More volunteers are needed to support the Community Speedwatch Scheme in Acton, Great and Little Waldingfield. This was the message that Little Waldingfield Parish Council received at its monthly meeting yesterday evening. Support is good from residents in Chilton and Newton, but the number of people turning out elsewhere has been less encouraging. The scheme is likely to fail if more helpers are not found, so if you are willing to help please get in touch with your Parish Council.
People complain a good deal about motorists who drive too fast through villages, and research has shown that lower speeds mean fewer fatalities. It seems strange therefore that more volunteers cannot be found to spend just an hour or so a month supporting the scheme.
However, it is not just the Speedwatch scheme that is in trouble. I was one of a small team of people who organised a fundraising barbecue at the weekend. Some 50 people bought tickets and the evening was a success. However, I fear that we may not be able to repeat the exercise in the future. We were simply too few (and dare I say it, a little too old) to put up the tents, move the tables, cook the food and then clear it all up again. Perhaps it was a little ambitious in any event, but no new, younger, bodies are coming through to help us and the whole business was just too much work for a few volunteers. Many hands do make light work in these circumstances, and organising events can be great fun and a good way of getting to meet new people. However, when it becomes too much of a grind volunteering loses its allure!
There is a hard core of people in all the communities in Waldingfield Ward who get out and about and are visible at most of the events that take place, selling raffle tickets, cooking food, manning stalls etc. etc. But they are always the same people! Many of them are the recipients of this blog.
However, where is everyone else? Of course many are working hard trying to earn a living, and this must take priority. However, we do have a higher than average number of retired people in the area. I was alarmed to read recently that on average people in the UK watch something like 5 to 6 hours of television every day. Most of the busy people that I know don’t spend their time like this however which implies that others must be glued to their chairs like limpets.
This is rather a depressing picture.
However, as those who were manning the speedwatch camera on the day of ‘the Acton Streaker’ will tell you, it is so much more interesting to get out and about and engage with the real soap opera of life!
