VILLAGES near Upton have produced the first parish plan in Worcestershire, outlining the area's strengths and weaknesses and providing a focus for future action.

The plan was delivered to the residents of Hanley Swan, Hanley Castle and Gilberts End, last week and the parish council is now hoping to act on the information it contains.

Margaret Norris, chairman of Hanley Castle Parish Council's working party responsible for the plan, said: "We're very pleased with it. We've just started delivering it and in about a week's time we'll get some feedback and know what people in the villages think."

Asked about the prompt publication of the plan, Mrs Norris said: "We really wanted to push on and get things done. When you put a lot of work into something people expect to see the finished article."

Hanley Castle Parish Council was awarded a grant of around £4,500 from the Countryside Agency, which helped to fund the employment of consultants, two presentations given about the plan, photographs and professional printing.

However, most of the work was done voluntarily, an IT specialist offered his services for free and Mrs Norris edited it herself.

Volunteers in the working party delivered a questionnaire to the 500 households in the parish at the beginning of the year and received 347 replies.

A sample group of teenagers and teachers and pupils at the two parish schools were asked their opinions and 80 businesses in the parish were surveyed through personal discussion.

Presentations held before and after the questionnaire was circulated were another way the working party obtained feedback from parishioners.

After the slow process of collating the results the finished plan was produced. The parish council will now focus on its action plan for the future.

"That's the whole point of the plan. We need to work on those issues that people have highlighted as things that could change and resolve them," said Mrs Norris.

Sue Adeney, district councillor for Hanley and Upton and chairman of the community planning panel at Malvern Hills District Council, said: "I'm very proud that I belong to Hanley Castle and they have produced this plan. It's excellent that they have gone through the whole process and produced something of such high quality at the end."

Coun Adeney said the district council has a commitment to receive parish plans.

"As a ward councillor I would like to try and support the particular things that tie in with the district council and see how they can be achieved."

Coun Adeney said Malvern Hills District Council's local plan would go out to public consultation in the New Year.

"Parishes like Hanley Castle that have done this work will be in a good position to address the local plan and comment on it," she said.