Village of the Year 06/07 | Calor Berkshire Village of the Year |
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Aldermaston Entry Submission for Regional Final
Aldermaston was the winner of the Calor Berkshire Village of the Year competition in 2006 and then competed in the regional final in 2007. This was Aldermaston's entry submission for the regional final.
ContentsSummaryCategory 1: Building Community Life Category 2: Business Category 3: Young People Category 4: Older People Category 5: Environment Category 6: ICT
Building Community Life – Category 1 We have focused on the essence of village life in Aldermaston: how we have inherited a rich legacy from the past in terms of architecture, land and environment, but particularly this special community spirit and a sense of belonging that we inherit from those who came before us; our role now as custodians of the present, making sure that good things happen on ‘our watch’, and describing the power of our seasonal calendar of events that creates a rhythm for village life; and the importance of handing a sustainable future to the next generation so they, in turn, inherit a village which is thriving, not just surviving. Business – Category 2 While Aldermaston is a small village, it has a big corporate and business presence. We have described the breadth of business activity from small businesses run in converted farm buildings, to those based in the business parks and industrial estates, to the large corporate presence of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) and the legacy of Blue Circle when its headquarters was based here. We have described the variety of shops and services, the impact of the two unique businesses of the Pottery and the Cricket Bat operation, the symbiotic relationship between business and village and some of the challenges ahead. Young People - Category 3 It surprised even us when we looked at the breadth and depth of our offerings for young people and found this the hardest category to keep to two pages! We describe our two primary schools and the intertwining of school and village life; and we list the numerous activities designed to engage and involve our young people in helping to shape village life. We are particularly proud of the youth-initiated and led skateboard project, which is a wonderful example of empowered teenagers learning some of the early entrepreneurial lessons of life. Older People – Category 4 We describe the very active role our older people play in spearheading many key activities in the village, and the way they work collaboratively with our younger people to form creative partnerships that benefit the community as a whole. We also describe how we care for and support those in need through our Alms Houses, our retirement flats and bungalows, and our ‘informal’ good neighbour scheme which just seems to manifest when need is at its greatest. We are proud of our Aldermaston Charity, which provides resources and support when needed, and we welcome the vibrant contribution from our retired people who graciously bring their gifts and considerable talent to help make the village work. Environment – Category 5 We have started by describing the context of the Village, The Court, its Parkland and the Kennet Valley, to illustrate the environment in which this community lives. We have outlined areas of special conservation management in terms of buildings, the countryside and the increasing wildlife reserves, which are a feature of any landscape that is a target for gravel extraction. We outline our policies and practice of conservation management and describe the considerable environmental activities we are involved in and the partners we work with.
Information Communications Technology – Category 6 This category explains the huge impact ICT has had on the way we operate as a village community. The entry for this competition would not have been possible to lead in such an inclusive and collaborative way without the technology to enable us. We describe our existing website and our hopes for the future in terms of matching IT needs closer to the power technology has to offer.
Building Community Life – Category 1 Aldermaston is a special place to live; due in part to the strong community spirit we have inherited from the past; the actions we are taking now as custodians of the present; and the sustainability of the future that we pass onto the next generation to come. We are a vibrant, caring community that connects strongly with its history; is in touch with the changing needs of today’s modern society, and is hopeful about the future and the fundamental role villages like ours play in the evolving way of English life. Drawing on the Rich Legacy from the Past The architecture, the land, the environment There is a watercolour painting in the Ashmoleum Museum in Oxford of The Street in Aldermaston in 1819 showing the same ribbon of archetypal Berkshire cottages that we see today, almost unchanged. Yet when you live here, and walk the land, and see the village nestling into the hillside, and visit the 11th century Norman church with its original murals, you begin to realise this is an even more ancient place, whose history reaches back to an original settlement believed to be around the time of Alfred the Great in 870 AD. It is more than just a ‘historic parkland’ with a ‘listed’ village set inside it, built originally to house the estate workers of Aldermaston Court; it is a place where ancient pathways have been trodden by many generations way before us; and we have inherited this sense of space and time, together with a tradition of community and belonging from those who came before us. When World War II came, the vast estate land with its the huge number of buildings was broken up and sold into private ownership for the first time, with a large part of the parkland becoming a war-time airfield to house the D-Day bombers, and more recently the Atomic Weapons Authority - which gave rise to Aldermaston’s ‘fame’ in the 60s for the Aldermaston CND marches. While only one new house has been built in The Street in the last 100 years, we have also acknowledged the community needs for housing in recent years, and have built on the outskirts of the village without detracting from its historic heart. When you live here, stories abound of those who came before us; of both fact and of myth that remind us of the legacy we inherit. Aldermaston is a conservation village, but it is more important than that - it is quite simply a village with a heart and a centre, where the houses cluster closely around two or three main streets and the sense of community and belonging is real. We are proud to inherit not only its beauty but also its community spirit, which miraculously seems to stand the test of time as it passes on from one generation to the next. Recording stories and memories In 2004 we produced a Book of Memories of life in Aldermaston and Wasing since the war, told through the ‘living memories’ of those who have lived it. We interviewed hundreds of people, both adults and children, who either live here now or who used to in the past, where Aldermaston holds a special place in their hearts. It was designed to capture stories of life since the war to the present day, but in truth it was difficult to keep people to this timeframe because they wanted to weave in the stories that they too had grown up with, so in the end the book reached back into the village’s rich history, while simultaneously capturing recent events that make the village as it is today. In this book we were able to capture stories and photos of the key people: those who made major changes to the fundamental infrastructure that enabled the village to work properly; who saved our Parish Hall from certain extinction; who grew the first ever William Pear in the school garden; who had an idea to perform in the church a medieval nativity play now in its 50th year; who started unique businesses like The Pottery and The Cricket Bat operation and intertwined their work to fire the wood kiln from the offcuts of the locally grown willow; who after the war started The Produce Show which is now in its 64th year; and who worked the estate land and tended the livestock at a time when farming and landowning was ‘the way’ of this village. In December 2005, Meridian Television commissioned a filmmaker to make a series of programmes about a selection of villages in the south of England that have an ‘unusual community spirit’ and Aldermaston was invited to be part of the programme. A film crew spent some time with us capturing the essence of the village as it is today against the backdrop of its rich heritage, and the programme went to air in the spring of this year. Our role as custodians of the present The challenge on ‘our watch’ The challenge for those of us, who live here today, is to be good custodians of this strong community spirit so that good things happen ‘on our watch’. Aldermaston is not just about its history and it’s past. It is a modern, vibrant, energised community that provides a wonderful place for raising children and for living life to the full. We are a small community, just 350 in the village and approx 950 in the wider Parish, yet for our size we manage to achieve a lot and we know about collaborating and sharing resources - which is how small villages like ours get things done. Unlike many villages these days, we are managing to keep many of our local children, who in turn are raising their children, through our drive for affordable housing; and we are increasingly attracting young parents who want to raise their children within a strong village environment. We have two village schools; Aldermaston CE Primary, now housed in a purpose-built school recently extended to almost double its size, and The Cedars, an independent day primary school which bought and developed the historic old village school building and re-opened in the 90s as a school again. The rhythm of village life Aldermaston has a strong sense of cohesion and connectedness, which is partly due to the seasonal calendar of events which give a rhythm to village life. This seasonal calendar includes: · A play or a music hall production produced by Aldermaston Players each February performed in the Victorian splendour of our cosy Parish Hall · Our ancient candle auction held in the Parish Hall every three years, which auctions off the rental of ‘church acre’, using a nail in a burning candle to signal whose bid wins the land · Our Easter celebrations in the church, and the daffodils on The Loosey - the ancient name for the small triangle of grass and ancient oak tree at the top of the village · Our Church Fete traditionally held in one of the pretty gardens in the village · Our allotment holders busy growing vegetables for the table or for competition at The Show · Our schools’ summer fairs, BBQs, and race days · The Show, now in its 64th year, held on the first Saturday every September on the banks of The Kennet River in the beautiful grounds of the Old Mill, with its competition marquees, craft show, the famous duck derby and numerous sideshows and its amazing sponsorship from local business · Our harvest celebrations when we gather the crops and give thanks for our blessings · Our York Nativity Play, currently in its 50th year this Christmas, using the space inside our ancient church, acted in medieval poetry with the kind of music that stays with you long after the play has finished · Our carol concerts in the Parish Hall with mince pies and mulled wine and the Aldermaston rendition of ‘The twelve days of Christmas’; our carol singing under the tree outside The Eagle Gates on Christmas Eve; and Midnight Mass for the hardy and family services on Christmas Day Retaining services that are part of the lifeblood of village life We have also managed to retain many services that are key to village life which many villages sadly have lost: we have a thriving church with many services for children, weddings etc; a busy village shop; a village pub; the manor house which is now a conference centre and popular wedding venue with the church in its grounds; an antique shop; a hairdresser’s; a landscape gardening business; a thriving Toddler group; Brownies; a well used recreation ground with soon to be constructed skateboard park; a plant nursery; a mobile library; a thriving allotment group; an Old Mill that also specialises in weddings and generously hosts our annual Show; and an extremely well read Parish Magazine with many business advertisements and subscriptions. We also have a vibrant Parish Hall which has undergone extensive refurbishment in recent years to enable it to serve its long list of events, and in January 2007 we will be opening a part-time post office in the hall following the loss of our post office in the village shop. Within the parish we also have several large and smaller business parks together with large corporate presence in terms of AWE and, in the past Blue Circle, who built their corporate headquarters here in the 80s. We have forged very strong two-way relationships between the village and these small and large enterprises. Through the presence of the world famous Pottery and also The Cricket Bat operation which grows willow for cricket bats, we have had many years of artistic and sporting influence in the village. We have also worked hard to embrace new communities like Aldermaston Wharf, a housing complex built on the brownfield site of an old engineering works and before that a brewery, on the banks of the Kennet and Avon Canal; we have built a Travellers Site which offers permanent and temporary accommodation for Travellers’ and their families; and we take care of our elderly through our Alms Houses, 300 years old this year, administered by Aldermaston Charity, together with the flats and bungalows in Congreve Close which are purpose-built for older people. We have a natural, informal way of welcoming new people to the village, with a tradition of holding drinks parties to introduce them, and hosting a ‘meet the neighbours’ drinks party in the dark months of winter each year to get people together over a glass of wine. We have a well organised set of committees that run various aspects of the village, and the Parish Council is at the forefront in collaboration and involvement, with the Parish Plan Committee recently delivering a stunning Plan for the village, which has now turned into focused work groups led by The Parish Council. The voluntary ethic is strong in the village, and people just come out of the woodwork to help when a village project is launched. One of the downsides of a vibrant village is that village work can compete with our families and careers, so we ensure we have enough people involved so the same ones don’t end up carrying the load each time. We also have a reputation as a village that stands up to be counted, when issues arise that threaten our community and way of life. We formed a Community Action Group a few years ago to fight the proposal to build five gravel pits, a concrete crushing works and a cement factory along the Kennet Valley and right next to our village school; and also a proposal to build an eight storey block of flats overlooking the lake in our historic parkland; both went to public enquiries and we won both! Handing a sustainable future to the next generation The challenges ahead In order to ensure the next generation inherit a sustainable future, we have many new projects we are working on which will enhance village life even more. Our future challenges we are working are: · To develop a welcome pack for new people which will run alongside and augment our informal system of welcoming newcomers. · To continue to create connections between the village and newer communities like The Wharf, while also working with the new communities planned to be built in Fisherman’s Lane and also near The Butt Inn · To develop a Youth Council which would operate alongside the Parish Council, to ensure our young people’s ideas and creativity are tapped into and acted on · To create a fruit and veg ‘exchange’ during summer months to swap or sell surplus produce from our gardens and allotments · To continue our lobbying and debate for a relief road around the village which would relieve the community from the constant heavy traffic of an ‘A’ road, and improve our quality of life in many ways · To see what effect the closure of The Pottery will have on the village, as it loses its 60 year connection with the arts due to retirement of its founder · To lobby and negotiate well on behalf of our community and the surrounding land so that the next gravel proposal is more environmentally sensitive than the previous, with less potential for disrupting village life · To improve the village website so that it becomes a well used medium for the distribution of information and the exchange of views and ideas · The development of a Skateboard park – this was such an exciting youth-initiated and led project which we are very proud of and deserves the story told in full on this page: Three years ago some local children decided they wanted something more for the recreation ground than just the small children’s’ play equipment; they initially approached the Parish Council for goal posts which were sourced through a donation from AWE; encouraged, they enquired about a small skateboard ramp on the site. This was a major project which they’ve worked tirelessly towards; firstly entering a local scheme for rural children called ‘The Big Buzz Challenge’, filming and producing their own video to support their case (awarded £1000); and secondly having watermelon stalls at the 2005 & 2006 Glade Music Festivals as well as requesting help from The Mount Charity from neighbouring Wasing Estate where the festivals are held. In total these teenagers raised over £3000 themselves and the Parish Council has now obtained the rest of the monies needed so this project will go ahead in spring 2007. An article has been dedicated to this in the current Rural Services Review and the video is doing the rounds. Thriving not just surviving The next generation is already here! They are in our Toddler Group, in our primary schools, in our secondary schools, playing in our recreation ground, building skateboard parks, embarking on their working career. For those who choose to stay in the village and continue the challenge of shaping this community, we want them to inherit a community that is thriving, not just surviving. This is our dream! Business – Category 2Business Overview As an employer - Aldermaston is unusual: the number of people working in Parish exceeds the number that live here by factor of 5:1; reflection on our evolution - 50 years ago, agriculture and service to local Squire were main sources of employment. Large and small organisations - major employer is Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) with 5000 ± employees & contractors; also have 150 wide ranging small businesses, many operating out of converted farm buildings. Local industry - vital part of all Parish activity; strong two-way relationships benefits both business and village. Business Parks and Industrial Estates As well as AWE and the outlying small businesses, we have four main centres of employment: Calleva Business Park - large business park on edge of Parish, comprised mostly of offices and light industry; have close relationships with company that manages the park, who recently organized a style being replaced by a gate to enable a young local mother to push a pram to the shops; a senior Manager of this company sits on Steering Group of our Parish Plan Committee, and chaired one of the Working Groups; a business from Calleva is represented on our Show Committee. Youngs Industrial Estate -medium sized estate focusing on light industrial activity; good relationship with the owner, who lives in the village; estate provides access to Paice’s Wood Countryside Parkland; one specific business is particularly generous with local sponsorship and employing local people and the MD is currently President of The Show. Two sign making businesses on estate have agreed to sponsor a sign celebrating our VOY success at county level. Frouds Lane - small business park; one business (a florist) provides judges for flower arranging section of the Show. Wasing Estate - major country estate immediately adjacent to the Parish that is struggling to diversify away from farming; we work closely with owner to ensure they maximise revenue from their music concerts whilst minimising disturbance to local residents; free tickets are available to local residents; working with Estate to see if more mutually acceptable plans can be developed for gravel extraction since last attempt; estate owner has offered land for a cycle way from village to The Wharf; Wasing Estate hosts environmental days for local Primary School children and runs consultation meetings with village to foster a culture of collaboration. Large Corporate Presence Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) - maintain close relationship with AWE as largest local employer, despite the obvious security complications; we attend quarterly Local Liaison Committee and have a village representative on their local charitable donations committee; have developed close relationships with key Senior Managers so that local concerns can be quickly and amicably resolved (particularly important when Peace Protestors are active); AWE senior employee sits on the Parish Plan Working Group dealing with Traffic and Public Transport and is collaborating with us to get an improved bus service for both their employees and villagers; also benefit from the presence of AWE emergency staff (police/fire) who attend local incidents; AWE staff help at local schools and sponsor inter-school competitions; non-employee villagers use AWE Recreational Society for theatre and sport. Blue Circle - Blue Circle chose Aldermaston as their UK corporate headquarters in the 80s, and built an attractive modern building, Portland House, in the grounds of Aldermaston Park; they forged a model of participation and collaboration which enabled the achievement of their corporate goals whilst respecting and supporting us in the achievement of ours; although they relocated when taken over, and AWE is now the tenant, Blue Circle’s legacy continues: villagers enjoy access to the extensive parkland, car park is used for Church occasions, and a retired Director continues as Lord of the Manor and a Trustee of Aldermaston Charity. Local Shops and Services Village Shop - although largely dependent on passing trade, Village Shop maintains important role in life of the village, particularly as information exchange; since loss of newspaper delivery, villagers deliver papers to less mobile residents. Village Pub - recently purchased by larger Brewery; new owners want to keep traditional village character; their designers consulted us to ensure they reflected traditions and history of village and have retained our ‘Villagers Bar’ complete with notice-board for local events, and kept a mounted display of local cricket bat life-cycle; their accommodation is used during week by AWE contractors, who we know through regular events such as Quiz Nights and at weekends by guests attending weddings at Village Church or the Old Mill; the pub generously sponsors the Tug of War at the Show, and this year the new owners donated a Hog Roast for the Bonfire Party. Manor House - small hotel & conference centre, which traditionally offers facilities for village functions, including Lord of the Manor’s Christmas Party; sometimes these are unplanned e.g. when a power failure rendered Parish Hall unusable; Aldermaston Charity holds its regular meetings there, and we held our village party there to celebrate winning The Berkshire Village of the Year Competition - also plan a similar event this Christmas to celebrate the 50th year of the Play. The Old Mill - a beautiful building set in magnificent grounds; although predominantly used for weddings, is always kept free on first Saturday in September to host the Show, when millstream is used for the Duck Derby; owner has been a Show Committee member for many years, as well as a past Chairman; the venue is also used for village functions and parties. Other Services supported by village – compared to many villages we have retained many traditional services mentioned above; we also have an Antique Shop, a Hairdresser’s, a Plant Nursery, a landscape gardening business, a car mechanic and a marina for canal narrow boats where owners bring their vessels to the Old Mill for display at the Show; Unique Businesses The Pottery - village is fortunate to host the world renowned Aldermaston Pottery which was founded 50 years ago by Alan Caiger-Smith, who is famous for the wonderful luster glaze he has uniquely developed; over 70 potters have trained under his expert eye and Alan and his staff have made numerous celebratory plates for village occasions, with many local houses adorning name plaques made by the Pottery; choosing local pottery is a popular gift for people who have made significant contributions to village life; for the 50th year of the York Nativity Play, The Pottery has made a limited edition of goblets and paperweights for past and present members of the cast; one potter works with both local schools, helping the children create terracotta tiles that illustrate school and village life. Cricket bats - our part of the Kennet Valley provides ideal environment for growing willow trees for cricket bats; under the expert eye of a talented villager, trees are grown, felled, seasoned, and split into clefts in first stage of cricket bat manufacture before being shipped to India for completion; village pub has wall display of cricket bat life-cycle; we have a close relationship with the owner, Stuart Surridge; young cricketers used to be sent to Aldermaston in winter months to keep fit, and Graham Gooch, who always used an Aldermaston bat, has visited the village several times; Surridges donate cricket bats to Show. Synergy between the two businesses – there has been an interesting synergy between these two unique businesses that is itself quite unique; The Pottery has one of the few wood-fired kilns in the country which is essential to obtain their unique glaze; for the past 50 years The Pottery has used the willow off-cuts that are left from the cricket bat production to fire its kiln, and the kiln itself was built originally to match the length of the willow off-cuts from the cricket bats! Symbiotic Business/Village Relationships While the ratio between business and residents requires careful management, it also offers unique opportunities: From Village to Business - we provide business with local source of labour, offering a spread of age, talent, education and skill; the Parish Council works closely with businesses to ensure they can operate efficiently, and recently convened a stakeholders conference to establish potential for a business contribution to a relief road; are working with owner of one of the industrial estates to provide an alternative access to the Country Park, thereby improving his security; we advertise and support local businesses with our custom where possible; we involved them in Parish Plan process, including a Business Questionnaire which generated a 69% return rate, the results of which closely mapped the concerns and aspirations of the Residents’ Questionnaire. From Business to Village - we are fortunate with the degree of support we receive for village activities; AWE makes a significant contribution, including printing of Parish Plan and provision of goal posts for Recreation Ground; a representative attended the Judging Day and the Awards Evening for the Berkshire Calor Village of the Year Competition, receiving the ‘Links with Business Award’ on our behalf; AWE apprentices restored the clocks at both church and pub and their schools liaison team loans equipment and sponsors science competitions for local schools. Village events benefit from sponsorship from other local businesses: at this year’s Show we received contributions from 20 businesses totalling £3500, excluding adverts in Show Programme; local businesses advertise in Parish Magazine and sponsor our Village of the Year entry with cash or photocopying. Current Work in Progress Part-time Post Office - following the closure of the full-time post office within the Village Shop, we opening a part-time Post Office in the Parish Hall on 10th January 2007. AWE expansion - AWE has commenced a three-year expansion programme; we are working collaboratively to minimize local problems associated with expansion, and maximize local opportunities, particularly for public transport and footpaths and cycle ways; the new footpath to Portland House is currently being extended to include the Church as we write this document today. Future Challenges/Opportunities Gravel - Aldermaston has mixed blessing of being located on top of a rich seam of high quality gravel; we recognise the revenue potential for the landowners, we equally do not want to suffer unduly from the additional traffic, noise, and dust that such operations inevitably generate; we therefore try to work with landowners to develop mutually acceptable schemes (e.g. Wasing Estate); where schemes are already approved, we work to maximize the benefits of restoration (eg Butts Lake Nature Reserve). Future of farming - this is not a problem unique to Aldermaston; our local farms are struggling to be financially viable, particularly the dairy herds, and there is a real danger they may have to close, with the consequent threat to the management of the land; we encourage the farmers, where we can, to look to diversify. New businesses (Valentines Wood) - a proposed new light industrial development on the edge of the Parish; whilst we believe there are already sufficient business facilities in our area, we recognise it has received the necessary planning approvals and are working with the developer to minimize impact on local community Future of Aldermaston Pottery - the current potter has announced his retirement; seems unlikely the remaining potters can maintain a sustainable business; workshop is situated in Old Village Forge, and any redevelopment will have to be sympathetic. Lunch club - over 15% of villagers work from home; a proposal has been made to support a lunch club in the village pub to give social interaction and create connections, and also open it to those who are now retired or based at home. Young People - Category 3
Local Facilities, Services and Activities Available for Young People: Schools, Clubs, Outings, Projects: Two primary schools - ‘Aldermaston CE Primary School’ (125 pupils); ‘The Cedars’ independent day school (38 pupils). Strong two-way relationship - between village and schools; their curriculum and seasonal events engage with village, its people, history and environment; pupils retain links with their primary school, returning to support events, fairs and concerts. Church involvement – Vicar has close liaison with both schools and is a Governor of Aldermaston CE – comes twice a term to take assemblies and lead open forums, where children can explore their own questions and views about faith. Volunteers - many people volunteer as governors or PTA; local potter has helped Aldermaston CE children to create terracotta tiles in relief form depicting local village life; other residents come in weekly to assist with reading and educational games. Business links – Aldermaston CE belongs to West Berkshire Educational Business Partnership (WBEBP); through this AWE provides volunteers to play number games with pupils; some older children do “work experience” at a local hotel, where role play and practical sessions focus on food hygiene/healthy eating/ costings etc. Clubs/Music: After school/breakfast club, called ‘Play zone’, set up by Aldermaston CE, now open to pupils from both schools; involves focused, structured play for children whose parents work; run by villager. Aldermaston CE offers various extra-curricular activities including pottery, recorder, football, netball, rounders and kwik cricket; also involve pupils in musical events providing opportunities to perform in different venues e.g. Douai Abbey. Tadley Rugby Club runs ‘mini rugby’ in Aldermaston. Seasonal concerts/fetes/fayres – The Cedars has annual school play, carol service, spring concert, summer BBQ; Aldermaston Primary has summer and winter fairs in which local people are involved, as well as various musical concerts and shows; the school supports annual Church Fete and holds a stall there; responded to invitation from Old People’s Home to sing carols. Outings – schools take children on outings to Aldermaston Park, the Manor House, the Church, and Wasing Estate; Aldermaston CE children recently stayed overnight at Ufton Court, local Tudor manor house, to experience how Tudors lived. Charity Work – The Cedars named Treloars School in Hampshire as the charity they wish to support; Treloars is school for severely physically handicapped children – raised £1,000 through sponsored sports week; Aldermaston CE pupils present a case for their chosen charity- villager acts as judge; pupils run charity stalls at school fair and devise games for Children in Need. Recycling Schemes – Aldermaston CE collect Yellow Pages for recycling Yellow Pages and stamps for Guide Dogs for Blind. Healthy Living– “Walk to School” initiative twice yearly at Aldermaston CE; juniors walk to school across public footpaths; car parks used as dropping off points with pubs, nursery schools, shops consulted; landowners give permission to cross private land and even move cattle to ensure safe passage! Reception children do “Fresh Air Fridays”. Work experience – Both schools offers work experience places for secondary school students to see if they like teaching. Links with Other Schools - pupils from ‘special needs’ Secondary School came and taught Aldermaston CE pupils to play tag rugby; benefit to both sides: the special school children gained self esteem and sense of purpose and contribution; our pupils learnt new skills with widened views of special school children. Local History – Aldermaston CE school’s houses and crest are based on squires of the village and local historical features; local people come and share their memories and experiences with pupils. Libraries: Aldermaston CE participates in the holiday reading incentive scheme run by local libraries. IT – Parish Council website has links to both Primary Schools. Projects – curriculum projects focus on: history of village, local environment, traffic surveys, bypass, speed, style of architecture, recycling, rubbish and waste; Aldermaston CE invites local people to talk about events/issues. Growing own produce – The Cedars runs ‘grow your own produce’ project, growing fruit/veg in mini garden containers; won competition sponsored by AWE on ‘new environmental ideas’ designing mini garden planters for confined spaces; used £1000 prize to fund containers; children plant, tend, harvest, cook and eat own produce throughout growing season. Relationship with local schools – both schools have close ties with nursery schools as feeder for their schools; Aldermaston CE builds strong links with secondary schools; two village Oxbridge candidates both attended Willink Secondary. School hall for rent - Aldermaston CE’s hall rented out for local family parties, large village meetings, village celebrations such as VE Day and Jubilee, sports such as badminton and netball AWE’s schools liaison – The Cedars won AWE’s ‘engineering challenge’ competition last year to build a chain reaction machine from materials found in the home or classroom; AWE also has £200 on offer for engineering and science books for schools as well as making microscopes, stethoscopes, light equipment, prisms available for loan
Inspections: – Aldermaston CE’s inspection in July 2006 achieved “Good” in all categories with “Outstanding areas” including community links; also highlighted links with local businesses, industries, services and land owners to enhance the curriculum; school judged as outstanding for “Inclusion” which illustrates how equal opportunities for all is promoted. The Church School Inspection (Sept 06) judged school to be “Good with Outstanding Features” in all areas, with positive impact of Vicar and close relationship with local community; Aldermaston CE has an ‘Investors in People’ award. Children-Focused Village Events and ServicesAldermaston & Wasing Show - annual produce and home craft show each September at the Old Mill, is in its 64th year and caters for young people in many ways: there are four children’s divisions and a ‘best dressed duck competition’ named after the ‘annual duck derby’ where plastic ducks are raced down the mill stream; Show has special children’s judge and five children’s trophies and includes several sideshows especially aimed at children – many are run by children; annual competition is run at two local primary schools as well as Montessori school in Padworth for children to design the cover of each year’s show brochure, with winning children and their designs featured in annual brochure; Aldermaston CE supports show with a stand. The York Nativity Play - casting of play each year calls for 6-8 Acolytes who appear in the Temple scene in this ancient medieval play including roles as Herod’s attendants and bearer of gifts for the Kings; roles are traditionally played by young boys ranging from age 7 to 15; many generations of local boys have played these roles since it was first produced 50 years ago. Parish Hall parties/dinners/Over 60s tea parties – young people support events by waiting tables and helping in kitchen. Brownies - thriving Brownie pack in village since 1982. Church services – Vicar places great emphasis on family services and involvement of young people; family service each Sunday; special children’s services for Mothering Sunday, Harvest and Christmas; also ‘Prayers and Bears’ informal get together especially for babies, pre-school children and their parents or carers. Church Fete – held in various gardens in the village; our young people traditionally very active in the Fete, often designing and running own games and sideshows specially for children. Aldermaston CE has a stall at the event. Summer play scheme - Vicar and his wife started summer play scheme not long after they arrived in village; ran for one week in summer holidays and attracted an average of 50 children; each year Vicar’s wife would write a play especially for children with popular theme underpinned by spiritual message. Christmas events - annual Carol Concert in Parish Hall sponsored by Parish Hall Committee– highlight for little children; Carol services in church for children, Cristingle service; Vicar leads village in carols around the big Christmas tree outside the Eagle Gates on Christmas Eve; annual ‘tree decoration’ competition held in Wasing Church involving local schools and play groups. Book of Memories - children’s stories featured strongly in this locally produced book that records the memories and stories of village life in Aldermaston and Wasing since the war; included several pieces on children’s school projects, poetry, brownies, drawings etc and dedicated many pages to stories from ‘little’ kids currently growing up in the village, and ‘big kids’ who are now adults; local authors led interactive, educational session with children showing how book was made. Toddler Group – Developed from a group of young mums meeting regularly at home, to an organisation so large that a Monday and a Tuesday Group now meet at the Hall. They received donations from Wasing Estate and AWE. Aldermaston CE invites Toddler Group to school for a “Teddy Bears Picnic” to enable younger children to see the school. Mobile Library -calls twice monthly in four locations in Parish – stocks variety of children’s books Parish Magazine - Aldermaston CE has regular column in thriving Parish Magazine, which updates village community on school activities; both schools use Parish Magazine to advertise their summer and Christmas Fayres. Travellers’ Site – CCB delivers two children’s services for our travellers’ children – The Sparkle Club (reading) and The Clive Bus (computers), both funded by West Berks Council. Youth club - Crusaders Youth club run in collaboration with Silchester, a neighbouring village. Recreation Ground - long established recreation ground in heart of village, equipped with traditional play equipment for small children, football pitch with goal posts donated by AWE, Cedars children for football, rounders & running, Environment - work with ‘Siren’, charity focused on educating children on environmental issues; organise outings in local parkland; children volunteer in the development of the Paice’s Wood wildlife park reclaimed from old gravel pits. Involvement of Young People in Decision Making/Assessing their Specific Needs School Council at Aldermaston CE – Pupils are voted on by their peers and are consulted about real issues concerning the school, e.g., school reorganisation, the school travel plan, and Governors, Staff and Pupils take ideas to them. Open forum – weekly decision making forum run at The Cedars school where children put forward ideas, produce written proposals to help them think through implementation of ideas; open school ethos, encourages free thinking – “think it: do it” philosophy; children currently planning and running their own pantomime. Parish Plan – during year-long work to produce Parish Plan, two teenagers represented young people’s needs and views; we had a dedicated Youth Questionnaire conceived and analysed by the youth themselves; two key findings: cycleway between village and The Wharf, and improvement to grass surface at Recreation Ground are both being addressed by Parish Council. Current/Future Work in Progress Skateboard project/Big Buzz challenge – described in detail in category 1. Clay tile project - Local potter leading project with The Cedars’ children in spring 2007. Pavement from Travellers’ Site to Tadley - Parish Council working with West Berks Council and AWE to build a pavement from The Travellers site into Tadley to create a safe pathway for residents and their children. Environment Club – Top Juniors at The Cedars have formed an environment club which meets at lunchtime once a week; they discuss environmental issues, organise quizzes with other children in school; totally children initiated and led. Youth Council - children in process of setting up a Youth Council where children of the Parish meet once every couple of months to comment on what is going on in the area and put forward suggestions to the Parish Council.
Older People - Category 4
Setting the Context: - some statistics from our recent Parish Plan: 24% of village residents are aged 60+; 18% of village adults are retired; 40% of adults have lived in Aldermaston 16+ years, so low churn; 9% of adults have lived in Aldermaston for their whole life or 50+ years; less than 1% of adults expressed any need for help in terms of care/meals-on-wheels/home visits/help with shopping etc; 26% of village adults identified that Aldermaston would benefit from sheltered housing for the elderly. Facilities, Services and Activities Available for Senior Citizens ‘Informal’ good neighbour scheme – operate a well functioning support system to our senior citizens through an informal ‘jungle drum’ approach which checks to see if people are OK, to help with shopping/cooking during minor illness and help getting to Doctor/hospital for more serious illnesses. Also extends to family of older citizens when they come to stay during illness or death; village is definitely ‘there’ for older people and their families in times of need. Aldermaston Charity – an amalgamation of four Charities administered by six Trustees including the Lord of the Manor and the Vicar. All are local members of the local community. The Charity includes Poors Allotment (a parcel of land to the south of the Parish), three Alms Houses, the Coal Trust (giving money at Christmas to the elderly and those in need within the Parish for the purpose of purchasing fuel), and providing financial assistance during the year for such things as special equipment for the elderly or disabled and funding school trips where there is hardship. Almshouses – 300 years ago Mr Dixon, a local benefactor, built two pairs of semi-detached cottages for ‘the poor widows of good character residing in the Parish of Aldermaston’; one of the pairs of cottages has now been converted into one dwelling, allowing for the residence of a couple. The guidelines for occupancy have been modified to concur with present day needs, such that residents can now be male or female, over the age of 55 years, have a connection with Aldermaston and be of low income. The cottages are currently occupied by three ladies; one Trustee is responsible for day-to-day management and maintenance. Congreve Close - four flats and two bungalows built in 1960s by the local council for the elderly; two flats are now privately owned but not occupied; the others remain under Housing Association control. Aldermaston and Wasing Ladies Group – started in the late 1950s as the Aldermaston and Wasing Young Wives Group, now calling itself ‘The Aldermaston and Wasing Ladies Group’ to include unmarried women. Meetings are in the Parish Hall on a monthly basis usually in the evening, with a summer outing, Christmas Dinner and occasional larger social events. The ladies provide and serve the teas at the annual Church Fete. The group has organised a Spring Tea Party for the over 60s of the Parish since its inception. This currently presents an interesting situation, as the members of the group are themselves now all over the age of 60! Annual Produce Show – the competition side of the show proves very attractive to our older people, particularly entries for home grown vegetables, flower arranging, handicraft, cooking etc; many older people serve on the committee to make this show, in its 64th year, increasingly successful. York Nativity Play – the Director of this famous medieval play from the York Mystery Cycle, is now ‘an older person’ herself. This Christmas the play is celebrating its 50th year, still with the same Director – many roles in the play call for ‘older’ people; and it attracts a huge following of old and young, often describing the play as “the official start to Christmas”. Parish Hall services/activities – the monthly tea for the elderly is run by three ‘older ladies’ in the hall; the Aldermaston Players annual production of music hall or a play with dinner over four nights is very well attended by our older people; meet the neighbour drinks parties are organised annually by over 60s ladies; the Ladies Group meets in the hall; our new part-time post office is due to open in January for three hours, three times a week in the hall. Elderly are involved in all village events – we not only take into account the specific needs of the elderly when planning all village events, but we always involve our elderly people in the committees set up to run events and at times they themselves are the leaders; and we also pick up and collect people if necessary, particularly in the winter months when it is cold and dark. Allotments - thriving allotment group where 50% are retirement age; good camaraderie and sharing of knowledge and produce; healthy competition for village show entries. Lunch Club- there are lunch clubs for the elderly in two of our neighbouring villages and some of our Almshouse residents, and we are looking into starting one here in the village. Church Flower Arranging Group – a group of ladies, some of whom are over 60, arrange flowers for weekly Sunday services, weddings and flower festivals. Flower arrangers from the neighbouring parish, often of the older age group, will help with the larger events. The Village Book of Memories – this book records living memory of village life in Aldermaston since the war; a huge number of the contributors were older people who thoroughly enjoyed telling their stories and seeing them printed in black and white together with photographs of many of their treasured artefacts and memorabilia. The book included special sections such as ‘memories during war-time’, which honoured the experiences of our older citizens during the war. It also gives fitting tributes to many older people who have made a significant contribution to the building and sustaining of this strong village community over the years. Women’s Institute – many of the older ladies involved in the local Women’s Institute covering Aldermaston, Padworth and other small villages, which meets regularly in Padworth. Neighbourhood Watch – have an active neighbourhood watch scheme, which takes a particular interest in the safety of our older citizens. Transport – There is an ad hoc arrangement for helping people in difficulties. The local bus provides a day-to-day service for non-car drivers, particularly the elderly, for shopping and GP appointments. Chapel Row Community Group, a neighbouring village, provide local transport on a voluntary basis. Forum, which Focuses on Senior Citizens/Involvement in Decision-Making Parish Plan – we tried to ensure the Steering Group had a good cross section of ages with 1/3 of the group retired, including the chairman; one of the 5 sections of the questionnaire focussed on health and community services, and less than 10% generally expressed any problems/concerns in this area. Parish Council – the specific request that came out of the parish plan process for sheltered housing has been captured as an action in the Action Plan now being implemented by the Parish Council; during the last year, the Parish Council made donations to numerous charities including Age Concern, Berkshire MS Therapy Centre and Berkshire County Blind Association. Such donations are likely to continue. Aldermaston Charities – this is a key forum for helping with the needs of older people – all Trustees except one are themselves over 60. Parish Hall Committee – takes into consideration the needs of older people in changes/refurbishment to the hall – e.g. more comfortable seating, wheel chair access, and disabled toilet. Involvement in Village Activities Widespread involvement –Older people are hugely active in leading or contributing to many committees such as the Parish Council, Parish Plan, Show, Play, Hall; and a team exists, mostly older people, of house-to-house collectors for the Poppy appeal who between them have 100 years of collecting for this important charity! Volunteer at the school – many of our older people volunteer at both schools, ranging from teaching sewing, gardening, and art; helping with reading and giving talks; even being Father Christmas for the children at their Christmas Fayres. Special Events including Queen’s Jubilee and VE Day celebrations – always hold a weekend of village events usually involving an exhibition of memories and memorabilia, with much of the contributions coming from our older citizens; always include lunch and tea – and collect and drive them if they are having difficulty with mobility; many of our older people are actively involved in organising these events. Where Senior Citizens have Proactively Organised Their Own Activities VE Day tea party – Dolly Saunders and Barbara Bailey, both senior citizens, organised a street tea party, baking and serving the tea themselves.
Monthly tea party – organised by three older ladies, two of whom are Almshouse residents. This is a drop-in time for the elderly of the community and anyone else who is available. There is a nominal charge for tea, any profit going to the church. Current Work in Progress: Lunch club - idea currently being worked on to create a monthly lunch club in the pub for people who work from home, as well as those who are retired or elderly. Post Office – since we lost our post office in the village shop, we are in process of setting up a post office three mornings a week in hall. Future Challenges/Opportunities: Purpose-built Alms Houses - there is a possibility, funding permitting, that the Aldermaston Charity may in the future be looking to build in the village further Almshouses that are more appropriate to the needs of the elderly than the existing ones. Bypass - We are in the process of lobbying for a bypass, which would dramatically reduce traffic and improve road safety for the elderly.
Environment – Category 5
Aldermaston Village – designated a conservation area in February 1971; is made up of a ribbon of cottages and houses, mostly bearing the characteristic terracotta brick and archetypal Berkshire design; The Street is central road in village, with 27 buildings ‘listed’ as architectural importance. Aldermaston Court - the village and estate, which is mentioned in The Doomsday Book, once belonged to King Harold when it was part of the Royal Forest of Windsor; ancient deeds show that Henry I, founder of Reading Abbey, gave the Manor of Aldermaston to Robert Achard, a distinguished warrior; current Manor House, as it known today, was built in 1848, but an earlier house, built in 1636 but subsequently destroyed by fire, was situated near the church. Aldermaston Park – the current 135 acre estate land that surrounds Aldermaston Court is situated south of the village; the Park is a designated historic parkland and contains many listed trees including Redwoods, Wellingtonia, Cedars of Lebanon and a number of oak trees that are over 1000 years old; one of the oldest ‘naturally managed’ woodlands in England. Aldermaston Church - St. Mary the Virgin Church, in the grounds of Aldermaston Park, is believed to date from around 1150, with its extensive murals, a Jacobean pulpit and an alabaster tomb of Sir George and Lady Forster in the Lady Chapel. Kennet Valley - To the north of the village lies the Kennet Valley, with its distinctive stands of willow and poplar; its tapestry of old water meadows, pasture and woodland; with both the River Kennet and Kennet and Avon Canal running through it. Areas of Special Conservation and Management The Village - most of the village lies within the designated Conservation Area and the majority of buildings in The Street, many of warm red brick and handmade clay tiled roofs, are listed Grade II which also includes a ‘village lock-up’ and The Eagle Gates that frame the entrance to The Estate, both of which are also listed Grade II. Surrounding Countryside - West Berkshire’s Local Plan 1991 - 2006, identifies the Greenham to Aldermaston escarpment and the Kennet Valley, east of Newbury, Woolhampton to Sulhamstead Lock and associated escarpment to the south, as Areas of Special Landscape Importance. Wildlife Reserves – two gravel pit transformations in process, turning spent gravel pits into thriving wildlife reserves; Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust are managing Butt’s Lake (a Site of Special Scientific Interest) and Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group are managing Paice’s Wood Country Park. Both hold ‘Open’ and ‘Project’ Days, involving local volunteers. Conservation Policies and Practice Parish Council – Aldermaston Parish Council works closely with West Berks Council, and particularly their Conservation Officer, to conserve the quality of the built environment and surrounding countryside. Parish Plan – published 2005 – a team of 17 parishioners, including local business and youth representatives, formed a core steering group to create a Parish Plan; additional volunteers helped with distribution and collection of a questionnaire, distributed to 364 households, which achieved a response rate of 81%. A specific business questionnaire was distributed to 117 businesses, with a 69% return rate. A separate youth questionnaire was devised and distributed by young people in the Parish, The results were analysed and a full Parish Plan produced. The key elements on the environment section showed the surrounding countryside was very important to 87% of respondents and important to a further 12%, with between 70% and 89% feeling that the eleven special features identified were much valued. Nearly 50% of those answering felt it was important to carry out a project to record these special features and this is an ongoing project, which will utilise the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s ‘Unlocking the Landscape’ and ‘Creating areas of Tranquillity’ Programmes. As a result of this process, there are now five Action Groups led by a Parish Councillor, to deliver the Action Plans derived from the questionnaire responses. The action groups – Planning and Environment, Traffic and Public Transport, Parish Amenities, Health and Community Services and Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour all, to some degree, deal with environmental issues, including protection of the local countryside, promotion of biodiversity, promotion of local footpaths and promoting a village relief road. Community Action Group – comes together for ad hoc issues where we need to draw on widespread community support to fight issues which affect our environment; as a community we are very alert to our local environment and involve the council, local landowners and businesses when we see a potential problem – there is a shared sense of ‘ownership’. Fight against gravel extraction – in 2003 the Action Group, in conjunction with the Parish Council, mounted a campaign to fight the aggregate company wishing to extract minerals from 118 hectares of land owned by the neighbouring Wasing Estate, proposing to building 5 gravel pits, a concrete crushing works and a cement works next to our village school and stretching along the Kennet Valley to Brimpton. The appeal went to a full public enquiry, and after an exhausting and unprecedented period of work, including a protest march through the village with risk assessments required by the Thames Valley Police, a high profile poster and media campaign and public testimony of village people, we won the appeal. Fight against flats development in our historic parkland – In 2003 the current owner of Aldermaston Court applied to build an 8 storey block of flats with a flying buttress roof and floor to ceiling plate glass windows, behind the bund which holds back the 11 acre lake in the parkland; they tried to use 20 year old extant planning permission for additional offices, switching both use and site to a greenfield wooded site on the edge of the lake. The village mounted another campaign, which we also won. Fight against building a golf course in our historic parkland – The current owner also applied to build a golf course across the naturally managed woodland inside the estate. The Parish council vigorously fought this application and eventually it was dropped due to the environmental damage to the ancient woodlands and wildlife. Current Environmental Activities Foot/cyclepath link to station - Parish Plan ‘Transport Working Group’ is planning a £250,000 cycleway between Aldermaston Village and Aldermaston Wharf (a new community on the Kennet & Avon Canal close to Aldermaston station). The cycleway will stimulate greater public transport use by the Village, and provide safer access to Village facilities (e.g. Village Shop, Recreation Ground, Pub, Parish Hall and Church) for the Wharf. It will also connect to Sustrans’ National Cycle Network Route 4. Footpaths – work has been done to map the current network of footpaths that criss-cross the parish, ensuring they are correctly maintained; currently producing a footpath map, including circular routes, which will be free in local pubs and shops in 2007. Developing our Village Green – improving ‘The Loosey’, the ancient name for our small village green with its ancient oak and roman well; we are digging new flower beds, putting in new plantings, and having a tree-seat made in oak funded partly by some of the money we won from the county level of this Calor Village of the Year competition. Environmental Awareness - Working with the Charity, Siren, to help local schoolchildren increase environmental awareness. Environmental Awards – Aldermaston Primary School has won many environmental awards over the years; the Cedars school recently won a ‘new environmental ideas’ competition sponsored by AWE, designing mini garden planters to grow produce in confined spaces – they used the £1000 prize to have containers made and the children plant, tend, harvest, cook and eat their own produce during the growing season. Teaching gardening – over the years several local gardeners and allotment holders have volunteered to run weekly gardening classes at the local primary school, hoping that by introducing children to the joys of growing their own flowers, vegetables and herbs, it will increase sensitivity towards nature and the environment. School involvement in local environment and history - both schools take local children on seasonal walks in village, the parkland and Wasing Estate; they build projects into their curriculum which focus on village history and caring for the local; also have tree planting ceremonies to celebrate national commemorative events such as VE Day and Golden Jubilee. Aldermaston Primary School has won awards for its Environmental Area. Winning at Chelsea Flower Show – several of our local garden experts collaborated on the design and staging of a Courtyard Garden at the RHS show – one was called ‘Calma’, a calm corner to sit and be peaceful, with plants from the Asian continent; the second called ‘Time Lords’, the modern pharmaceutical use of plants and medicinal properties that were used many years ago. We won silver gilt medals for both and the second entry was also re-staged at the NEC Gardeners’ World Show. Restoration and Maintenance of our Church – any church of this age is in need of constant care; records show the roof being replaced many times, the last in 2001 when we raised money to replace 1/3 of the roof by people ‘sponsoring a tile’ with their name on it; raised £1800 towards the cost of the roof, and also received a generous grant from Grundon; regular church cleaning days are held every month where local volunteers clean the inside of the church and tidy up the churchyard; local flower group arranges a floral pedestal each week for services, multiple arrangements for seasonal services such as Christmas, Easter and Harvest, stages annual flower festivals with local sponsorship to raise funds, and also sells their floristry talent to brides for church weddings. Heritage Open Days – September 2006, organised by the Parish Plan Planning and Environment Working Group, five local buildings opened their doors to participate in Heritage Open Days: St Mary the Virgin Church, the Pottery, the cricket bat willow yard, the village lock-up and the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust’s Canal-side Cottage. Residents’ Current Involvement in Conservation People get involved in a number ways: by being members of Parish Council and Parish Planning Groups; working with schools, both as Governors and giving demonstrations/talks on specific subjects including a local expert on birds of prey; through local groups and societies such as the Produce and Agricultural Show, thriving allotment group, churchgoers, the book project which created a record of ‘living memory’ of village life and the environment since the war; and through volunteering opportunities with conservation groups. Future Challenges Lobbying for a ‘relief’ road to release the village from the ever increasing environmental damage of traffic and working with AWE’s expansion programme which will produce 3000 more vehicle movements a day through our village; creating a workable gravel plan that minimises the environmental damage to the village and surrounding Kennet Valley; ongoing repairs to ancient church; integration of the new development soon to be built within the village; working with West Berks Council on extending the proposed footpath to The Manor House and Portland House to also include the church.
Information Communication Technology – Category 6
Availability of ICT and skill development: Broadband - available in the village since 2002; has become default method of communication and exchange of documents by Parish Council, statutory bodies, and local community. Free ICT training - regularly available in adjacent towns (Tadley, Thatcham). Local ICT consultants - with services geared to home users as well as business users, provide free advice to local primary schools and other community groups. Involvement of Parish Council/local businesses: Wireless broadband Internet access - available in Hind’s Head Hotel in village. Hotspots - Parish Council investigating lower cost option for wireless enabled devices under the Hotspots Berkshire programme; our main issue is location as coverage is not very good; the pub access point covers the building and garden but no further. PDF files - Local ICT consultant converts Word documents to .pdf files for updating Parish Council website. Wider uses of ICT to support of community life: Schools – children use IT extensively in both schools; Aldermaston CE has a lunch time Internet Club; children have regular IT lessons and are able to use the computers independently; year 6 are learning how to link slides in a PowerPoint presentation using hyper links and are able to create spreadsheets to record data and produce graphs to show their results; school has 14 networked PCs as well as some standalone ones with a ratio of 1:7 computers to children Making History Project – A project is in the process of being formed to catalogue and store archive material (village pictures and text) while also recording history ‘live’ as it happens. Community events - ICT used at various community presentations, e.g. to project young peoples’ “Skateboard” video to groups of people in Parish Hall; the projection system through a notebook that displayed Aldermaston’s version of the Christmas Carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ at our Carol Concert; the showing of a rolling slide show with music to illustrate the hundreds of photos collected and used in Aldermaston’s Book of Memories – shown at the book launch, at the ‘meet the neighbours’ village drinks party; and at the Village of the Year county level judging day. A further computer slide show with over 220 images from the Nativity Play has been prepared for the celebration of its 50th anniversary in December. Parish Plan – used computer software from the University of Gloucester to help facilitate the effective collection and analysis of data in our Parish Plan process. Funding/sustainability of projects: Making History Project - grant may be sought for the IT portion of this project to help us build a sustainable platform that enables us to create an electronic archive that is accessible for village use. Low-cost website - Aldermaston website is low-cost and is funded by less than 1.5% of the annual Parish precept. Existing Website
Ease of navigation and accessing information - www.aldermaston.co.uk is Parish Council website; navigated via signposts. Since November 2006 new and reference files on website are in .pdf format. Content of website:
Page design - local website company designed pro forma pages; Parish Council discussed and agreed content. Change control - website updated monthly, following Parish Council meeting; all updates routed via the Clerk to webmaster in local company that designed and maintains website; changes planned for 2007 will enable website to be updated more frequently. Village involvement - local clubs and organisations provide details to be included in website; in 2007 they will also be invited to contribute to village diary, and to submit reports and photographs of events. Hosting of the site - hosted by a local website company located via local Chamber of Trade. Linking to other relevant sites - local links have been created to schools and other local organisations with websites, e.g. Parish Hall, Aldermaston Players, local rugby clubs and the cricket club. Special features specific to our website - planning application database, footpath map, Parish Plan download, archive material from 2004 and a wealth of historical and photographic material.
General
Benefits for the village from ICT - increased use of Internet; now we have broadband and more people have access to email it is much easier to lead or be part of a project and keep in touch; it enables fast communication and cuts down on hand delivery of minutes, agendas and action items; and it is easier to write collaborative documents and track changes using tracker. Innovative ways ICT is being used - matching technology to need - we have technology to do SMS alerts, web cams and more; it would be relatively easy to set up a broadcasting system over the internet so we could have our own radio/TV station or simply have streaming video so not only still pictures are available, but also movies of the key village events can be captured. We need to identify a platform to make the possibilities aware to those that would be using them, or even the village decision makers; we have found with previous attempts that the static ‘paper technology’ of The Parish Magazine, whilst brilliant for other things, does not work for opening up IT related debate. Our main challenge, however, is to address the widening gap between knowing what is achievable, what is actually needed now, and what could be needed if people understood what the technology was capable of delivering. Current Work in ProgressVillage diary – plan to include village diary on website for public information and to avoid events clashing. Making History Group – purpose of this project mentioned above is to design, catalogue and store archive material (village pictures and text), so that material is secure and easily accessible, and also to capture history ‘live’ as it happens, to guarantee a record of village life and events for future generations; will include material from: The Aldermaston Book Project (a ‘living memory’ project which collected hundreds of photos and stories from villagers past and present and published a book of memories of village life in Aldermaston since the war), The York Nativity Play (the annual medieval play now in it’s 50th year), The Aldermaston Players (annual productions of Music Halls and plays), and other photographic material from various exhibitions such as VE Day, Millennium, Golden Jubilee. Recording local features- the special local features which were identified in the replies to the Parish Plan questionnaire as ‘worthy of protection’ are being photographed for future reference. Website enhancements – use of Content Management System (CMS), standardisation on .pdf files, more frequent updating, posting news reports and photos of village events; use of CMS will enable more frequent updating and easier changes to structure of website. Broadband access - finding a Hotspot for wireless broadband access for business users.
Future Challenges/Opportunities
Forum or Message board - that allows a user to start a topic for discussion. For example, a separate topic/forum for each category addressed in the Village of the Year entry. An administrator will be required to monitor the content. Internet access and hands-on help - for those without ICT equipment – finding the location and helpers will be the main challenge; there are grants that can fund the ICT equipment. Exploring the gap - between ICT possibilities and capabilities and village current/future use Making History Group – getting project off the ground, finding a leader, forming the right team, and winning a lottery grant perhaps!
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