awards for All Grant Appendix 2 - Questionnaire R0855/R0855 Barrowden Needs Analysis - Final 1 April 2018 Barrowden Village Hall Needs Analysis 1.0 Introduction Barrowden Village Hall Committee has been successful at securing Awards for All funding to help establish a plan for future provision of community facilities in Barrowden. It is acknowledged that the Village Hall, built in 1927, is now approaching the end of its life and it is recognised that not all community needs necessarily have to be met in one place. In 2017, the Village Hall Committee appointed Focus Consultants to assist in delivering the project. Barrowden is a small village in rural Rutland with an ageing population and a relatively large proportion of economically inactive retirees. The village hall continues to be a valuable asset to the village. Currently the hall is hired on a regular basis by a wide variety of village groups for a diverse range of activities as well as hosting the Women’s Institute, seniors and toddlers’ clubs, as well as the Parish Council. There is also a keep fit class which takes place weekly. The village hall continues to improve and this is reflected in the increase in usage over the last few years. The village hall itself is a registered charity and is managed by its own committee. It has an entertainment’s license and in addition is licensed for cinema and stage plays. The Committee is committed to sustaining and enhancing the provision of activities in Barrowden and we recognise that the village hall could be improved to meet the medium and long term needs of the community. In the last few years the hall has been refurbished and purposed exclusively as a hire venue for community groups and private parties. A new kitchen was fitted and an extensive refurbishment programme has been undertaken, although the consensus is that it needs refurbishing again. This included a thorough redecoration, refurbishment of the toilet facilities, new flooring and supplementary heating has been installed in the main hall. In addition, there is a ramp which enables easy access for those with disabilities or children in prams. 1.1 The Awards for All Grant An outline of the work completed for the ‘Barrowden on the Move’ Awards for All grant can be found in Appendix 1. To understand the community needs it is important to consider the strategic and economic context of the village and its surrounding area. It is necessary to establish what the village needs are before developing the solutions to meet those identified needs. The intention is then to develop options and prioritise activities to produce a realistic Community Facilities Plan before moving on to consider fundraising. In order to understand the community needs, a survey and consultation process was carried out and we would like to thank everyone for their assistance in undertaking this project. The following issues were addressed: • What community activities do people currently do and what would the impact be if existing facilities in Barrowden were no longer available • What community activities residents would like to do that they can’t do currently in Barrowden • What is preventing them from taking part in activities that they would like to participate in R0855/R0855 Barrowden Needs Analysis - Final 2 April 2018 Barrowden Village Hall Needs Analysis • Whether people think there are any needs in the village or surrounding area that aren’t currently being met • Whether there are any particular groups of people in the community which aren’t well catered for in the village • What people think the needs will be in the future in terms of community provision • What community facilities are available in surrounding villages and what do they offer The project also aims to raise the capacity of the Village Hall Committee by working alongside a consultant to analyse and understand the findings of the consultation, so the Committee is better placed to understand the needs of the community and identify a way forward for the village hall. To achieve this, Focus has been working with the Village Hall Committee to develop a community questionnaire and to analyse the findings in order to help make decisions about future community provision. 1.2 About Barrowden Barrowden is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population of the civil parish was 506 at the 2011 census. The village facilities include a church, a village hall, a doctor’s surgery and pharmacy, a community shop, a mobile library, a recreational field with cricket club, and a pub. The village has suffered from a lack of and recently a loss of services. There is no longer a permanent post office in the village – a community shop took its place in 2009 and is run by volunteers alongside a paid manager. The village is located approximately 8 miles from Stamford and 7.5 miles from Oakham. As a rural settlement, the importance of local activities and services for residents to avoid social isolation is particularly crucial, especially amongst the youngest and oldest residents who are most likely to suffer from rural isolation. There is a limited bus service that passes through Barrowden, servicing Stamford, Uppingham, Cottesmore and Peterborough, restricting accessibility to community and social engagement opportunities outside the village. The village had been served by the Wakerley and Barrowden railway station in the neighbouring parish, but the line ceased in 1966. Ketton ward closely resembles the average household in England in terms of employment levels. The area has a higher proportion of economically inactive retired residents (8.6%) than the national average (4.9%). Demographic data also suggests that the majority (62.9%) of employed residents work in a professional/managerial capacity compared with the figure for England (40.9%). This reflects the countywide correlation between residents and higher levels of education. As a rurally isolated community, the project leaders recognise the need for activities which promote social cohesion and tackle isolation. Currently the hub of such activities is the village hall. R0855/R0855 Barrowden Needs Analysis - Final 3 April 2018 Barrowden Village Hall Needs Analysis Activities in Barrowden (*at the village hall) – frequency (approximate attendees) • Allotments • Bellringing Band, St Peter’s Church • Chater Choir, Edith Weston • *Cinema Club – monthly Oct-May (45) • *Pilates – weekly (6) • Cricket Club, Recreation Ground and Pavilion • *Cycling Club • Dominoes Club, Glaston • *Evergreen Club – bi-monthly (14) • *Scottish Country Dancing – weekly (17) • *Bridge Drive • Golf, Luffenham • *Fitness Training – weekly (12) • *Lunch Club – monthly (45) • Petanque, The Exeter Arms • *Heritage Lectures • Vision’s Children’s’ Centres - various • Sports Centres, Corby (7 miles), Uppingham (4 miles) • *Art Club - monthly • *Wakerley and Barrowden WI – monthly (33) • *Social Evenings • *Drama The village hall provides alternative services on occasion including: as a polling centre for local and General Elections, R0855/R0855 Barrowden Needs Analysis - Final 4 April 2018 Barrowden Village Hall Needs Analysis 2.0 Profile of the Local Area A socio-economic analysis for Barrowden has been undertake to provide contextual information, as well as highlighting any particular relevant issues and identifying areas of need, to inform future community activity needs which Barrowden Village Hall could help to address. It is based on data from a range of sources including Nomis, Rutland County Council Evidence Base and the Office of National Statistics (ONS), although it is important to note that these sources