Young People Committee
28 October 2024

Young People Survey Report

1. The Young People Survey commissioned by the committee and undertaken by
Survey Monkey has been completed and the results are attached to this report. A
summary of the results is below.
2. The 12+ survey was well completed and received 46 responses, mostly by
students attending East Bergholt High School, by children aged between 12-17
years. The majority of them living near the Playing fields, High School or East
End. 88% of these young people felt there was not enough to do in the village
apart from sports, of which 44% of them take part in. Over 60% of young people
travel to their current activities by car.
Most felt there was a demand for services during the week, during the school
holidays and on a Saturday, rather than Sunday. The ideal activity would be
located in the village, for minimal or low cost and attended by people who are
familiar.
Some commented that they stay at home online, due to the lack of activity in the
village. The majority of young people visit the co-op, playing fields, friends’
houses and play sports during their spare time.
The below chart demonstrates what young people of this age group would like to
see in the village.

Free text comments from this age group suggesting what they would like to see in
the village (sic):

• Table tennis tables at park Youth club
• Activities after school and weekends such as arts had crafts, drop ins, bike
activities
• park for older people and netball courts or hoops. Netball league
• Youth clubs
• 4g pitch More playing space Youth club
• Skate board park
• Skate park
• Skatepark , swimming pool
• Youth club, Coffee place for teens with milkshake and Xbox. Skatepark
• Youth club Indoor spaces to hang around with friends
• A computer gaming club
• Somewhere to swim.
• More buses. Social club for teens
• Tennis Target shooting
• Bike, Skateboard park, youth club
• A better park it’s rubbish and not well! We don’t need much else just more
money spent on the up keep of the free park!!!
• More play equipment Activity camps Bushcraft camp
• Cinema showing films for young people
• A computer programming club or technical / maths / physics club
• D&D, Warhammer, computer/coding, somewhere to gather that’s not just
hanging around the streets
• Sports clubs, den building
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19
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0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
STEM CLUB
TABLE TENNIS TABLES
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITES
MORE PLAY AREAS
YOUTH CLUB
SKATEPARK
SWMMING POOL
MORE TRANSPORT
GAMING CLUB
FITNESS TRAIL
CRICKET
MARTIAL ARTS
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
BIGGER GYM
12+ Years

• More fitness trails, a place inside to hang out, play games. I’d like to be able to
play pool in the village (children are banned at the Hare)
• Martial arts
• Cricket
• Sometimes go to the church fortnightly Friday mornings.
• More things to do to make more friends and have fun things to do closer to
home
• It’s boring for young people.
• “My children did not go to the village primary so found it very hard to make
village friends.
• They joined brownies, village choir etc but the other children did not talk to
them as they were not at the village school”
• “I go to the shop, the park and home. That’s it nowhere else. its boring and
repetitive.
• most adults think we are up to no good. We are not allowed access to play
games and hang out.”
• A youth club would be nice in the school holidays
• “Your could link with experts to assist in running STEM related clubs. Your
survey limited answers to one for example club tines could be in the week and
during the holidays.
• What was stopping attendance could also include didn’t line the clubs on offer.
(A slightly didsabled person who struggles with sports and is also a high
functioning autistic person, doesn’t like the clubs on offer but would benefit
from a computer club for example.”
• “No buses to Manning tree or in evenings means independently accessing
anything outside the village impossible.
• “The schools are already at capacity, more houses are being built and that
means more kids with nothing to do outside of school, now even the pool is
not going to happen.”
• Old people assume the worst of me.
• We just need more things to do
• a bus should be supplied for those living in the brantham/east bergholt area
for the colchester schools
• Not as much to do at the park so maybe you could install a play equipment for
older children
• peaceful sheltered independent free to roam safe
• We need better public transport
• a skatepark
• Swimming pool and a bigger gym
• swimming pool bowling reasturant teenage youth club
• Swimming pool
• Decent youth club Things for us to do without our parents in the holidays
• Maybe like a teenage cinema night at constable hall.

3. The 6-12 year survey was completed by an almost 50/50 split from each age
group (6-8 yrs and 9-12 yrs). There were 49 responses in total. 77% of these
children attended East Bergholt Primary School and lived fairly evenly all over the
village. Over 70% of these children felt that there is currently not enough to do in
the village.
The majority of these children currently enjoy attending sports clubs, Brownies
(not based in the village) Drama and Dance. 64% of these children travel to their
activities by car.
The majority of children in this age group spend their time at the playing fields,
friends’ houses, playing football or gaming. 47% of responders felt activities were
needed during the week, with 26% suggesting school holidays and the remaining
over the weekend. 45% of responders felt that cost would put them off attending
a new activity, with 38% saying if it wasn’t in the village.
You will see below the suggestions for improvements to services in the village.

Free text comments from this age group with suggestions for improvement (sic):
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0 5 10 15 20 25
YOUTH CLUB
MORE TOILETS
USEABLE VILLAGE HUB
SKATE PARK
MORE AREAS FOR SPORTS
MORE PLAY AREAS
BETTER FOOTPATHS
MORE COMMUNITY EVENTS
MUSIC/DANCE LESSONS
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
SAFER CYCLE ROUTES
6-11 Years

• Local clubs, activities during holidays
• Athletics – fitness in general, I’m not competitive and don’t like football
• Youth club, indoor activities
• Youth club.
• More clubs in our village instead of travelling to other villages
• Public toilets by the playground
• A well utilised multi-use village run pavilion (similar to that at Raydon) that
villagers can go to for a drink whilst children play on park and/or for use for
sports clubs etc, ran by village volunteers. Also somewhere that events can
be held.
• Swimming pool, more play areas especially where they can ride a bike / skate
park.
• Basketball court, football court
• More classes outside of school and making use of the hall
• Activities after school and weekends such as arts had crafts, drop ins, bike
activities
• Running games Nature activities
• Kids/youth club, better and larger park. Safer cycle paths, holiday club not
through Constable Country Childcare.
• Youth club Youth bus Activity sessions
• More clubs out of school hours
• It would be nice if the activities above were included in the Bergholt newsletter
so parents can see what is available for their children. A skate park would be
a lovely asset.
• Skateboard /scooter park. Swimming Pool Youth Club
• Non sport clubs
• Sports clubs that boys can enjoy that don’t involve balls
• Skate park
• Youth club
• Play area in Elm Estate so I could walk there with my friends.
• More activities to bring children and families together, such as craft. groups.
Social clubs. A place for pre teens to meet together and have fun
• Youth club
• Perhaps more activities at the sports centre.
• Youth clubs, affordable sports clubs
• Dinosaur activities Youth club
• Another park school side of the village Bike or scooter track
• Affordable Music lessons e.g ukulele guitar, youth club
• Playgrounds
• Footpath from East End to East Bergholt along straight road.
• Youth club
• Playgrounds
• Play area on our estate
• Art classes, dance, singing

• Youth Club
• Better play equipment at the park. Dance groups.
• More local clubs/youth clubs etc where the children meet and make friends
with local children as we are new to the village.
• Somewhere safe to scoot, skate and cycle. Safer cycling to school. Dance
clubs.
• Events and facilities for our younger people! Community events are always a
favourite – summer fair was great. Maybe a table top sale – my daughter really
enjoys being a little entrepreneur and seeing if she can sell some of her old
things.
• There’s not really much to do
• There is no play / skateparks here and no indoor activity like play areas or
rock climbing or youth centres to make friends.
• Nice village but dependent on surrounding villages and towns for activities
such as Brownies, swimming, etc. Seem to be the same few volunteers doing
everything though – a lot of people expecting things to be organised and done
for them. Sport, though at capacity, is well represented – it would be good to
have new non-sport activities for once.
• More clubs locally
• Lots of houses and not enough activities for children
• The East Bergholt park doesn’t have any facilities for older children that they
can play with their friends like free all day access to football/basketball/ tennis
court.
• It is a nice village but unless your parents drive you there is nothing to do
• The playground is really good and there are a lot of amazing walks & we love
the rspb garden at Flatford
• There is nothing to do. A member of the parish council did the rounds a year
ago asking all these questions, and still nothing has been done. Perhaps
speed and efficiency is needed in this, otherwise these young children will be
grown up before anything changes.
• Sports are really well offered in the village with the cricket and football clubs
and all offered at high school. Branthan Guiding and Scouts also excellent.
• To avoid growing antisocial behaviour there needs to be things for children to
do early evenings and weekends to keep them off the streets.
• Skate park, better footpaths, lit footpaths, more outdoor spaces for sports,
craft clubs like the mosaic one, more cinema showings for kids especially
during the holidays, use of church for more childrens events, youth club,
better transport links
• Gymnastics, vocal lessons, violin lessons, roller skating lessons, ballet,
swimming pool
• Basketball ball court. Pickleball court.

4. The Survey for 0-5 provision in East Bergholt received 32 responses. This was
promoted on social media as well as through the nurseries in the village. 84% of

people advised they would not be affected by having to travel to attend an
activity. The largest response of 28% came from residents of the Elm Estate,
with the remiander fairly evenly spread. In general, opinions of services for this
age group offered in the village were poor. Ten of the respondents advised that
they would be willing to volunteer to assist with extending services within the
village and most of the people having one or two children under the age of five.
The chart below demonstrates opinions of current services in the village.

Comments extracted from this age bracket (sic):
• We attended the summer fair on Gandish Road and the pram race, but we
would like to do more.
• There could be more, or different ways It would be really helpful to have a
calendar of events in the parish news for that month. Including regular
activities, one offs, anything happening in the village. It’s difficult to know all
the options available. I used to go to a fitness class in the village but I don’t
know if it still runs, there’s lots that happens in garnish hall but I don’t know
how and where to easily find that info. A calendar would help with that easily
and it possibly wouldn’t be difficult to create?
• There isn’t much in the village
• There are a lot of grandparents supporting with childcare in the area and there
is little to do in the area
• They removed the children’s centre so there is nothing in the village
• I don’t often see other families. We moved in Jan and haven’t met many
people yet
• the fate and the Xmas market are brilliant and once speaking to local people
it’s easy to meet up with others
• there’s nothing for the children
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0 5 10 15 20 25 30
NOT ENOUGH
NOT SURE
ENOUGH
Are there enough activities for
children aged 0-5 in the village?

• Aside from the summer fayre which we enjoyed, unaware of anything in the
village for younger kids
• aside from the toddler church group there isn’t really anything
• We have only just moved to the village so still trying to get to know our
surroundings and what’s happening in the village but would love to get
involved in the community
5. The Committee is requested to consider the results of the survey and to
determine the next courses of action.

Louise Smith
Assistant Clerk
8 October 2024