Malpas - Runners Up

Back in April, the Parish Council once again entered Malpas into the West Cheshire Community Pride Award Competition.

One element of the competition, "The Cheshire Community Spirit Award" was people focused with the questions being designed to establish which village exhibited the strongest sense of community spirit.

There questionnaire consisted of 5 categories which were

Community Life - a better place to live

Business - a better place to work

Sustainability - a better future

Communications - being in contact

General - tell us what makes your village special

A entry form was completed and submitted by Cathy Reynolds, the content of which was deemed strong enough for Malpas to progress to the next phase, and on 28th July a small group which consisted of Pauline Plumb, Canon Ian Davenport, Ruth Jacks, Jo Goldthorpe, Eric Beak, Penny Davies, and Chris Whitehurst met 3 of the competition judges to answer their questions and provide further information on village life and activities.

You will be pleased to learn that Malpas were judged as runners up in the competition, and the new Parish Chairman, Adrian Waddelove attended the award ceremony in Ellesmere Port on 6th October to accept the Certificate of Merit and a cheque for £75, which the parish council plan to use in furthering the cause of community spirit.

Just a final memo to all organisations and individuals whose efforts have enabled Malpas to be recognised for its community spirit; thank you all for your support and input in and in the true sense of rallying the troops - keep up the good work.

To see the completed entry form:

Notes

1. Judges are looking to see how community life is developed. How it is overcoming its deficiencies.

2. The village will not be penalised if you are unable to answer one or more of the questions.

3. The final question on page 4 give you an additional opportunity to add anything else you consider will support

your entry.

4. Part of the judging of the competition is a meeting between villagers and the judges. A convenient date will be

arranged.

CATEGORY 1 - COMMUNITY LIFE – a better place to live

1. How are villagers encouraged to participate in community life? Is there a forum which focuses on

decision making?

There are some 50 plus organisations and clubs within the Malpas parish boundary that cater for all age ranges.
The Parish Council is actively promoting local organisations through a community Organisation Fair and through its
Chairman's monthly report in the Parish News Magazine.

The Parish News magazine covers wide range of activities from Tae Kwon Do to Needle Work via Field Club and
History Society

The Parish Council is leading on bringing the organisations together. All local groups and organisations are run by
local people. (See Appendix A for list of Organisations)

2. What local facilities are available e.g. crèche, pre-school groups, youth groups, others? How are they supported?

A General Practice Medical Centre and Doctors surgery; Opticians, and Dentist all exist in the village. There are 5 churches of Christian denominations; a retained Fire service, Post office, and independent store that has fresh baked bread. Also taxi firms, a bus company; plumbers, electricians etc. Virtual every facility or service exists within the village or the immediate surrounding area.

The village has a communal village hall, a large recreation ground, youth centre and sports club.

There are a number of meeting places and rooms that can be hired.

Coffee mornings take place in the High Street Church and we have a day Centre for senior citizens that runs 2 days per week. 7 pre-school groups exist, and we have an out of school hours club for children whose parents work beyond school hours.

There is also a full range of uniformed youth groups, e.g. beavers, cubs, guides etc. There is also a Fire Cadet scheme in operation,

They are supported by my local volunteers and organisers.

3. Are young people encouraged to be involved in decision-making?

A Youth Council which represents the Broxton electoral ward exists at The Bishop Heber High School. The Parish Council (PC) is currently talking to both the junior and secondary schools on how young persons can be engaged in the environmental projects the council has planned.

The PC is also considering how it can engage with Young Persons Council

4. What facilities are there for senior citizens e.g. Car schemes, social clubs, home helps?

A Day Centre (the Jubilee Club) for Senior citizens is currently open 2 days per week and the Parish Council is
actively working to keep this open and extend and develop its range of activities at the same time as increasing its
client base.

A meal is provided as part of the activity, provision of which is currently being delivered through the Primary School

Home help teams based in the area, and there are 2 residential / nursing homes providing care for older people
including anyone with dementia. There is also a range of sheltered accommodation (60+ properties) available in the
village.

Many of senior citizens participate in numerous local clubs

5. Does you village suffer from anti social behaviour. How is low-level crime such as graffiti or criminal damage

dealt with?

Not really other than speeding within the village. The Parish Council is working with Cheshire police to tackle this
ongoing issue.

There is very little vandalism within the village. If it happens, the borough council streetscene department deals
with the incident usually within one week.

CATEGORY 2 - BUSINESS – a better place to work

1. What part do local businesses play in the life of the village e.g. village pub, post office, industrial enterprises.

Are they supportive of community life?

We have a business partnership organisation (Malpas BizNet) which was the initiative of the Parish Council. BizNet although only 15 months old has some 70 members drawn from all businesses in the local area, and is very supportive of the local community, regular holding network meetings, and contributing to fund raising efforts within the village.

There is the Fire Station café that hosts many small business meetings, whilst serving as a communal meeting place for older people.

The local Library situated at the Bishop Heber High School has internet public access

Many of the shops are owned by local people and operated as small businesses providing numerous venues where local people meet and chat – very unlike the experience of going to the larger supermarkets.

2. Do these businesses offer employment opportunities to local people?

Yes. Many local residents work in the local shops, Barlows (UK) Electricians, and I7 Technologies offer work experience and apprenticeships to local youngsters through partnerships with the Bishop Heber High School.

John Barlow / Mark Holden (Barlows UK ) are actively involved with sports club, and Steve Farmer of I7 is one of the key drivers behind the Malpas BizNet organisation

CATEGORY 3 - SUSTAINABILITY – a better future

1. What has been or is currently being undertaken in your community to help protect and improve the local

environment?

A list of areas of wildlife & landscape value has been included in the draft Village Design Statement in order to raise
the profile of these areas. The Village Design Statement is also strong focused on protecting and improving the
local environment

2. Are there areas of special conservation? Who manages them? How do local people become involved

A SSSI site, Taylor's Rough exists on the edge of the parish, as does a conservation area at Hough Bridge. The Parish Council owns a small rest area off Wrexham road, which it is committed to keeping in a natural state as possible.

Some of these areas are privately owned.

A substantial village conservation area exists making planning rules and development more stringent. We also have a Recreation Ground of green space in trust for village youngsters, and this is managed by a local committee.

The Parish Council organises regular consultations on elements that impact on village environment – St Joseph's
(major housing development) The Village Design Statement production, The Parish Plan.

3. Are there any energy saving initiatives plans being undertaken or being considered for the future?

Local electricians, Hawk Electrical (Cheshire ) limited who reside in the village have recently started to market solar
and PV panels.

CATEGORY 4 – COMMUNICATIONS – being in contact

1. How do you welcome ALL new residents into community life? How do they find out what is going on.

The Parish Plan recognised this as a deficiency. The Parish Council now has a draft Welcome Pack which is due to be
distributed to everyone in the village over this summer. The plan is to keep this document up to date and any future
newcomers will receive copies.

There are 3 notice boards within the village that have adverts of current events.

The Parish News magazine which is distributed free on a Monthly basis to e very household is also well used to
publicise forthcoming events. The Malpas
BizNet Web site www.malpasbiz.net has an online calendar of local events as does the local community web site.

The Laundry and the Dry Cleaning Company windows on the High Street also advertise many local events.

2. How do people in need of care, help and support within your community find out what organised benefits are

available to assist them.

Through the local GP Surgery, The Day Centre, and organised events by the Primary Care Trusts and the Borough
Council local forums

3. What benefits does the village gain from information communication technology e.g. Tourism, provision of e-mail,

local communications, within the village and surrounding areas, business, environmental, other ideas?

The BizNet web site www.malpasbiz.net caters for the local business and the wider community. It contains a local
business directory and is regularly updated with local news and events.

Does your village have its own website? If so what is the address www.malpas.org.uk If not, do you have plans to develop one?

Our own Community web site contains a lot of information about the community and includes a residents' forum.
However it is currently in need of a re-vamp and re- launch.

5. Do you have any IT facilities in the village e.g. library, post office, which villagers can use?

There is an IT facility and public internet access available at the Bishop Heber High School

GENERAL

Tell us what makes your village a special place?

We have 15 century church which is featured in many guide books including the "1000 best English churches" architectural wise.

This has been the hub of a settlement in the area for over 1000 years

There is a huge amount of fascinating history particularly about the Victorian development e.g. water system of the
village, with the range of buildings covering designs and builds for the last 400 years

It is still a strong working community, as opposed to being a city dormitory town.

We are very self sufficient for facilities & services except for public transport for the whole village and the hinterland.

It design is one of a classic English village lines that is built on and around a market that grew up around a cross roads