Severn Stoke Village Hall Survey Results
Thanks for participating!
Summary Results and Next Steps
As anyone who regularly passes by Severn Stoke Village Hall will be aware, the hall is currently closed and awaiting repairs following the flooding that occurred when Storm Dennis hit the village and surrounding parish in February 2020. The impact of the storm was felt by the whole community and unfortunately for the hall, caused major damage which was then unable to be addressed very quickly as progress has been severely limited by COVID-19 and its wider impact on our society. Whilst addressing the topic of hall repairs and all that such a claim entails, the Severn Stoke Village Hall Committee set out to identify the need and desire to continue with a community space and village hall. As a result, an extensive survey has been conducted and approximately 1/3rd of the community has taken the time to respond, to all of which we are most grateful.
The stand-out result of the survey was the local demographic - of all the respondents the age category 46- 65yrs scored over 50%, and 70% do not have children at home. Over 85% of residents have lived in the village 3 or more years and 56% over 11 years - a well-established community which we should be proud of. However, is the village hall the heart of this community? Based on the level and type of historic bookings, it’s unfortunate to say but we suggest it’s not - with many bookings coming from outside of the community.
The survey probed what sort of events the community space could host and over 50% gave additional suggestions to those already listed in the survey. There is clearly an appetite for a variety of events. Of those listed in the survey, parties, table-top sales, fitness classes and potential for music or film nights all scored highly. There was a very high degree of ‘maybes’ against most of the listings, therefore it is difficult to assess the likely take-up of such events.
Looking at the facilities it is pleasing to see the hall has not lost out on bookings with the current offering - a large hall space, kitchen / meeting room, toilets and a generous carpark. All of which scored highest on the basic requirements for a village hall.
But how sustainable is the hall? 80% replied to suggest they would be willing to help in one way or the other. This is very encouraging although at this stage the input of contact details was very low, so this leaves work to be done on reaching out to the locality.
Overall, with the type of events that scored high in the findings, it does appear that a good-sized space is desired. The interest in attending events is encouraging, although today’s Management Committee is
planned for Wednesday 30th June. The AGM will be an opportunity for those who have made pledges or anyone who feels they have something to offer - enthusiasm, skills and expertise – all are welcome to attend and hear more about plans for the future and even how you can get involved if you are currently only resourced to maintain the facility in its current state and further volunteers will be needed if we are to have a hall with the facilities and events that the community have suggested. More hands make light work – and, a variety of backgrounds and skills can also make a huge difference. Therefore, with this in mind, the Management Committee would like to invite members of the parish to join them at the AGM which is currently interested. Chairman of the Management Committee, Roger Morrow, is more than happy to be approached, either at the AGM or before hand if you are curious and want to find out more.
We do hope to see many of you there - your attendance will help shape the future of the hall and the direction of the next steps taken.