PLACE is conducting a survey of the market towns in its region and is seeking volunteers to record the number and type of retail and public services available in the central areas of our traditional small and medium sized settlements. The methodology requires no special skills or equipment: a notebook and pen, and a willingness to cover the main streets of your chosen town on foot, noting building usage in accordance with a set of about a dozen catergories. We already have volunteers for about ten towns and
the prospect of another similar number, but would like to include even more. If you might be interested in surveying a town near you, either on your own or with a friend, please get in touch with Michael Hopkinson c/o the PLACE Office. The work is not arduous and should normally take one or two days, during the summer. Travel expenses will be reimbursed by PLACE and all participants will be credited in the final report.

The towns for which we already have firm offers of help are Beverley, Ilkley,Otley, Malton, Pickering, Pocklington,Ripon, Selby, Skipton, Thirsk and probably Northallerton. Volunteers may be available for settlements in and around the Yorkshire Dales National Park, but we have no-one as yet for Bedale,Driffield,Easingwold,Helmsley, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge, Stokesley or Wetherby. If you think you could cover any of these towns, please let Michael Hopkinson know as soon as possible. It is proposed to launch the survey around Easter, with three or four months to complete the work which will be processed centrally and published towards the end of the year. Clearly the more towns we can visit the better!

Contact: Dr Michael Hopkinson on: [email protected]