A 1½ hour focus group was held in a converted barn in the centre of Wedmore. The session included refreshments and was recorded. There were 4 respondents – 2 of whom had lived in the immediate area all their lives and one who had been away to university but had returned and the fourth who had worked away and abroad for a large proportion of his adult life but had returned to bring up his two children.
Only 10% of the overall adult population of the Isle of Wedmore belong to families who have lived here for generations, but this varies a great deal by village/hamlet within the parish.
| Where you live | % of all adults in the parish who live in: | % adults whose families have lived here for generations |
|---|---|---|
| Wedmore/Sand/Newtown/ Little Ireland/Latcham | 59% | 37% |
| Theale/Panborough/Bagley/ Mudgley | 12% | 30% |
| Blackford/Stoughton/Heath House/Westham | 15% | 20% |
| Cocklake/Clewer/Crickham | 9% | 13% |
The focus of this group was on attitudes to change over time. In general the tone of the group was quite negative although there was recognition that many of the changes were common to other communities and due to ‘progress’ and ‘modern lifestyles’. All respondents enjoyed reminiscing about the past which provided an interesting insight into what life in the Isle of Wedmore used to be like.
Up until quite recent times, Wedmore was small enough for everyone to know everyone in the village. It was "the ideal size to grow up in"
"We could trust everybody. Us children amused ourselves and enjoyed the company of our friends"
One respondent remembers the 60’s and 70’s as a period when children played rounders on the streets and cricket matches were held every Sunday in the outlying villages. Everything was much more local as villagers didn’t have access to other areas and there were fewer facilities like leisure centres. The result was that children found pleasure in messing about "on their doorstep" climbing, playing etc.
In the ‘old days’ Wedmore was more of a farmers’ fraternity where employment on the whole related to farming. Each village had a post office, a pub, a shop, and a church. These services provided a focal point which engendered a community feel.
Although Wedmore still retains these ‘cornerstones of community’ it has grown too big to sustain the sense of unity and togetherness enjoyed by villagers in the past.
"We’ve got all this but we’re too big"
Interestingly it is villages like Theale and Blackford which are a "more manageable size" that have remained more community spirited. The respondents felt it was very telling that Wedmore failed to co ordinate themselves into organising an event or commemoration for the millennium.
The changes in drinking habits (with better availability of alcohol in supermarkets) and drink driving attitudes have reduced pub trade which in turn has affected the sense of community and friendship derived from public houses.
There was a surge of newcomers in the 80’s, according to one respondent , when many big financial firms relocated to Bristol. This brought a new breed of ‘executive types’ with higher expectations than the original inhabitants of the Isle of Wedmore. There was a high turnover of people at this time which seems to have settled down a bit.
This has had an impact on house prices. One respondent talked of his experiences of looking for affordable housing "starter homes are £140,000 in Cheddar" and the housing register waiting list of 4 – 5 years.
"families can’t afford to stay in the countryside"
"children can’t afford to buy the houses off their parents"
It was unanimously felt that there was not enough housing provision for young families or the elderly.
Lack of local employment means there is inevitably a predominance of commuters. Although there was a reluctance amongst some respondents to allow the building of industrial units there was a feeling that "it might be good for the place"
The group discussed why the expectations of today’s youth is so different from the past when very simple pleasures seemed to satisfy.
One of the key problems the group identified was that young teenagers had more access to cash and yet the only thing they can easily spend the cash on in the village at night is alcohol. Whereas in the past teenagers worked in order to earn their pocket money, it is much more common nowadays for them to get handouts from their parents.
"I watched a young girl being dropped off by her mother on a Friday night being handed a £20 note"
Having said this, due to increased youth employment regulations, there is a lack of opportunity for local employment. One respondent had worked very long hours in a pub, 7 days a week from the age of 13. Nowadays this would not be allowed from a regulatory point of view nor would children be prepared to work so hard.
It was thought that the breakdown of the traditional family through divorce, both parents working and a general decline in discipline, respect and formality has led to simple things not being enough.
For example, in the past the publicans may have turned a blind eye to a limited amount of underage drinking and the young respected the fact that they got away with it.
"Today they over do it, take advantage and spoil it"
"The youth aren’t ‘allowed’ anywhere because they can’t behave"
All respondents felt there is a lack of police presence nowadays. In the past the police station was in the village and the police man knew who you and your parents were. There has been a breakdown in authority.
In the past, Young Farmers had a big influence on the youth and "kept them busy"
"Go away – then you’ll appreciate how nice it is to live here – fantastic countryside, easy going pace of life, you don’t need to earn a fortune. I’m happy earning less money and being happier"
"Going away gives perspective. You don’t know what you’ve got until you haven’t got it"
The 2 respondents who have lived here their entire lives found it less easy to feel so positive about living in the Isle of Wedmore.
All the respondents enjoyed discussing the diversity of shops that used to exist in Wedmore and found it very disappointing that it was necessary to travel 4 miles to Cheddar to buy something as ordinary as a saucepan.
In the not very distant past there was a huge variety of shops and services in the Saxon Square – 2 sweet shops, a shoe shop, grocery shop, PO, hairdressers, estate agents, grocery/haberdashery department store, Lloyds bank, garage, toy shops, second hand shop, a Spa, another shoe shop, chemist, barber, shoe repairer, butchers, hardware shop etc!
"You could get everything you needed!"
Home | Latest on Sheltered Housing | Final Parish Plan | Survey Questions & Response Rates | Adult Survey Results | Teenagers' Survey Results | Children's Survey Results | Verbatim Comments | Community Consultations
