By Colin Sully
Twelve months ago, after discussions with the Parish Council and the Newsletter Editorial team, I tentatively put together the first few pages of The Lee website and posted them onto the internet. They included the July 2006 Newsletter and a number of ‘History’ and ‘Reference’ pages put together with the help of individuals, groups and societies in the village – a total of 35 web-pages. A year on and it has all gone surprisingly well! We have uploaded a year’s worth of Newsletters and have added many other features. The site now consists of over 300 pages and is receiving over 3,000 ‘hits’ each month. Definitely time to take stock!
The idea of a village website was certainly not original – almost every
town, dock and hamlet seems to have one these days. However, in this instance,
it was definitely a case of “One small step for The Lee, one giant step
for me” as this was the first (and only) website I have produced. Being
a cautious, risk-averse soul I have taken it very slowly, kept things simple
and consulted with the good and the wise at every step. I have also had to
operate within the limits of my own technical competency, so I’m sorry if
your particular suggestion hasn’t been implemented yet!Thanks must go to all those who have contributed to the site and a special mention for the members of the Newsletter group for their encouragement, advice and support… and of course for their pages, without which the site would be much the poorer. In late 2006 the group also enabled the web version of the Newsletter to go full-colour – wow!
Initial feedback suggested that people in the village found the site ‘interesting’, ‘attractive’, ‘easy to navigate’ and even ‘wonderful’ and ‘beautiful’. Not so much feedback early on that it was particularly ‘useful’ and this is something that we have been trying to address. For example, as well as train, bus, mobile library and refuse timetables, we have recently started posting the Parish Council minutes onto the site – now that’s useful!
We have covered all the basics for a village website – the village diary, the Newsletter, information on various clubs, societies and village amenities, a short history of The Lee and information on the Parish Council. We have also added a few ‘frills’ including local walks and rides and ‘photo-of-the-month’. We have deliberately not gone beyond the parish boundaries but have made links to other local web-sites where appropriate.
One suggestion we have had is that a directory of local services would be useful. In principle this seems to be a good idea but we need to work out exactly how this would be presented and how it would be kept up to date. We hope in due course that the site may also be able to serve the SHOP @ The Lee Parish Hall.
So, as we start year two, there is much to celebrate and also much to think about. What happens next will ultimately depend on you! Do let us know how the site could be made more useful. either through the Newsletter or by emailing colin@thelee.org.uk