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What is the Village Greenspace?
The Village Greenspace is the Community Office for Chew Magna and the Chew Valley. It is the place to find out information about local activities and events and for access to internet and a book swap facility. We offer information about environmental matters, issue the Go Zero Starter packs and take bookings on behalf of Dragonflyer Mobility who assist and supply cars for Car Clubs around the Chew Valley. We also carry information on the services offered to the public by Bath & North East Somerset Council. So far we have taken over the local supply of BANES compost bags and now hold application forms for Diamond Travelcards. We are in discussion with North Somerset Council about offering a similar service after several enquires from their residents.
St Andrew’s Church and The Lakeside Ministry have their office at The Village Greenspace and Lynette Cox, our Office Manager will also take bookings for the Church Hall. The local Police Community Support Officers have a weekly slot for anyone wishing to raise matters of local security, get advice about personal safety or report any concerns they might have. Every Thursday afternoon the BANES Youth Service hold a drop-in session for 13 to 19 years old and this group is now organising regular workshops and activities. We are soon to offer both these services office space locally for more confidential surgeries and will extend this service to other agencies like Age Concern and Citizens Advice Bureau who currently supply us with information leaflets. We have recently organised a morning for Pensioners Information which pulled together a number of agencies including The Fire Service offering advice on home safety, the Police for home security, Age Concern, Community Alarms, The Ring & Ride service and Community Learning. We will be organising similar events in the future with other themes.
Why was it set up?
The Village Greenspace is a Community Office and was set up in June of 2007 when the former bakery stores became vacant. A small group of people had been discussing the need for a local information point not only for Chew Magna but for the wider Chew Valley and a vacant prime site on the main street seemed too good an opportunity to miss. This coincided with a wish by parishioners of The Lakeside Ministry to offer admin support for the Rector Charles Roberts whose ministry now covers a vast area of the Chew Valley including seven parishes. Go Zero, our local environmental project also took the opportunity to promote their Go Zero Starter Packs which are now being distributed to households across the valley. The Converging World charity that grew out of an initiative by Go Zero was at that time beginning to develop a new approach to combating climate change and a collaboration between all these interested parties resulted in The Village Greenspace being opened.
So who uses it now?
People of all ages pop by the office to gather information about local services, to swap books, pick up information leaflets or drop off flyers about events that they would like us to promote. We offer ticketing services for any organisation wishing to sell tickets for local events and we will do our best to promote any courses, services and activities that benefit people within our community. We have one full time member of staff and we are fortunate to have an excellent team of local volunteers to help us keep the shop open five and a half days a week. The paperback book swap has become very popular and although we do not charge for this service we see this as a great opportunity for people to drop by for a chat or find out what is happening locally. We always welcome any new ideas and value feedback and any practical assistance that people are able to offer.
How has it been funded so far?
It was necessary to act quickly to secure the lease of the former bakery store and two local residents agreed to fund a pilot period of one year by covering the costs of this and the installation of phone and broadband lines. The cost of a full time office manager has so far been carried by J.T Group Ltd and The Converging World but this is under review and cannot be guaranteed in the future. Our pilot period was a great success and we have been given an extension to our lease but it is now time to seek a sustainable source of income for the office if we are to continue into next year. We are grateful for the support and £500 grants given by the Chew Magna Society and Chew Magna Parish Council. We would also like to acknowledge the support of The Pilkington Trust and Mr John Pontin who were our first supporters.
What restrictions are there for use?
To comply with planning regulation we have to keep an element of retail as part of our services. We have not had funds to offer a huge range of products for sale but have tried a variety of low cost books, gadgets and devices related to saving energy. We do not have lots of spare space but we could reorganise ourselves to provide a wider range of things to buy if the consensus is that we should develop the retail side of our operations. We are not allowed under the conditions of our lease to compete directly with retail outlets that already exist along the high street.
We do need to know what you think we could sell that would be of interest to our community and could also produce a small income for the office.
Should The Village Greenspace be kept going?
We have been finding our way to a certain extent but now have a loyal following who see the office as their first port of call for local information and assistance with finding local services. We are now “on the map” as far as BANES are concerned who have been looking for a Chew Valley location to promote the excellent services that offer to rural communities. Other agencies have similar needs and the office location and our genuine interest in helping people makes us a good investment for them all. Unfortunately this does not convert to financial support at the moment.
We feel that after a successful eighteen months there is a momentum gathering that should be built upon rather than cut off. There is also huge potential for increased involvement in the wider Chew Valley community through themed information days gathering together service providers under one roof. There is potential for more involvement with younger people across the valley and for our office to co-ordinate more workshops and leaning opportunities in collaboration with Norton Radstock College and Community Learning.
What does it cost to keep up open?
Our annual costs are about £30,000 including rent, days to day running costs, salary and some goods for resale. Without a secure income we cannot sustain the venture and will have to close.
How can The Village Greenspace be funded in the future?
Up to now it has been difficult to seek conventional funding as we were such an ad hoc collective with no formal constitution; this is about to change. It is certainly possible to apply for small grants for very specific purposes and I shall be investigating those now that we have a formal company status. Rector Charles Roberts is also looking into applying for funds for the support that he is receiving which has released almost two days a week for him away from paperwork.
We have been fortunate to receive the financial assistance of two local people to get us this far but it is now time to ask for contributions from the community that we are supporting if we are to continue. We would now like to as for donations to a fund that will not only help cover immediate costs but also set up a sustainable income for the longer term future, a fund that will allow us to generate a lasting legacy for our community. We would also like more people to step forward to assist us in the management and running of the office and ensure that it truly is a community driven enterprise.
We have set up a Community Interest Company called Target 80 C.I.C. which is a legal form of organisation with profits being used exclusively for the benefit of the community. This company will have several projects over the next few years that will concentrate on generating sustainable communities through extensive carbon reduction, assisting people with fuel efficiency at home, in business and in their cars. It will also provide a new mechanism for funding local community projects such as The Village Greenspace by helping communities invest in renewable energy that also generates Carbon Credits under the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism. In the case of The Village Greenspace our future can be assured if the community responds in a positive manner and people donate to our new fund. Further information will be available for the office or at meeting being held over the next few months.
Thank you for your time and interest and for supporting The Village Greenspace.
Denise Perrin & Ian Rodderick Directors or Target 80 C.I.C. and founders of The Village Greenspace
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