Lympstone has been plagued

Many Lympstone residents are very concerned about the report in last week's Journal regarding police allegedly harassing village teenagers. They feel it is very one-sided and misrepresents the full facts. The residents on the receiving end of the anti-social behaviour, and the parish council, have not been consulted for their views for this article.There is no doubt that the village has been plagued by inappropriate and anti-social behaviour by a small group of youths. The majority of the youth in our village are well behaved and polite. Some children have overstepped the mark between play and harmless pranks and behaviour which is unacceptable in a civilised society. All residents have the right to live peacefully in their homes. We have been aware of the problems in Glebelands for approximately 18 months and have actively worked with various agencies, including the police and East Devon District Council's housing department, to attempt to resolve the situation. We thank the police for all their work with these difficult issues and support them wholeheartedly. The village has excellent youth provision compared to many villages, but even the youth club building has recently been targeted with extensive vandalism to the roof. The Scout HQ has also been targeted on two occasions, costing the group hundreds of pounds. The energy and volunteer time, both from the council, LYPS and Lympstone@Play, put into the new youth area will reap rewards, but it is a shame that the football posts and the cycle humps were vandalised by a small group of youngsters, making both unsafe and thus requiring them to be removed.The goalposts have been repaired and are ready to be resited, while the cycle humps will be replaced in September through a grant overseen by EDDC when the new multisports area is installed. If parents in the village feel strongly that there should be more youth provision, I am sure the small army of volunteers, who run activities in addition to their work and family life, would welcome these new parents to come forward and volunteer their time and services and to get involved in making our village an even better place to live than it already is. If the parents and youngsters want to have even more things to do, there is no limit and no restriction on positive community activities. Lympstone is yet again a finalist in Calor Village Of the Year for the second consecutive year. This is a huge achievement as it is judged on the level of amenities the village offers and the activities and groups which are available to its residents. It is unfair to paint Lympstone as a village with social problems when it is a very active village with over 30 groups and societies, including various groups for our youth including the tennis, sailing, and football clubs, youth club and Scouts, the latter two being desperate for volunteers to help run the groups. Few villages have made such effort to provide play facilities for their children and youth which is still on-going and appreciated by the majority.Peter Acca, Chairman, Lympstone Parish Council.