Sally Watts, Bigbury

promoter for Villages in Action, writes:

As you reported in the Gazette on February 3, SHDC has cut its grant to Villages in Action (VIA) – your figure for the cut was over £11,000 but VIA told me £8,250.

I was disappointed that the Gazette has not investigated this further, as VIA confers a tremendous benefit, helping to sustain our rural villages.

In your readership area these villages include Noss Mayo, Bigbury, Ringmore, Modbury, South Milton, South Pool, East Portlemouth, Stoke Fleming, Blackawton, Harbetonford, Harberton, Diptford and Ermington.

Many rural communities in the Kingsbridge area have benefited from professional performances by musicians, actors, comedians, conjurors, and puppeteers brought to them partly due to funding from Villages in Action (VIA).

These events have provided entertainment at affordable prices for people of all ages and help to bring isolated rural communities together.

In addition they have helped to provide much-needed finances for improving facilities in our villages. In Bigbury, there is minimal public transport (one bus per week to and from Plymouth on a Friday) so people without their own transport cannot get to large towns and cities for similar cultural events.

To date, VIA has been financially supported by Devon's five district councils, Devon County Council and the Arts Council. However, at its most recent meeting, South Hams Council voted to cut its funding to VIA from this coming April.

The direct implication for South Hams communities is that there will have to be a very significant reduction in the number of events VIA can support in the district next season and any additional events will have to be charged at full cost, resulting in further cultural impoverishment of our isolated rural communities.

At a recent VIA-sponsored event in Bigbury, over thirty people signed a letter to Cllr John Tucker, chairman of SHDC, urging him to overturn this decision, and I would encourage people who have enjoyed VIA-sponsored events to express their own views to their district councillors.