Parish Publication Review: Findings & Future Plans

In November, we invited Hamble residents to provide feedback on the monthly Parish Publication (i.e., this newsletter) with a view to ascertaining whether the community wanted the publication to continue, and if so, in what format/size, and with what kind of content.

It was important that the survey results were representative of the community as a whole, and that the method of response did not discriminate against any particular age group.  To achieve this, we distributed the survey to 2,500 homes (via the November newsletter), posted a link to an online version on the Council’s Facebook page and other community Facebook groups, left paper copies of the survey at several Hubs around the village for residents to take and complete, and carried out ‘in person’ interviews at Hamble Village Market and the Primary School.   

Here is a summary of the key results:

The full survey results can be found here.

Based on the feedback received from the community, the Parish Publication strategy for the next 18 – 24 months will be as follows:

• The current newsletter format will be retained but will move from 8 pages to 12.  The introduction of 4 additional pages will allow for more community content, general interest articles, business information, and a focus on specific themes in each edition (e.g., local sports, sustainability, health and fitness, the Council’s budget, youth and schools)
• A business directory will be introduced, to help support and promote Hamble-based companies
• Useful contacts will be reintroduced, to give residents a quick reference guide to contacts for community groups and local resources
• Comms will be improved in other areas identified by residents as being important information sources, including local noticeboards and community Facebook pages
• We have introduced a newsletter signup form on the new website so that, in time, we can start to email the parish publication to those residents who would prefer to receive updates electronically.

We also investigated the possibility of moving to recycled paper to improve the sustainability of the newsletter, but upon researching the associated costs, found them to be prohibitive.  We will continue to explore ways of making the newsletter more environmentally friendly over the coming months.

We will be migrating to this new content format over the next 1 – 2 issues and would welcome any further feedback or ideas – please email claire@smartmarketinguk.com with your thoughts.

Lastly, a big thank you to those of you who took the time to give us feedback – we hope you can see your comments reflected in the changes we’ll be making.