Views of life in the Exe Valley

The questionnaire was assembled by the Education and the Heritage, Arts and Culture Focus Groups as part of the evidence base on which they developed and supported local projects. It was completed by young people and
their families during the February 2006 halfterm break. It explored a number of issues concerning the local area and what it has to offer to families, children and young people. This report draws together the responses and comments, grouping them to assist interpretation.

I. Families’ likes, dislikes and their hopes for the future – the first group of responses

How do you view the place where you live?

Children, young people and their parents said that the best things about living here in the Exe valley are the countryside, the friendly people and the quietness of the area. Many families liked our ‘safe, open spaces’, the waterways, parks and wildlife, as well as the importance of having ‘nice neighbours’ and a good ‘community life’. Are there buildings or beauty spots special to you? Top of the list was the Grand Western Canal which families enjoy for walks as well as for the views, wildlife and for some, the added interest of the lime kilns and the quarry area. Popular countryside locations included Exmoor, Dartmoor, and more locally Chimney Down, Culmstock Beacon, Paradise Woods, and Rackenford Common. Some families named favourite places such as Tarr Steps and Salmonpond Weir, the big country estates of Knightshayes and Killerton, ancient buildings such as Tiverton Castle, Canonsleigh monastery and Cothay Manor. While some of these locations are technically outside the Exe Valley itself, modern transport means that families travel there quite often and they are therefore perceived as within easy reach of home. Some people said that they appreciated the architecture of Devon’s older buildings and of the churches in particular, while others were interested in aspects of industrial archaeology in places such as Coldharbour Mill and the lime kilns along the Grand Western Canal. A few families made the point that their local church was important to them as it was far more than a building; it was the centre of village and community life.

What do you like least about living here?
Some families in remote country areas regretted living far from their friends and having to drive everywhere. A lack of local amenities identified by these parents and their children
included having nowhere to play football, no sports facilities, poor public transport and as one youngster wrote ‘nothing to do when it’s wet’. Three children said that they did not like the weather and all the mud in winter! More generally, families commented that there were ‘too many new houses’, too few good shops and too many charity shops in Tiverton, while a few complained that they disliked noisy neighbours and noisy pubs and some had nowhere to park. A couple of specific comments referred to smelly public toilets and noise from low flying
jets while two people said that the council tax was expensive and one family considered that there were few job opportunities in the local area.

Where could improvements be made in the Exe Valley?

Families had clear ideas on improvements that they would like to see in the countryside and in the towns and villages of the Exe Valley. Top of the list of priorities was ‘more for youngsters to do’ – from primary age to teenagers, including indoor and outdoor activities. Examples given included play areas, after school clubs, an ice rink, squash courts, a football academy, an internet café, more cycle tracks, more fields for BMX use, ‘Something more sophisticated for 16+ than the youth club’, and a venue for stage performance, live music and entertainment.
Quite a number of comments focused on shops. People wanted ‘more corner shops’ as well as more ‘good stores in Tiverton’ and several young people wanted more ‘teenagers’ clothes shops’. There was a plea to ‘stop local shops closing’ and a request for ‘more parking in Tiverton’. Some families believed that there were ‘too many charity shops’ in the town and one child wanted to see ‘more toy shops’. Additional ideas and comments included a request to improve the riverside in Tiverton which is presently considered by one respondent to be ‘very ugly’ and a wish for better control of graffiti. More general comments included a request to lower the speed limits
through country villages, a wish for a stop to the building of yet more houses and a call for more planned provision for wildlife.