Historically, the PRA has provided benches in Poundbury which have either been donated by others or paid for by the Association.
This hasn’t happened for some time, and readers may notice some benches need maintenance or have even been removed due to disrepair. More recently, the Duchy have installed benches themselves as part of development plans.
Nothing happens unless we make it happen, so the question is, does the community want to provide and maintain benches itself in future? Or is this provision better provided by the Town Council, who do have some maintenance functions already? It’s very kind when people donate benches, and is a very positive way to remember a loved one. However, sometimes long term maintenance requirements can be overlooked.
The issue of bench maintenance has been bubbling away for some time now. We need a volunteer with the time to do some basic research into this, starting with an inventory we already have, to find out what our Town Council and the Duchy think, and put some options to the committee and ultimately the Association about the way forward.
Providing benches is a great thing to do, but is the PRA the right vehicle for this? It does involve costs and responsibility for maintenance. Let us know if you’d like to help.
