Health, Safety and Security
-
GP and Prescription service excellent
-
Police presence inadequate and unacceptable
-
Low level of crime – but petty vandalism
a nuisance
-
Neighbourhood Watch scheme important and
should be extended to outlying farms and properties
-
Concerns about area around Skateboard Park
This section of the Questionnaire
produced the greatest response and the nature of the subject and the particular
returns required greater analysis of the issues raised.
Health - Access to health services
There is no direct access to any health
service in the village apart from a weekly surgery at the village hall
and a prescription collection service at the shop, both deemed excellent.
Other services are available in the neighbouring towns. Accident and Emergency
service is available in Northallerton but other hospital visits are most
likely to be in Northallerton or Middlesbrough
Q. How easy was it to use the following
services?
GP/health centre, chemist/pharmacy,
health visitor/community nurse, dentist, ante-natal clinic, optician, hospital
in-patient, hospital out-patient, accident and emergency.
| |
Easy |
Convenient |
Not Easy |
Difficult |
Not Used/
Don't Know |
|
GP/Health Centre
|
49
|
38
|
4
|
0
|
4
|
|
Chemist/Pharmacy
|
29
|
33
|
19
|
5
|
4
|
| Health Visitor/
Community Nurse
|
11
|
14
|
9
|
3
|
46
|
| Dentist |
26
|
24
|
23
|
16
|
5
|
|
Ante-Natal Clinic
|
1
|
6
|
1
|
3
|
63
|
| Optician |
28
|
33
|
19
|
5
|
8
|
| In-Patient |
18
|
30
|
9
|
5
|
26
|
| Out-Patient |
20
|
45
|
13
|
3
|
11
|
| A and E |
25
|
26
|
14
|
3
|
20
|
In general there seems to be no problem
accessing the health services listed. However there were a number of comments
that qualified their answer as ‘easy’ because they had their own transport.
The GP service has the highest number of people (96%) who find it very
easy or convenient to get to the GP. The chemist, health visitor/community
nurse, dentist and optician had much the same convenience ratings varying
between 72% and 66 %. The prescription service at the village shop was
appreciated. Ante-natal services were used by only 9 people, (11%) who
were split 56% to 33% as to whether they were easy or difficult to access.
In general people seemed happy with access to the hospital services but
there were comments that people wanted them to remain in Northallerton.
People found access to out-patients(90%) and in-patients(78%) either very
easy or convenient, while 54% felt that the Accident and Emergency service
was very easy to access.
Recommendations:
The Health Authority should be asked to notify the Parish Council of any
proposed changes to the hospital service in Northallerton.
Health - Long-term illness, disability
and caring
General responsibility for assessment
of care needs lies with the County Council Social services department while
other relevant support can be obtained through the voluntary sector through
organisations such as Age Concern, Hambleton and Richmondshire Carers Association
and the Alzheimer’s Society
Q. Do you or anyone
in your household have a long term illness or disability that places limitations
on daily life?
|
% of Total Replies
|
| Yes |
13 |
| No |
80 |
Q. Are there any
adaptations which you need in your home?
|
% of Total Replies |
| Yes |
5 |
| No |
86 |
Q. Have you used
any of the following in the last twelve months
% of total replies
Home Care
Yes
No 4
88
Meals on wheels
Yes
No 0
91
Respite care
Yes
No 1
90
Day Centre
Yes
No 0
91
Occupational therapy
Yes
No 5
86
Home aids/Adaptations Yes
No 3
89
Support from Social Services Yes
No 5
86
Adoption/fostering services Yes
No 0
91
Q. Do you receive any help in your daily
life from a friend or relative?
% of total replies
Yes 14
No 84
Q Are you caring for an elderly, long-term
sick or disabled person on a regular basis?
% of total replies
Yes 18
No 76
Q. If you receive support as a carer
where does this come from?
% of total replies
Social Services 3
Carers group 3
Partner/spouse 5
Other 5
Friends/neighbours 1
Church/faith group 0
Voluntary group 0
Other 0
None received 8
? The population appears to be healthy
and well able to care for itself.
Very few people used the ‘social’
services. No-one used meals on wheels, the day centre or the adoption/fostering
services. The services with the highest number of users were help from
the Social Services department (4) and occupational therapy (4), followed
by respite care (1) and home care (3) and home aids and adaptations (2).In
general there do not appear to be large numbers of people with a long-term
illness, disability or in need of care. 82% of households do not admit
to any problems while 10 households (14%) have members with long term illness
or disabilities, 11 (14%) receive regular help from friend or relative,
and 14 (19%) are caring for someone regularly. Only 4 households felt that
they needed any adaptations in their homes, these being handrails, a shower
and walking aids. Of the 14 carers 6 (38%) received no support and of the
rest family support, whether in or outside their household, provided help
in 50% of households. Other support was provided by Social Services, carers
groups and friends. These figures would appear to reflect a healthy population
well able to care for itself.
Recommendations: None
Safety at home – Availability of help
There is no existing record about this
information
Q. In the following circumstances who
would you first ask for help?
* There were extra answers from 12 households
(15%)
% of total replies
You are taken ill A family relative
Friend or neighbour
Doctor or community nurse
Health visitor/social worker
Other
No one/not applicable
65
16(8)
14(3)
0
1
1
Babysitting at short notice A family
relative
Friend or neighbour
Doctor or community nurse
Health visitor/social worker
20
13 (3)
0
0
1
50
Caring for a family member at short
notice A family relative
Friend or neighbour
Doctor or community nurse
Health visitor/social worker
54
14 (5)
6
0
1
15
Transporting bulky items
A family relative
Friend or neighbour
Doctor or community nurse
Health visitor/social worker
49
26 (5)
0
0
3
13
Help with money matters A family relative
Friend or neighbour
Doctor or community nurse
Health visitor/social worker
Other
40
4
0
0
13
34
? High reliance upon friends and families
by the elderly
In every situation the family was the
first to be asked, ranging from 72% to 54%, but there was a significant
percentage in each situation who would ask their neighbours. Plus there
were 12 households (15% of the total) who put both family and neighbours
as first port of call in some situations especially when needing transport.
This indicates not only a good community feeling where neighbours know
each other well and will support each other when needed, but also that
many households have family support in the area.
Perhaps not surprisingly the highest
percentages asking for family help were in the more personal situations,
being ill, caring for a family member and help with money matters whilst
neighbours were more likely to be asked for help for babysitting and transport.
There were very few requests for help from doctor or health visitor. 44%
of people either did not answer or felt the money matters question not
applicable or would not ask anyone for help.
Recommendations: None
Security
The village has been covered by a Neighbourhood
Watch scheme since the summer of 2006. The police cover for the area is
provided by the North Yorkshire Police Authority and is based on their
office in Stokesley. There are no officers specially designated to cover
Appleton Wiske.
Q. Have you registered with the Neighbourhood
Watch Scheme?
% of total replies
Yes 64
No 29
Q. How should our Community Police Office
and Community Support Office be used? Not answered by 35 %
Q. Do you think there needs to be any
action to reduce crime in this area?
% of total replies
Yes 46
No 29
? Neighbourhood Watch scheme well supported
? Police presence inadequate
? Concerns about area around Skateboard
Park
This section attracted many comments,
some of them interchangeable between the questions on the role of the Community
Police Officer (CPO) and Community Support Officer (CSO) and what needs
to be done to counteract crime in the area. It was difficult to separate
out the suggestions into answers for the separate questions and therefore
the comments are on this section as a whole. 69% are members of the Neighbourhood
Watch scheme. In general people did not seem at all clear about the role
of CPO and CSO or whether there was ‘one’ for the village, 8% actually
stating this. Far and away the largest numbers of comments (49%) were concerned
with the lack of police visibility and accessibility in the village, whether
specifically on patrol at night, in the recreation ground, on the beat
or more generally in an educative role at schools or at surgeries in the
Village Hall.
The general consensus appeared to be
that the police should know and be known by the community. This could perhaps
involve them in a two-way flow of information, possibly through the Neighbourhood
Watch scheme, to share information about activities of concern in the village
and surrounding area. 6% of comments suggested that this would be much
easier if the area was policed from Northallerton because there was swifter
access in an emergency and the children of the village, in the main, went
to school there. It was also felt that this was not a one-sided obligation
and that villagers should report incidents that concerned them and that
parents should be involved in the concerns about the youngsters who may
be causing problems.
A focus of comment did seem to be the
recreation ground and skate park and addressing the problems with this
area would seem to be a priority for 6% of respondents. There were also
general comments about the individual’s responsibility to deter crime by
good security in homes, cars and complying with the law in such activities
as driving.
5% of the comments were positive about
the low level of perceived crime in the area and a suggestion that some
of the problems are caused by the lack of organised activities in the village
for the young people. This, plus the fact that 54% did not answer the question
or stated that they felt there was no problem, leads to the acceptance
that this area seems to have very little major criminal activity, but,
as a number of people commented, there should be no complacency about this.
Recommendations:
? North Yorkshire Police should be asked
to consider providing regular visible patrols of the area.
? North Yorkshire Police should designate
a link officer who would become known to the villagers
? The Recreation Ground and Skateboard
Park should be a focus of improved security by the Police and the other
relevant village bodies.
Transport
? The is no public transport and high
dependence upon cars
? Could a cash grant for pensioners
be paid into minibus fund in lieu of bus passes
? No: 72 bus should be diverted through
village from Great Smeaton to Brompton
? Mini-bus replacement due
The Parish plan has identified and confirmed
the reliance upon personal transport to access the village and the neighbouring
towns and villages. Those without their own transport are at a distinct
disadvantage for apart from the weekly minibus service to the market in
Northallerton on Wednesdays there is no other alternative to taxis, at
£25 each way, at present.
One recommendation would be to approach
the Transport Authorities to investigate the possibility of diverting the
No: 72 buses from Darlington to Northallerton from Great Smeaton, through
Hornby, Appleton Wiske, Deighton and rejoining the original route at Brompton.
It is considered that there is more potential passengers from these villages
than from Little Smeaton and Lovesome Hill.
At present those over 60 are entitled
to a free bus pass within North Yorkshire. Unless we are provided with
a viable public transport system then it is felt appropriate that the County
Council make the costs in providing bus passes payable to the village minibus
fund per capita for those over 60 who live in the village.
The present minibus is over 10 years
old and is due for replacement. This will be a major expense and demand
a fundraising initiative in the village. The grants that might be available
for the purchase of a replacement be used to provide a weekly minibus taxi,
or be diverted to subsidise the No: 72 bus. The loss of the minibus would
impact upon the schools in the area who are major users of the facility.
Young People of Appleton Wiske
? Interest in a weekly
Young Peoples’ Evening.
? High demand for a Youth
Council.
? Most popular choices
for possible activities were:
Basketball/Netball hoops, Aerobics/Yoga,
Drama, Music/Band, Singing, Chess and Bike/Cycling Club.
? The best thing about living
in the village is the ease
access to friends and the friendliness
in the village.
? Transport dependency and ‘nothing
to do’ were given as the worst things about living in the village.
There were 14 respondents aged 12 and
over, and 7 under the age of 12, giving a total of 21 respondents. As this
Section is vital for the rising generation the information obtained has
been presented in full with the relevant recommendations for the Section
Leader.
Current situation:
There are approximately 35 young people
in the village, aged 11 – 15 and another 34 aged between 16 and 20.
The total number of young people within the age band 11-18 is thus approximately
52.
Age in 2001 0-4 5-7 8-9
10-14
2001 Census numbers – used with permission
(Crown Copyright Reserved) 19 18 17 34
Age in 2007 6-10 11-13 14-15
16-20
The majority of the young people leave
the village primary school to continue at the Allertonshire and then Northallerton
College. A significant minority attend schools or colleges in Teesside,
Yarm and Darlington. The Allertonshire and Northallerton College
are served by school coach, but all other transport has to be arranged
privately. Most of the young people are thus away from the village
by eight a.m. and only get back in the early evening. There is no
Council transport subsidy for young people older than 16 who attend college.
At present, the transport for this group is supported by the Appleton Wiske
Education Trust.
There is little opportunity for friends
to socialise in larger groups, safely and at a comfortable venue, particularly
in winter or on days when the weather is poor.
The Village Green runs along Front Street
and although adequate for young children, it is not suited to the more
boisterous ball games of the older children and teenagers. The Village
Hall has a smooth, paved surface but can be dangerous as it is a car park.
Use of the area as a Sports Wall has caused damage to some of the fencing.
The Field and Park are ideal in terms
of minimising disruption to residents and damage to private property, but
are obviously more remote. Littering is a problem, as is drug usage
and vandalism.
Young people have expressed the concern
that non-resident young people cause a number of problems in the village
recreation park, for which the Appleton Wiske youth are then blamed.
Activities/Facilities currently available
in the village include:
Cubs, Brownies, Guides, Footloose (Jazz
and Tap dancing), Junior Bloomers (linked to Appleton in Bloom),
Tennis, Football , Skateboard Park, Badminton and Pilates (the last
two only being offered quite late in the evening).
There is an annual village pantomime
in which many of the young people are involved, either as actors, musicians
or as backstage support.
Q 1. Do you make regular
use of any of the following facilities in the village?
Response: Shop
81 %
Post Office
57 %
Village Hall
52 %
Play Park
38 %
Green (Front Street) 33
%
Football field
24 %
Skate Park
19 %
Tennis Courts
10 %
Findings: The village shop and post
office are important venues for the youth. The village hall is frequently
used since it is linked to a number of youth activities. The recreation
park does not feature very prominently, presumably because it is more remote
from the centre of the village.
Recommendations: Encourage further local
support of post office and shop, so that they remain in service. Parish
Council should communicate with those running activities for the young
people in the village and assess how they can be supported , so as
to ensure the continued provision of these activities.
Q 2. Would you be interested in
attending a weekly Young People’s evening within the village?
Response: Yes 43 %
No 57 %
Findings: The response to this question
varied according to the age of the respondents. The younger children
(less than 14 years old) were strongly in support of some form of youth
activity in the evenings. There was far less interest from the young
adults in the village.
Recommendations: Explore the use of
a County Youth Bus and associated supervisor to provide a venue for
socialising in the village. Investigate the possibility of establishing
a Youth evening in the Village Hall or the Chapel and the feasibility
of a County Youth worker.
Q 3. Would you like to have a youth
council formed in the village, to promote the interests and address the
concerns of the young people within our community?
Response: Yes 67 % No 33
%
Findings: Some of the young people feel
that they do not have a voice in the community, in order to express concerns
or ideas, as expressed in Question 9.
Recommendation: Form a Youth Council
that has representation on the Parish Council.
Q 4. Would you like to make use of a
Study ‘Quiet’ Room during the week?
Response: Yes 2 % No 81%
Finding: There appears to be adequate
opportunity for study within the village.
Q 5. Which of the following would
you be likely to attend/use if they were available for the young people
in Appleton Wiske? (Circle as many as are applicable)
Response: Drama
38 %
Basketball/Netball Hoops
33 %
Bike / Cycling Club
29 %
Music / Band
24 %
Arts / Crafts
24 %
Wildlife / Conservation
24 %
Aerobics / Yoga
24 %
Singing
19 %
Cricket nets
19 %
Chess league
14 %
Computers (with internet)
14 %
Running / Walking Club
14 %
Dirt track for bicycles
14 %
Personal Growth Discussion
Group 0 %
Finding: There appears to be substantial
interest in a variety of different activities,. It is worth noting
that East Harlsey received support for a two week drama workshop during
the holidays.
Recommendations: In the interests of
building a cohesive community it would be useful to have activities that
bring together people across the age spectrum e.g. chess league, village
band and singing group, weekly time trials for running/walking,
bird watching, astronomy, conservation, fashion design/sewing, art club
etc., utilising the many, varied talents that people of all ages have within
our community. It is recommended that one of these activities is
selected as a pilot project, with the support and sponsorship from a group
of adults within the village. If successful, the range of activities
on offer could be broadened.
A second recommendation is that a person
should be nominated to explore how East Harlsey went about securing funding
for their drama workshop, and determining the feasibility of undertaking
the same exercise in Appleton Wiske.
Q 6. If the village bus was to make
a regular, scheduled trip for a couple of hours every weekend, where would
you like it to go?
Response: Northallerton
38 %
Middlesbrough
14 %
Yarm
14 %
Others
<1 % each
Findings: A number of indicators suggest
that there is a real need for transport between the village and other local
communities, particularly Northallerton. On a Saturday morning, more
than 10 of the young people within the village travel to Northallerton
to attend music practice.
Recommendation: Ask the Village Mini-bus
committee to assess the feasibility of conducting a service to Northallerton
on a Saturday/Sunday.
Q 7. Do you feel safe in the village
in the daytime and in the evening? If you answered “no” please state where
you feel unsafe and why.
Response:
Yes No
Daytime 100 % 0 %
Evening 86 % 10 %
Findings: The perceived lack of safety
is at the recreation fields in the evening.
Recommendations: This issue needs to
be explored in more detail with the youth in the village. The proposed
Youth Council is the most appropriate means to understand the concerns
about the recreation area and how these perceptions might be resolved.
Q 8. What do you like most about living
in Appleton Wiske?
Response: Many friends in the village,
friendliness 52 %
Quiet, peaceful
33 %
Village is neat, beautiful
19 %
Findings: The ability to socialise with
peers in a secure environment is very important to young people in the
village.
Q 9. What do you like least about
living in Appleton Wiske?
Response: Transport dependency
29 %
Nothing to do
29 %
Behaviour of some of the
young people 19 %
Attitude towards the young
people 19 %
Findings: ‘nothing to do’ must
mean that the activities that are available are either:
a. not of interest, b. inaccessible
(actual or perceived) or
c. difficult to participate in because
of scheduling or commitment required etc.
Recommendations: The activity groups
that already exist in the village need to assess their appeal to young
people in the village. If these groups would like to extend a greater
welcome to young people, they need to develop more creative ways of marketing
their activities and engaging with the youth. This may require some
modifications in order to heighten their appeal to young people either
in terms of scheduling, the time commitment required for the activity,
or enhancing the activity in some way e.g. forming a music
group/band to support the lighting of the Village Christmas Tree.
A few activities should be organised especially for the young people e.g.
a skateboarding competition, tennis tournament, Wiske Water Challenge.
Q 10. Would you like to live in Appleton
Wiske when you have left home?, you have a family of your own?, you
are elderly?
Response:
% Yes % No
Left home 33 67
Family of your own 48 43
Elderly 48 48
Finding: This question requires further
investigation in order to extract more meaning from the result. The lack
of interest in remaining in the village could be linked to a number of
factors such as the lack of work that would keep a young person in the
village, the availability of adequate starter housing and the transport
infrastructure linking the village to other local communities.
Q 11. Which gender are you?
Response: Female 62 %
Male 38 %
Q 12. How old are you?
Q 13. How many years have you lived
in Appleton Wiske?
Response: 50 % of respondents all their
lives.
14 % been here for 10
years or more
14 % been here between
5 and 10 years and
19 % moved into the parish
within the last 4 years
For Older Residents
? Broadacres Housing policy and allocation
of single person dwellings
? Lunch/social group/activities would
be beneficial.
? High reliance upon friends, neighbours
and families by the elderly
? Many of the older residents are the
most active in village organisations etc.
The Questionnaire brought out the fact
that there are few residents of Appleton Wiske who have special needs and
those that have, seem to be having most of their needs met - (carers/domestic
help). However, as people grow older, their one main concern is the lack
of a public transport service.
Older people would also like to have
a range of activities in the village. The three interests that topped the
poll were:
? to have trips and visits
? a Luncheon Club
? University of the Third Age.
Many of the older residents (don’t forget
60+ is still young!) have offered help with visiting, car clubs, gardening/home
repairs, shopping, hospital visits and lifts to airport or rail station.
However, there were a few people who said they could use help. With this
in mind, it would be helpful if some sort of central list could be drawn
up so that people willing to help would know who, how and where to help.
It was good to see that everyone felt
safe in the village during the day and only 3 were a little unsure about
walking round at night.
The village surgery including the prescription
service was well received but it was pointed out that the prescription
service was for one practice only.
Several people felt that they would
like to downsize in the village and a few more thought that they possibly
would be looking towards downsizing in the future.
The overall impression was that most
people thought that Appleton Wiske was a good community to live in – but
if we can improve the community spirit by taking on board any of the suggestions
then that can only be a good thing.
ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONNAIRE FOR OLDER
RESIDENTS
1. Special Needs.
Yes
3 No
28
2. Most important needs.
Public transport: Handrail up Steps.
3. Club Interests.
Whist
Bridge
Canasta
University of Third Age
Lunch Club
Trips and Visits
Volunteer – projects
Other:
3
5
1
8
9
12
6
1
Art and Crafts
4. Can you help?
Home visits
Car Club
Gardening/repairs help
Shopping
Hospital visiting
Airport/Rail station Offer
7
7
8
10
7
12 Use
1
1
1
1
5. Visiting your Neighbours Offer
19
6. Safety in the Village.
Day:
Night: Safe
32
29 Unsafe
0
3 Why/Where:
Prowlers: Car thieves: Because getting
older: “Teenagers make me uneasy.”
7. Downsize? Yes
6 Possibly
2 5 would like bungalows and 1 a 2
bedded home
8. GP and the Prescription Service
30 Prescription service only
for one practice:
Big queues in village surgery.
9. Suggestions ? Questionnaire
should be for every member of household.
? Footpaths on Hornby Road – to end
of houses at Hornby end:
? Lunch/social group would be beneficial.
? 60+ is YOUNG!
? PO should join “The Link” so all
can withdraw cash. The machine should be 24 hour.
? The old peoples’ bungalows are now
mostly singles (not OAP age) and not natives of Appleton. |
