VITAL VILLAGES -- Linton Parish Council is set to stage open public meetings in Linton and Gorsley later this month. But these are meetings with a difference: no chairman, no agenda and no sitting in rows! The Government's 'Vital Villages' initiative offered new money and real support in discovering the issues of concern to local people want and finding solutions. So now it's up to the residents of the three villages to say what they want, what they don't want, and where. To help them do this, two very large-scale maps have been made covering Linton, Gorsley and Bromsash. The maps are big enough to show clearly every house and every lane. Everybody living in this area - particularly including children - will be urged to drop in and stick special option cards into the maps to identify problems and suggest solutions. It promises to be a very visual and eye-catching method of allowing people to show what they mean. Above all, it'll be fun. Around the maps will be ten topic tables, with titles such as Housing, Social & Recreational Facilities, Policing, Transport and Shopping. Each of these topic tables will have plenty of pre-printed 'Problem Cards' and blank 'Idea Cards', all mounted on cocktail sticks. As people come in, they'll be invited to have a look at the maps and then browse around to find the topics of interest. When a particular issue comes to mind, the relevant problem card is stuck into the map at the appropriate place. People can take as many problem cards as they like: if the same problem applies to more than one place, a problem card is put into each place. If there's no problem card for any particular issue, a blank idea card is filled in and used instead. And there are coloured pins to agree or disagree with other people's ideas. However, all contributions are anonymous! People will be welcome to drop-in at any time from 10.30-12.30 or 2-5, at Linton Village Hall on Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22, and at Gorsley Village Hall on Saturday and Sunday, June 28 and 29. Refreshments will be available and there's even the promise of prizes. The results of these community planning days will form the basis of an anonymous questionnaire to be delivered to every household later in the year. Then the parish council will produce its plan for action.