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Plan Information

Launch promotion

First steps

The Bude and District Forum held a public meeting in Marhamchurch in April 2005 at which there were presentations about Parish Plans.

The Marhamchurch Parish Plan Group was subsequently established by a decision of Marhamchurch Parish Council in November 2005   -   after a public meeting in October, advertised in the press and by poster, had shown strong support for a Parish Plan.

Initially the Parish Plan Group comprised three nominated parish councillors plus three other people who had responded to the request for volunteers at the October public meeting.

Obtaining grants

That group held its first meeting in early December 2005 to identify an outline of the project in sufficient detail to apply for grant funding.   A grant application was submitted to North Cornwall District Council in December 2006 (for £2990) and this was approved by the NCDC Regeneration Committee at their meeting on 5 January 2006.

An application was also made to Cornwall Rural Community Council for a grant from the DEFRA Parish Plan funds (for £3500) in January 2006 and this was approved in February 2006.

These funds, together with a contribution of £342 from the Parish Council (the grants require that the Parish Council contribute at least 5%) covered the external supplies and services (eg printing, stationery etc) identified by the initial project outline.

Volunteers

To keep costs down, it was envisaged that by far the majority of the actual work of the project would be done by volunteers from within the parish.   The value of this labour will exceed the grant monies.

However this reliance on volunteers means that many volunteers are needed.   The initial group have been trying to gain additional volunteers every time the Plan project has been promoted within the parish.

This promotion has included a presentation at the April 2006 Annual Parish Meeting, creation of the www.marhamchurch-parish.org.uk website, a Parish Plan photo competition, promotions in the church newsletter and in the 2006 Revel programme, and a large stand at the Marhamchurch Revel.   Over the summer there were all the banners, posters, shop window display, school satchel post and the flyer to every household promoting the 12 September Launch of the Parish Plan.

The Marhamchurch PARISH PLAN LAUNCH was at the Bray Institute on TUESDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2006.
There were displays for viewing anytime between 2pm and 9.30pm, plus special information sessions, with Free Refreshments, starting at 2pm and 7pm.   Over 200 people attended throught the course of the Launch afternoon and evening.

From these activities have come extra offers to help and the group is now 20 strong (with yet more people helping with the delivery of the flyer and the questionnaires).

The questionnaires were hand delivered to, and hand collected from, all houses in the parish during October and then sent out of the parish for data entry.   Over 540 Individual 20-page questionaires have been collected pluse 42 Youth and 105 primary age questionnaires.   Once entered, the data will then be analysed and presented back to the people of Marhamchurch via an Exhibition in 2007 at which there will be further opportunities for public consultation/comment.

More help?

Currently, the Plan project is only at the start of the data analysis phase and will need many more volunteers to carry through all its phases.

If anyone out there would like to get involved, do please make contact (see the ‘Contact us’ page of the website or telephone 01288 361568.