The Vital Villages scheme is run by the Countryside Agency to provide funding for projects proposed by villagers. Grants have already been given to 1400 village- based schemes across England. Puncknowle and Swyre took part in the project in 2003.
Any project for which there is popular demand amongst residents can be supported by the grant and could include starting a new club, improving the transport infrastructure or providing information on what is already available. The needs of each village are different, and the scheme is flexible to reflect this. Under the scheme, a residents’ questionnaire is sent out to discover whether there is a need for any projects to be organised.
About 60 people took part in the initial meetings, all airing their views as to whether there was any need for more services/organisations/clubs in the three villages. The suggestions from the meetings established a questionnaire that was sent out to all residents.
The Vital Villages Questionnaire was not designed to ascertain perceptions, but to explore whether there were any needs for anymore services/organisations / clubs in the parish. The questionnaire was confidential and there were separate sections for young people. A separate sheet was included for anyone who wanted to get involved in any schemes that emerged, although this was not a necessary condition of filling out the questionnaire.
The final report from the questionnaire findings gave an invaluable insight into the needs of villagers 20 years ago and helped form the initial approach to establishing the Neighbourhood Plan.