Questions and answers
What is the Thatcham Vision project?
The short answer is that the project is developing a picture of the future of Thatcham which will influence decisions about the town and drive actions aimed at achieving improvements to the community's wellbeing.A slightly longer answer (based on Thatcham Vision's constitution) is that Thatcham Vision is a non-profit making organisation run by people who live in or use Thatcham. Its aims are to identify needs and opportunities for the benefit of the parish of Thatcham, and to identify and take actions (and encourage others to do the same) that will benefit people and the environment of Thatcham.
What's being done?
We’re developing an action plan which will be published this autumn. Several topic teams have been leading this work, drawing together results of the various consultation exercises we've been running. Click on the databank link in the left hand column to find out more about how we're publishing consultation information together with general statistics.Who is funding Thatcham Vision?
Much of the Vision’s work is being done by volunteers. Costs of staff (a part-time project manager and assistant for one year), an office and project activities are supported by Thatcham Town Council, West Berkshire Council and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.Is this all just talk?
Frankly it will be unless we do something about it. It’s too easy to assume that the future depends entirely on ‘them’ – central and local government in particular – but there’s a lot that everyone living in the community can do to make Thatcham a better place. Update 12th December 2006: with little over a month to go until our action plan is published, a number of actions have already been taken.Hasn't all this been done before?
No. Never before have people in Thatcham been asked to think about what their town should be like in the future, so decisions have been taken without the benefit of an overall picture of where the town should be headed. The project also provides a unique opportunity for people to get involved in improvining a wide range of aspects of the town, working in partnership with our local councils.Is this being run by the council?
No – the project is receiving lots of support from the local councils and councillors, but the project is led by local residents via a steering committee.What kinds of topics will the vision cover?
It’s likely to cover everything from the provision of services like doctor’s surgeries and schools through to transport, shopping and making the most of our natural environment and heritage. Visit our Hot Topics page to find out more.What can I do to help?
We need volunteer helpers to assist with many aspects of the project, from helping us to run a variety of exercises with people in Thatcham through to analysing what’s going on elsewhere, developing this website, analysing the views and information we collect and so on. There’s a lot to do. Whether you can spare just a couple of hours or would like to get involved more heavily, we’d be delighted to hear from you. See the 'contacts' link in the left side-bar for details of how to contact us.Is this like the Newbury Vision?
No. Newbury 2025 - A Vision for Newbury Town Centre is, as the title suggests, a vision for the centre of Newbury. Howewer Newbury 2025 was not produced as part of a parish planning exercise like the Thatcham Vision.What is parish planning?
Parish planning exercises are primarily concerned in involving people from the community in developing their village or town. There are lots of similar projects taking place across West Berkshire - visit this West Berkshire Council web page to find out more or contact Community Action West Berkshire on 01635 523857 or email: sarah.ward@cawb.org.uk to find out more.