In search of the secret of the perfect village

What is your favourite village in Yorkshire?

Would you select the rustic charm of Muker in Swaledale, sat outside The Farmers Arms supping on a pint?

Or perhaps you would highlight the isolated beauty of Church Houses in Farndale, or even the pretty valley village of Thixendale in the Yorkshire Wolds?

They all lay claim to being fantastic places to visit during the summer months, but those who don’t live there may see them as far from perfect locations all year round with little in the way of shops and other facilities that many could not live without.

The nearest South Dalton in the East Riding gets to a retail outlet is a basket of apples offered for free.

Poor public transport services, increased fuel prices, the on-going closure of pubs, village shops and post offices, and unaffordable house prices are just some of the problems that existing villagers and those who want to continue living in the countryside are facing.

Next week there will be an opportunity to take part in a project put together by the Yorkshire and Humber Rural Network called “What makes a perfect village?” at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Judy Robinson is chief executive of Involve, one of the three organisations that make up the Network.

Speaking to Country Week, she explains their aim: “This is a serious message about giving rural communities a voice.

“A perfect village is not about a scenic landscape, it is about services and what is going on in that community.

“For many people living in villages a priority might be decent broadband so that children can conduct research for their homework; people can run successful businesses and can join online communities so that they don’t feel isolated.”

Pateley Bridge is somewhere between a large village and a small market town, with a population of 2,000.

It does not have the “chocolate-box” village look that others have, with a village pond and sedate cricket ground alongside, but it does tick a lot of the perfect village boxes for its facilities, location and its people.

And it does have a cricket ground, situated within Bewerley Park where the Nidderdale Show – the final show of the season in Yorkshire – is held in September.

Brothers Justin and Perry Beckett were born and grew up here, with Justin having just returned back in Yorkshire from Australia.

He reckons the village has great strengths.

“There is a good community spirit here and the countryside is absolutely beautiful.

“As kids this was our playground stretching from here to Glasshouses.

“You get a better sense of nature being here because you’re actually a part of it.”

The village is a honey-pot for tourists throughout the year, but Perry believes the people who live here all the time deserve a little more attention.

“Maybe a little more consideration for the local people rather than the village being all about money and tourism would be good, but that doesn’t mean I’m saying that ruins it.

“The village has its down points but it is also a lovely place to live.

“The pubs we have are almost community centres to us.”

Pat Hall is a member of the Pateley Bridge Bowling Club.

She has lived in the village over 30 years, loves the people and the area, but sees the problems facing younger generations as being Pateley’s Achilles heel.

“We moved here in 1979 when my husband became police sergeant.

“When we go away and then come back up the dale I don’t know why we ever went away.

“The scenery is so beautiful.

“I like the people and it’s a very sociable village.

“The problem is the facilities for the young people.

“The public transport is not good, particularly in an evening.”

Stuart Vennart, who was playing bowls against Pat’s husband Mike, believes community activities make the perfect village.

He points out that the nearest Pateley Bridge will ever come to unrest will be over a meat counter.

“We’re fortunate to have two very good butchers.

“The biggest commotion is which one to use as they are opposite each other.”

Frank and Mary Townsend of Horncastle in Lincolnshire were visiting Pateley Bridge this week.

So what would be their requirements if they lived in a village?

“A shop and post office, and a pub as a central meeting point, really that’s about it.

“We would rather go out for things, come back and feel good about where we live.”

Keith and Hazel Clarkson of Harrogate visit Pateley Bridge and the Dales regularly.

Their idea of a perfect village would be Hawes or Pateley, but Keith is not one of those who longs for the village life.

“We like to get up here and the community spirit you get in a rural village, but I don’t think I could live in a village.

“The bus service here isn’t what it used to be; the post office services are not what they used to be; and living somewhere like this the price of housing will be high.”

Hazel is concerned for those who have always lived in villages like Pateley, expressing concerns that can be heard echoing throughout Yorkshire’s rural communities.

She said: “I’m not in favour of outsiders coming in and buying houses for holiday homes that they don’t use, especially when locals cannot afford to buy a home to live where they were born and bred.”

Newton le Willows, near Bedale, is another village that does not fit the “chocolate box” image.

Yet its community carried off the UK Village of the Year title three years ago thanks to people like resident Joyce Harrison and her team.

One of its major assets is its new village hall, another often forgotten yet beneficial element to village life.

Kettlewell attracts thousands of tourists every year for its Scarecrow Festival, another prime example of how a village community can come together to create a buzz around the area.

But is that what you want from your perfect village? Many just want a quiet life away from crowds of people.

As part of the project, visitors to the Yorkshire & Humber Rural Network stand at the Great Yorkshire Show on July 10 – 12 will be invited to help create artwork featuring the components of a perfect village.

Their ideas about what is needed in Yorkshire and Humber villages will also be used in the network’s ongoing work to influence rural policy and structure.

Leah Swain is chief officer of Rural Action Yorkshire, another of the partners connected with the Yorkshire & Humber Rural Network.

She said: “The perfect village comes in many guises, but the theme that runs through all of them is fantastic community engagement.

“All village residents need to feel they have had a say in what services, activities and facilities are important to keep their village vibrant and viable.

“In this way they will be more likely to volunteer to help run the village shop, keep their library open, write a Parish plan or provide support for their neighbours.

“We hope the network’s stand will help people feel they can contribute ideas to make their village perfect.”

So what makes your village perfect? Or what do you consider to be Yorkshire’s perfect village? Why not write to us at Country Week, Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 1RF or email [email protected].

Living examples of community spirit

Examples of villages that have been shortlisted or won regional best village competitions over the last decade include Newton Le Willows, near Richmond; Spofforth, Harrogate; Woodsetts, South Yorkshire; Shelley, near Huddersfield and Thornton le Dale, near Pickering.

They have featured community shops, websites, local businesses, initiatives to welcome new residents and even a community orchard.

To contact the Rural Action Yorkshire group write to Unit A, Tower House, Askham Fields Lane, Askham Bryan, York, YO23 3FS or call 0845 3130270.