Village Hall Survey There has been an excellent response to the survey that asked the people of Clifton what they wanted from the Village Hall. Over 43 new ideas were put forward for activities that members of the community would like to see taking place in the Hall.

Summary findings and conclusion

Spread of population responding: approximately 23%. This represented 115 adults across all age brackets and 16 children.

The greatest proportion of adults, 65%, fell into the over 56 bracket. The next greatest proportion, 21%, were in the 36-45 bracket. Only 2% of adults responding were under 25. Very few of respondents were disabled (4). Most respondents had used the hall in the last 12 months (74%)

Current Hall use:
20 different activities were listed as currently taking place in the hall. These ranged from the most common, Fundraising events and Private Parties, to regular meetings, occasional sport and other activities such as computer classes. In summary the responses showed the following:

Events (fundraising, social) 50% Meetings 36% Sport 4% Other 10%

The most common reason given for not using the hall was either not being aware of what was happening there or not being interested in the activities. Close second to this was the price!

Alternative venues:
Upper Sapey was the alternative venue most likely to be used if this Village Hall was no longer an option. Other venues in the village were not generally considered viable alternatives.

Current need for improvement:
The decoration of the hall is seen as the area most in need of attention. Although the Bar, Cloakroom, Storage and Furniture were highlighted as currently being in a poor state the kitchen and the heating were shown as most important in terms of need for improvement. Better curtains, seating and lighter tables were, however, suggested as areas for improvement. The external aspect of the hall, together with security and the use of the external grass area were proposed as further suggestions for improvement.

Parking was rated as good by 68% of respondents.

Future activities:
43 activities were identified for potential future use of the hall. These included a range of Sports (33%), from indoor bowls to skateboarding and skittles, Health Services (13%), Farmers Markets, Lectures and Classes, as well as activities for Young People (12%) including a youth club and a homework club. 10% of respondents see the village hall as becoming a true Community Centre offering access to the internet and other IT facilities, as well as a Day Centre for Older People and a Drop In centre.

Conclusion:
23% return is a good response for a survey of this sort. The results are conclusive to the extent that the community sees the priorities for the Hall as:

Improving the internal décor Improving the external appearance Improving the kitchen and heating Improving the furnishings

NB. 5 respondents were in favour of selling the Hall and building a new one.

Considerable interest has been shown in a wide range of activities that could take place in the Hall in the future. Overall response has demonstrated that the Hall has a future. It is a resource which the community would like to use if the price was right, the facilities were pleasant and comfortable, and the activities varied.

Proposed actions:
Short Term:
1) Improve the publicity for the Hall, particularly the prices and who to contact for bookings. i.e. increase the profile of the Hall.
2) Hold a public meeting to feed back the results of the survey and to inform/discuss the next steps.
3) Seek funding to engage an expert to advise on the construction potential for building, provision of detailed drawings and identification of associated costs.
4) Start to explore potential future funding sources

Medium Term:
1) Funding applications
2) Fundraising
3) Ongoing information and publicity to community
4) Identify type of contract preferred and potential contractors
5) Allocate responsibilities

Long Term:
1) Construction work.
2) Identify people to develop and run future activities.
3) Grand Opening!

Return to Village Hall main page | Return to Home page