Memus Appraisal - public meeting and results of survey

Community Meeting at Memus Hall

Following from the community appraisal carried out by Angus Council Community Learning and Development Service in January of this year, there was a community meeting about the issues raised at the Memus Hall on Saturday 13th June from 2- 4pm.

The meeting was an opportunity for local people to find out about the responses to the survey which was carried out by questionnaire, and to meet CLD workers and explore how they can work together to address local issues.

5 attended the meeting.

Following from the meetings we have identified:
a group interested in developing a play/recreational area adjacent to the village hall
an interest in tai chi classes being held in the village hall.

If you would like to find out more or would like to express an opinion, please contact:

Neil Paterson CLDW on 01575 574989

AIRLIE APPRAISAL QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES

 

What do you and your family enjoy about life in Memus/Cortachy?

The peace & quiet and being close to my family.

 

The wonderful scenery – the friendly people.

 

Beautiful surroundings and comparative tranquillity within easy reach of  Kirriemuir and Forfar.

 

Peace and quiet; watching the changing seasons; stopping to look and appreciate the beautiful countryside around us; feeding the wild birds all year

There is a friendly social network within Memus with the opportunity to join in and participate with activities and clubs in the local hall.

 

Friendly community atmosphere. Events and activities at the village hall.

Being away from the town. Community spirit.

 

Wildlife/quiet

 

Convenient for outdoor pursuits, peace and quiet, nice and friendly people.

 

Quiet.

 

Slower pace of living peace and quiet

 

The beauty and peacefulness of the glens and the abundance of wildlife. Being able to roam freely through the magnificent countryside.

 

What do you and your family not enjoy about life in Memus/Cortachy?

N/A

 

One or two farms are a complete eyesore and detract from the general ambience of the area.

 

N/A

 

We cannot think of anything that we cannot enjoy!

 

Lack of play parks and activities for the children.

 

There used to be a sports club held in Memus Hall by the council but this was stopped.

 

Lack of transport. Soon will not be fit to drive – very little parking in Kirrie.

 

Nothing.

 

Not much for kids to do ie: play areas

 

Lack of facilities for young people

 

The farms which have not gone organic and persist in using sprays of insecticides, pesticides and weedkillers which are known to affect human and wildlife health.

The attitude of a local estate owner who has erected fences and locked gates to keep people out and instructed workers not to speak to the locals.

 

The inference that a local estate is locking gates and instructing workers not to speak to locals… has never been the case… and indeed the estates’ record on public access and creating access opportunities for the general public is second to none in the locality.

 

Those who complain about the lack of play parks and activities for children should have thought about this when they moved to Memus.

 

How could life in the Memus/Cortachy area be improved for your family?

Maybe a few more social evenings @ Memus hall.

 

 Musical evenings? More daytime activities such as computer classes? Exercise classes etc.

 

Greater use should be made of the Memus Hall and for many people some form of public transport would be a great help.

 

The provision of recycling facilities for the village of Memus

 

A village shop would be very useful.

 

More activities for the children.

 

Public transport.

 

Possibly a small shop, kids play area, something done with the area opposite the hall.

 

A post office/small shop would be good!

 

More play areas. Speed limits.

 

More social evenings

 

By encouraging those farms who have not yet done so to change to the production of natural and healthy foods and sound husbandry which helps to regenerate and protect the countryside and wildlife.
Changing the attitude of ‘incoming’ estate owners and their staff to integrate them with the people in the glens and welcome them as much as the parties of ‘foreigners’ who come to hunt and fish.

 

Anyone can hire the village hall and set up anything they fancy; that is what it is there for.
There used to be a village shop until someone complained to the council that the caravan site that supported it had some static caravans which contravened their license. Because of this it was closed down making a shop uneconomic.
Requests for a play area, better public transport and wide roads show that adding to the edges of established towns where there are all these things would be far more sensible than building in the country thereby adding to furl emissions.
Farming organically is extremely expensive due to increased costs. This means that the food is considerably more expensive than that produced by intensive farming methods and there is very little market for it. Two local farms have given up being organic recently due to this.
The area opposite the hall has, or should easily get, planning permission but is on hold due to the current downturn in the building trade.

 

Suggestions from map

Scottish country dancing classes

Tai  Chi evening classes please

Tai Chi day classes

Basic computer lessons

Exercise classes anytime

Other comments/

It would be nice to receive a bulletin with upcoming events etc. to be held in Memus Hall.

Re-start computer classes

 

We could do with more effective publicity about events taking place in the glens. For example things go on in Memus Hall which no-one seems to know about until after the event. Perhaps a ‘glens newsletter’ delivered to every home?

The state of the roads is another issue in this area. Winter gritting has much improved in the past year or so, but the little minor roads are carrying far more and much heavier traffic than they were ever made to carry. The narrow road I stay on now has huge artics travelling back and forth every day as well as tractors, farm machinery and even 2 full size double decker buses each way for schools. The road is being broken up by the sheer volume opf traffic and the potholes are horrendous. The Roads Dept. do fill the holes in now and again but they are very quickly opened up again. The roads are also so narrow with no pasing places that it is difficult to get out of the way when a huge lorry or tractor is coming towards you. Improved roads are urgently needed!