| Organisers are pleased with attendance |
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St Michaels and All Angels, Hilperton.
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 The questionnaire was designed to enable villagers to express their views on how they see the village developing in future.
Hilperton is a village situated to the north east of Trowbridge. |
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| | Nearly a hundred visited the tiny St. Mary’s Tin Church on Saturday 20th April and over two hundred and fifty packed the Hilperton Village Hall on Sunday 21st.
At one stage doors and windows had to be flung open to allow air into the busy interior.
It was particularly rewarding for the steering group that the majority of visitors studied the displays thoroughly and took their time patiently filling out the detailed questionnaire over free coffee and biscuits.
 | | The exhibition attracted over 500 visitors. |
The questionnaire was designed to enable villagers to express their views on how they see the village developing in future, and this was clearly taken very seriously.
It was satisfying that there is such an active will to participate and a strong sense of community within the village.
As well as recording the village as it is the exhibition also gathered together a wealth of information about the village which had not previously been available for public consumption.
Few knew that a 500lb unexploded bomb had once been discovered in Hill Street or that the village had once been the home of a thriving bakery business, with the vans lining Church Street each morning.
 | | The Parish Council were pleased with the exhibition. |
Archives were provided of Hilperton House as well as a painting of the original Manor House, which graced the hamlet of Whaddon.
Hilperton Parish Council is funding the production of the Village Design Statement and was gratified at this justification of its investment.
Chairman Ernie Clark said that he was particularly impressed by the quality of the exhibition which included computer mounted presentations and a video.
There were fun quizzes to keep the youngsters entertained and everyone had a thoroughly good time.
 | | Hill Street Hilperton. |
Indeed many have said they will be revisiting the exhibition when it reaches its new venue of Paxcroft Mead Community Centre this Sunday 28th April, so the organisers are expecting another full house.
Once the displays are over the VDS group have more work in store collating the information from the questionnaires to put together a draft Design Statement for the village.
Andrew Murrison, MP for Westbury, was a guest of the Hilperton Village Design Statement Group at the final exhibition of their short tour of the village on Sunday 28th April.
It was his duty to present prizes and certificates to the winners of the Art Competition but was so intrigued by the impressive overall display that he took the time to study the content.
He was impressed that the group is taking a sensible and pragmatic approach to local issues and has asked to be updated on the results of the survey of villager’s opinions.
He cannot have failed to notice the thoroughness with which residents approached the questionnaire, many sitting for hours filling it in to ensure that their contribution was of value.
The venue was the Paxcroft Mead Community Centre built in the heart of the extensive new Paxcroft housing development.
Many of the residents here are new to the area and it was therefore reassuring that so many turned out, braving an afternoon rainstorm, to view the exhibition about their village.
There were also many who revisited because they had not been able to get around it all the previous weekend.
This is a testament to the effort that has been put into the exhibition by the Steering Group. The standard was first class.
David Bartholomew. | | | |
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