These are frustrating and challenging times for everyone! We cannot take part in our usual recreation, meet for club activities or play sport to let off steam.
Across the village, we all feel more anxious than usual, perhaps a little less tolerant of each other.
Some younger residents have been making their own fun, in a few cases causing concern to others. There have been some reports to the Parish Council and several recent posts about this on social media; and police had to be called to one incident that got out of hand.
Most youthful adventures are perfectly reasonable and simply part of growing up; sometimes events can escalate and create risks of injury to those involved or other people caught up; and certain activities can cause damage to property.
Parents – please be aware of these risks and provide advice and mentoring for your young people; we were all young once – and probably not as well-behaved as we should have been, right?
Sometimes, frustrated residents mention things on social media, but for obvious reasons the Parish Council can only actively consider the reports it receives direct.
If you feel troubled by an incident, please reflect quietly on the challenging times we live in and ask yourselves what we were all like in our youthful days.
If something is serious enough to merit following up, please consider contacting the parents yourself. Or you can phone or email the Parish Clerk, including the date, time, what occurred and who was involved.
No one wishes to suffer the consequences of a serious issue in our neighbourhood. We would all rather that the village looks after its own; and that we can avoid calling in outside authorities.
The Community Safety Team has been asked to provide advice. Youth organisations are unable to meet at present, but those within the village and the wider County are aiming to provide more online support for parents and young people.
We welcome your input into how we can work together to ensure that we find a good balance for the whole community. We would also like to hear of strategies for managing better behaviours for young people, either in the home or out and about.
Please look out for our community. Do not hesitate to contact the Parish Clerk on 01621 869039 or email tollesburypc@btinternet.com if you would like to discuss any matters raised by this feature.