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Achievements
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There are
several recent schemes which have involved the
Trust's staff of which they are particularly proud.
These include:
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Planning
Studies
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The
regeneration strategy - "Vision 2020" was prepared
by the Civic Trust in 1994 - this took account of
the County's planning objectives for the town and
its hinterland, while investigating in detail what
could be done to improve the local socio-economic
factors and the environment.
A new Local
Plan was prepared by the County and District
working with the Town Council in 1999.
In 1999
Yorkshire Forward funded an environmental
consultancy, BDP, to undertake a further study of
the potential in Bentham for future improvement as
part of its market towns initiative. This
initiative was in support of North Yorkshire County
Council's policy of having market villages to act
as cores for larger rural areas. As part of this
study discussions were held with local people, as
well as councillors and 30 local interest groups in
the town which were asked to comment. The result of
all the consultation has been that local people
have developed a greater understanding of the
potential for change and improvement in their local
area and community.
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Youth
Centre and Community Meeting Rooms
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The old Quaker
meeting house in High Bentham is in the process of
being transformed into a modern Youth Centre.
Initially there was little funding and the running
of the Youth Centre was not managed locally. Now
funding has been made available to renovate the
building and to support a Centre manager. As a
result the building is being refurbished to include
Community Meeting Rooms, as well as space for the
the Youth Club. It is being designed mainly for
local youth activities.
Bids have also
been made to support the running of an after-school
club for the town. However, it is recognised that
care has to be taken about the impact that such an
arrangement could have on the present child
minders. In Bentham in general many women work only
part-time and in poorly paid jobs, as there are few
local employment opportunities .
The old Quaker
meeting House is owned by North Yorkshire County
Council and has been leased free to the local
community.
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Training
facilities in Bentham
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Bentham is now
well supported in terms of training facilities. In
particular, the facilities at Miller's Court are
excellent, providing a local training centre easily
accessible by the populations of Low and High
Bentham. The facilities include a large
well-equipped IT suite and a creche.
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Community
Office
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Bentham
Development Trust is now in very inadequate
accommodation, but it has found room for a
Community Office nevertheless. This is available
from 9-5 every weekday for non-commercial use by
members of the local community and visitors to
Bentham. This Community Office is a small room
containing a computer, scanner and printers. The
computer is on-line and can be used to access the
Internet whenever required - users pay a small sum
per minute of use and their usage is monitored by a
program on the computer which measures the time the
Internet link is open - so that users can be
charged accurately without arguments. The Community
Office is kept locked and opened by the Trust's
staff whenever required. At present (Summer 2000)
about 30 people per week are using the facility -
this includes relatives and friends of local
inhabitants who often come to pick up their e-mails
while visiting Bentham.
The age range
of the people using the facility is widening and a
staff member can be available by prior arrangement
to show novices how to use the computer, how to
scan and how to print, as well as how to access the
Internet. This help is not intended as an
introduction to using computers or Internet -
skills which can be learnt at the local training
centre - the help is intended to give local people
a hassle- free first chance to see just how easy it
is to use computers these days.
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Victoria
Institute
Low Bentham
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The Bentham
Development Trust is involved in raising funds for
the Victoria Institute in Low Bentham. Funding is
needed to improve access for disabled people to
this community meeting room.
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Other
organisations in Bentham
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There are 63
organisations in Bentham and the Trust staff and
members sit on many of the local committees. In
this way the officers can keep involved with
developments throughout the local
community.
One notable
example of a successful community-based project
is:
The
Looking Well
This is a
charitable arts-based community project which aims
to promote people's health and wellbeing in the
Bentham area. Its goal is to develop people's
understanding of the benefits of healthy lifestyles
and attitudes. The Looking Well Centre has been
opened in the centre of Bentham and has proved very
successful and further premises will open in the
near future.
About 150
people visit the
Looking Well
every week and there are regular exhibitions and
special discussion groups. However, most people
casually drop in for discussions with the staff who
run this inclusive project; there are now four paid
part-time staff. The centre is becoming well known
for its efforts in the area of Community Health and
recently received the Smith Kline Beecham "IMPACT"
Award for excellence - this £25,000 award has
allowed the project to continue and expand.
If you want to
find out more about the Looking Well phone: 015242
62672
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