West Bergholt Parish Council is reaching out to young people with a letter to all secondary school age youngsters, inviting them to attend a meeting to discuss their needs. The full text of the letter is as follows:
To all secondary school pupils in West Bergholt
West Bergholt Parish Council has been considering how best to meet the needs and aspirations of all village residents and in particular how it can engage with the younger age group. It is proposed to hold an informal open meeting where we invite you to speak on any issues which you see as important and together discuss how we can address them.
As an outcome from the meeting I hope we will be able to establish a village Youth Panel which would meet regularly and liaise on a permanent basis with the Parish Council. I expect the meeting to last about an hour.
To help prepare for this meeting, I have spoken with a small group at Stanway School. Also before the open meeting each household in the village will receive a draft copy of the findings of the village survey carried out in 2006. I hope you will read this, and indeed respond if appropriate, as it will probably stimulate your ideas for the village development and provide a basis for discussions at our meeting.
The open meeting will be held in the John Lampon Hall ( at the rear of the Orpen Hall) on Friday 8th February at 7.00pm.
Finally please share this letter with your parents as they will receive an invite to a Parish Meeting to be held later in the year and no doubt issues such as those you raise will be discussed there. Please make every effort to attend as this is the start of an opportunity for you to have a say about what goes on in your village and a chance for us to hear about the things that concern you most.
Don’t worry if you misplace this note as a copy can be found on the village website at www.westbergholt.net. I look forward to meeting you on the 8th February.
Thank you
Yours faithfully,
Harry Stone