THE Oscars took over the village – the Highley Community Oscars that is – and what a weekend it was. Villagers from all walks of life came down to the Severn Centre to celebrate Highley’s spirit and to show their appreciation to those who had helped their community over the years.
In between award presentations talented Highley youngsters put on several fantastic performances to entertain the crowds. Compere for the evening Tony Perry whipped the audience up in to a storm all evening, which culminated in all present standing up and singing together.
The Highley Community Oscar winners were:- The Highley Shop Award, Costcutter; The Highley Community Police Award, PC Ann O’Leary; The Highley Council Employee Award, Ray Cooper (environment); The Highley Community Business Award, Bob Cowley Motors; The Highley Community Catering Award, Kath’s Kaff (cafe).
The Highley Councillor Award, Councillor Dennis Bache; The Highley Award for the Most Helpful Female, Kim Biddle; The Highley Award for the Most Helpful Male, Rev Clive Williams; The Highley Senior Citizen Award, Mrs Marie Price (64 years running the poppy appeal); The Highley Sports Award, Russell Pallet; The Highley Impact Award, Kath Ludlow (for running Kath’s Kaff Kids Klub); The Highley Family Award, Mrs & Mrs Chris and Charley Davis, children: William and Charlie Junior.
The Highley Community Oscars came to fruition following what many residents saw as years of poor and inaccurate media coverage, with particular reference to a Channel 4 documentary screened on television a few years ago.
The documentary portrayed the village as one of the toughest in England, which many residents saw as quite an exaggeration of the true picture.
Tony Perry says that the film led to a feeling of very low esteem among villagers. But perhaps more importantly the film was also seen in some areas of the village as a triumph of anti-social behaviour over the common people.
“Even so, it was accepted that – as in a number of other villages across the UK – there were incidences of severe anti-social behaviour issues linked to drugs, alcohol and teenage delinquency,” he said.
“This was not helped by the fact Highley is a former coal mining community that suffers from high levels of unemployment. This, together with the lack of amenities, which is often prevalent in rural areas, had contributed to a feeling of negativity and listlessness amongst the general population of the village.”
To try and combat such issues Bridgnorth District Council began working closely with Shropshire Police and other local organisations to try and stem the flow. The result: a positive multi-agency working together, often directly involving and supporting young people and families in the area.
“This has been particularly helped by the commitment of a few key people working in the community itself, and the reward for their efforts and enterprise has been to witness the ‘turning of the corner’,” added Mr Perry.
“The village is now seen as a better place to live and has led to families returning to the village, making it more productive and sustainable as a village community.”
The police have confirmed that since the new initiatives have been put in place over the last few months, crime rates and incidents of anti-social behaviour have been greatly reduced – which they see as a result of the closer partnerships, and that involves the Highley community.
Such schemes include the introduction of a youth drop-in service at Kath’s Kaff.
“Working with the cafe proprietor and the young people of the area, the district council and the police have worked together to establish this facility, which provides a warm and safe environment for young local people to engage in positive activities – under the supervision of others.
“The drop-in cafe has become so successful that 27 young people visited on a regular basis during the first two nights of service.”
But Mr Perry points out that it is not just the young people of the village who have benefited.
As a result of other recent engagements with Highley tenants on general environmental hygiene, it was noted by villagers and parish councillors there had been a visible improvement in the general look and standard of the streets of Highley.
““It would appear the result of this community working with residents is that residents are developing an increased feeling of ownership in their local neighbourhood and are now taking charge of their environment.
“This was the basis behind the idea of the Highley Community Oscars. The awards were to recognise the efforts of local people and reward their commitment and hard work in attempting to improve the area – with little cost, but with a lot of community involvement.”