VILLAGERS from Hemsby have been presented with cash and told that they can use it or lose it to help their community. Under the Have Your Say programme, �10,000 has been made available from Great Yarmouth Borough Council to improve the village.

VILLAGERS from Hemsby have been presented with cash and told that they can use it or lose it to help their community.

Under the Have Your Say programme, �10,000 has been made available from Great Yarmouth Borough Council to improve the village. However, any ideas must come from residents and help address a number of key areas identified as being below average in the area.

These include low skill levels, low wage and employment and a growing number of older people in the community.

Laurence Brooks is chairman of the steering group involved with co-ordinating the process, which he emphasised was about involving both local residents and businesses.

“It's all about engaging with the community, and getting people to tell us what they want, and then coming up with a project, or projects, that are suitable.”

The steering group has until the start of the new financial year, March 2011, to produce something concrete.

And though things are in the early stages, suggestions to involve residents have included public meetings and consultations with local groups.

However, vice-chairman of the steering group Gordon Craig warned that the ideas needed to fit the criteria in some way, or wouldn't have a chance of being approved.

l Contact Laurence Brooks on 01493 731672 or Laurence@performanceplus.co.uk, or Gordon Craig on 01493 732460 or gordoncraig6340@gmail.com.