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Is Embsay with Eastby in need of growth or should we instead preserve its existing community?

An insight into the younger generation’s thoughts and feelings on the developments and changes in Embsay and Eastby.

British villages hold a lot of history through their authenticity and the maintenance of historical buildings, becoming tourist attractions for people to visit all year round. This maintenance of historical villages however is changing as more housing estates and chain businesses begin to inhabit smaller villages and towns, which in turn keep growing larger until they become a clone of other more mainstream retail towns. This has been seen in Embsay and Eastby’s neighbouring town Skipton which has welcomed more than a few well- known shops such as The Works, Next and Body Shop, replacing established family run businesses. Although some smaller businesses do remain in areas of Skipton such as those within Craven Court, some have had to move to smaller more affordable buildings as the prices of business premises rise with the market becoming more geared towards larger chains. In Embsay and Eastby however we can see the maintenance of family run businesses with no larger chains yet on the horizon. However, with the construction of the new building estates, it’s interesting to know how the younger residents of the village feel about the more modern additions and the villages’ expansions and how they feel this might change their community.

I spoke with some fellow students at Skipton Girls’ High School to get an insight into the opinions of young people on the changes to Embsay and Eastby. A fellow Sixth form student (Amber Vokes-Tilley), who takes part in the yearly pantomimes held in the village, says that her town is, “a community,” and that she, “loves being able to see people I know on my walks with the dog, and I feel that as the town grows, I’m scared Embsay might lose that.” She also mentioned however that “it would be nice to have more of a larger community though – it’s nice knowing there’s new people to meet.” This shows the community that Embsay and Eastby has, which is evident through their yearly pantomimes and the variety of clubs and social meetings held in the village.

Following this, I decided take a further look into changes the younger people of Embsay and Eastby would value over the coming years. Students at Skipton Girls’ explained that although they are learning to drive in the next years, they’ve found that throughout their younger years at the school, travelling to school and back sometimes was not as convenient as they’d hoped. For younger students with working parents solely relying on bus transport home, it sometimes causes problems for them to be able to take part in after school or before school activities as the buses aren’t very flexible. However, they did note that the price of the bus fee was extremely well suited to them as its cheap and accessible for those who use the service daily.

Most students I talked to believe that as Skipton is so close to Embsay and Eastby, that the need for an increase in the clubs and activities isn’t a great issue, as there are plenty of options for extracurricular clubs in Skipton. Most sixth form students residing in Embsay and Eastby explained that there are plenty of school clubs available alongside weekend clubs and activities located at Sandylands alongside dance classes being available near the Skipton Plaza cinema. Younger residents that I spoke to believe that it’s possible to make changes and make additions to the village without impacting its history and sense of community, and in fact some believe that a few changes need to be made to make the village a more accessible place.

Younger people are key in the future and the development of smaller villages, so it’s important to listen to and acknowledge their voices.

Jolie Brennan – Junior Reporter