Comments received by people who have signed the petition
 
We have received hundreds of supportive comments. Apart from correcting a few typos, we have reproduced all these below (25 March 2025):
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It is a shame that the old school buildings are still empty after 8 years since closure. I very much support the use of these premises for a project such as Little Sprouts

I fully support this initiative

Daughter attended Ockley school. Brilliant use.

This building has always been the heart of Ockley and needs to be put to use.

I support this scheme fully

I support the proposal

Many generations of my family, including myself, went to Ockley School. It is a vital resource for the village.

I have a newborn and would definitely find this service valuable

I have a young growing family and there aren’t that many amenities to meet other locally without a 20 minute drive. Something to attract other families to the area would be invaluable.

Fully support this initiative, finally something for young children within the village. Thank you to everyone for your hard work

This would be a great use of the buildings, which are just going to ruin otherwise. It will provide a brilliant facility for the village and bring in much needed visitors.

Please don't sell it to a developer. This would be a wonderful asset for the community.

This would be a fantastic addition to the local community, especially the Lego room! And an amazing business for some local people.

Current, safe, exciting value and education for children will always weigh more than old policies. Ockley needs this. It's nonsensical to prevent something like this because of outdated rules. Live for now, say yes to the soft play.

This building has sat empty for far too long & needs to be put to a good use for our community!

I feel this proposal will benefit the community greatly and provide a nice environment for people to come together.

I think it will be an excellent improvement to the area. And will provide a great social scene for children.
Very much needed!

Nice for Ockley, needs more other than another pub. Putting children first in any  community should be welcomed.

Brilliant idea

We need a children’s centre!

Shame to see this space go to waste. Ockley needs an overhaul and this could be the start.

This is an excellent use of a disused building to support the community and its young children and families.  A community spirit needs to be fostered and encouraged as well as ensuring empty buildings are used by the community for the community

As a local and previous involved resident of Ockley and still very local, this is a far more appropriate use than allowing this to fall into the hands of MORE developers!

This is a great idea and would be happy to volunteer my time to help support this.

What a brilliant idea to have a holsters centre in Ockley! Especially when rural resources are few and far between. I whole heartedly support this investment in our children’s future and in family well being

This would become an asset to all families in the area.and a great use of the building.

Brilliant idea

I support this application as we need more areas for children to play in

This is an amazing proposal and how good this would be for the community

I think this is a fantastic idea. As somebody who lives locally with 3 young kids it would be so lovely to have something nearby

I believe this would be a fantastic use for the old school building. Especially as we have nothing simular near by.

As a qualified early years professional, I am very interested in this project.

An excellent idea giving a much needed facility in the area.

Sounds like a really great project and will surely have a real benefit to the area.

This lovely school was kindly bequeathed to the village for the benefit of the children here, the current generation of people administering it are doing so as custodians of the school for future generations, so it should remain as a facility for the benefit of the children in perpetuity.

This would be a great asset to the local and neighbouring communities and save a wonderful building falling into disrepair.

I love the idea but it seems there would be a lot more to sort out and costly to run. It sounds like a cross between a mother and toddler group or a nursery/childminding service. I’m sure either would be a bonus to the village

This is a Great idea for the local community 👍🏼

This would be a great use of space and bring the community together

This would be amazing for the local communities.

I do not have children of this age but I think this would be an excellent way to bring the community together as due to our location children go to various schools in the neighbouring villages/towns and this would be a great way to bring local children and parents together.

Great initiative.

Very good idea

Great idea xxx little Street style would also work

I think this would be a great thing for the many young people that live in and around Ockley. I have a 4 year old who has autism and even just the sound of this place makes me smile, I think he would find great joy in a place like that and hopefully some friends outside of nursery too!

Such a great idea for children, in full support of this great initiative

We need community facilities, not a useful building doing nothing.

The proposal to repurpose the old school building, by breathing new life in to this space as a children’s play area. I feel would preserve a valuable community asset, and ensuring it serves as a hub for creativity and play for our youngest community members and foster connections among families.

This seems a lovelly idea to bring more amenities to the village for young families and people’s grandchildren

This would be AMAZING!!! We always have to travel quite far for anything like this so would be amazing to have around the corner!

Just what’s needed

A children’s community centre would be a great use of the old school building. There are lots of children in the surrounding villages as well as Ockley itself.

Much needed in the area and would benefit my grandson

Sounds like a  great idea for the community.

This would be so valuable for the health and well-being of families in the local area

We need to use buildings rather than them sit empty & loosing their value

This idea sounds fantastic, me and my 5 year old can’t wait

Needed in the area for my grandson

Yes we definitely want it 🥰

This is a great proposal and should be supported

We agree that what you are planning to do for children in the Village is a great idea.

It would be lovely to have more things for young children in the area.

The Springboard Project delivers activities for children and young people aged 0-30 years with disabilities across West Sussex. We recognise the significance of facilities that provide a safe space for children to play, explore and learn. As well as a place for parents to come together.

What a brilliant idea, this will be a fabulous addition for the community

As a parent of two with SEN, although too late for mine, I think this project is a fabulous idea long overdue that needs full support and backing - my only constructive criticism is why not include some after school hours youth clubs for older children with SEN who will also benefit from all this

We are a young couple with a growing family. Everything is a drive to either Dorking , Horsham or Cranleigh. This would encourage more young family’s to move to the location.

I work in childcare and know how important a facility like this would benefit families. I'm also a grandmother to 3 young children so would love to have this on my doorstep.

It’ll be great to see it in action again

This would be fantastic to our local village  with  100 houses now agreed to be developed here in Ockley

This would make a great asset to the village, it's such a lovely building would be lovely seeing it being used, I know our grand children would love it .

It could also be used as a hub for the 'older' community, 'Warm Space' craft groups etc

Fully support the proposal. Looks like a great plan.

Fabulous plan. Hopefully it will include special needs as our 5 year old little boy is autistic.

Sounds a great plan for a sad, empty building

This would be a wonderful project for the village. As someone who attended Nursery and Ockley Primary school in the late 1960s I’m fully in favour of this exciting project.

What a brilliant idea. Will be used by many.

A play centre would bring so much to our village. As a mother of 3 children, I feel that would bring young families together and give our children somewhere to go to play with their friends. Also it would attract families from neighbouring villages. We would love this to go ahead.

Safe play spaces for the little ones are so important.

Fully support this project ⭐️

This will be valuable to surrounding areas

This building need to be put to use

Would be great for the younger ones in Ockley

Sounds amazing

This would be amazing, the area is so underserved for small kids, there are few facilities, would be great to have broader availability

It would be great to see the old school buildings being used in such a positive both for the children and the village

Such an awesome idea.

Fantastic idea and just what the local community needs!

Great plan and idea

Yay!!

Brilliant idea to use an empty building for the community

With the closure of so many family centres this would be a positive step in supporting and nurturing children in the surrounding locality

I am a headteacher of an Infant School and the pre-school experience that a setting such as this would provide is invaluable for a child’s development.

We have a 14 month old so this would be amazing.

What a fabulous idea.

This is such an amazing plan. Can't wait to see it realised!!

I support this project

As a mum of 3 living in Capel (also few up in Ockley) I absolutely love to live here but  there isn’t much for children and even in local towns now a lot of groups etc are stopping due to funding etc. This would be amazing to have for the community and so good for our children

This would be a huge advantage to many parents in the area

I fully support the project as an vital part of supporting and keeping families in the village

Lovely ideas which I fully support

I think that the proposed children’s play centre will make a very valuable asset to bringing communities together , provide a much needed facility to families with young children & use the existing building & area for benefit it was left for, instead of it just deteriorating by being left empty.

I think that it is a positive thing to reuse the old school building for a setting for children. It sounds lovely
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I feel this would bring something positive to the village for our and the wider community’s children and parents to enjoy

I think this is a fantastic ifea

This would be great for the community of Dorking!

Excellent idea

A great initiative. So sad to see the school decaying.

What's the cost for children to attend?? Is it going to be a private nursery for children up to 12 years of age? Can parents leave there children in the care of staff and go to work etc or do parents have to stay with their children?

I think this would be a well loved and used asset to the village. Used by villagers and surrounding villages.

I think a children’s setting is a great idea and provides a sociable meet up place for the local villages

A fabulous idea which hopefully will lead to the building becoming a multi-purpose learning environment for young and old.

I have two children who I would love to take if this opens. It would be a fantastic asset to the community

Good luck sounds amazing

I think this is an incredible project!

Be nice to see it being used for young children as designed for

Great idea for the community

My daughter went to this school before it had indoor toilets, it was such a shame that they closed the school.  It would be an amazing asset to the community to make this into a children’s play activity building.

This is a fantastic idea/need! Such a waste seeing a school building being wasted for so many years. I wish you all the best with this new adventure. I really do hope it gets approved!!

A facility in the area would be great - I would definitely use with my little one

I grew up I'm Ockley, and went to Ockley school until year 3, would love to see it used again for it's intended purpose, such a shame it no longer a school, but this would be a great alternative to it being empty or turned into houses...

I am fully in favour of this project

A brilliant use of a redundant school building. It would definitely be a real asset to the village and surrounding areas.

Let’s hope this goes ahead!!!

Would be nice to get the school open again for a soft play get people back in the village

Every idea for the building will be an asset to the community.

Great community asset which I fully support

This would be an amazing asset to the community.

I feel this would be a valuable asset to the local community

Sounds great

Good use of empty building for the young families.in the community and surrounding villages.

This would be amazing for Ockley and surrounding villages. We live in Capel and would definitely use such a facility. The SEND element sounds particularly special and bringing everyone together with a cafe could prevent the parents of SEND children from feeling so isolated.

Yes please!

I think this is a marvellous idea, and am fully in support. We used to live locally and I travel back to Ockley every week to attend the Toddlers Group at the village hall. This would be a very welcome addition to the village and I’m sure would be well supported by lots of local mums and children,

Great idea

A facility like this would be a massive benefit to families in the area.

I think this is a marvelous idea, and am fully in support. We used to live locally and I travel back to Ockley every week to attend the Toddlers Group at the village hall. This would be a very welcome addition to the village and I’m sure would be well supported by lots of local mums and children

Great idea. Be nice to have so many local things in one place and hopefully open everyday to accommodate for different working patterns - so much seems to take place on just Fridays!!

This would be a fantastic addition to the local community.

This is a fantastic idea.

I think this is a lovely idea!

Cafe or child’s soft play great ideas

I am in full support of creating a soft play area as a new mum myself this would be perfect for myself and my little one to utilise and meet with the growing community.

Quite happy for this to happen

Fully support this initiative

This seems a very good idea.  Such a pity that the building has been unused for so long.

I think it is a great idea, there is a huge lack of child friendly places round Capel and Ockley, and as the mother of a SEND child this would be a lifeline

What would this mean for the Pavilion Café?

It would be lovely if this building could be used by the local community!

It would be an incredible asset to parents, carers and child minders alike whether they use it regularly or ad hoc. I wish it was around when my children were small but look forward to hopefully using it with my niece and nephews.

Looking forward to the Lego room

I feel strongly that the school should be utilised after lying idle for so long

I wholeheartedly support this petition

This would be a great asset to the village and surrounding villages

Would be lovely to have access to this local amenity

It is a fantastic idea

Projects like this are essential to maintain young families in the local area and for the benefit of those young children as no other such facilities are in the local area.

This looks like an amazing idea and will benefit children of the area hugely. There is always a demand for children's activities (speaking as a parent of a young child). Having young children in an area brings new life and keeps things dynamic.

Totally support this perfect suggestion for use of this building

I definitely support this petition as this facility will be a great asset to the community

Great idea!

Superb and sensible idea, recycling at its best

I feel it would be a great for the village. So many young children from surrounding villages would benefit from it.

I think a village play centre would be a great asset to the community. It  would be great if it could cater to all ages and provide something for toddlers / preschoolers as well as youth centre for tweens / teenagers in the village.

Think this is a great idea and project for the children in this area and local families.

Well done for trying to make a difference.

I do not currently have children but currently planning on starting a family and having this facility for the future would be amazing. We need to pull together within local communities to support projects like this amazing one! Good luck Charlie and Kerry

This would be a huge asset to the community and the children alike! Not many facilities like this exist with in the area!

Yes I think it will be excellent

Fantastic work!

As a local childminder I would love to support this new venture.

This would be such a valuable resource. I would love to have the opportunity to bring my son here.

This would be a fantastic place for children and for adults to meet local parents.

Great idea for use of the site. There isn't a nearby sensory room.

This is a wonderful idea for a disused building, and will be greatly appreciated by the local community.

Definitely for opening a children’s setting at the Ockley base

This is such a necessity.

My children would love this

This would be a great asset to Ockley and surrounding areas as there is a lack of play spaces such as this in Mole Valley.

Great idea. Go for it!

I think this is a very good idea

Anywhere to get community spirit together is vital for mental health

Excellent idea, would help with early learning and encourage social interaction.

This would be amazing for all parents in and around Dorking!

A very good idea! Good luck.

The old school in Ockley is a beautiful building that has now been empty for 7 years! It is in the heart of the village & should become the heart of the village again once more. By agreeing to this proposal the next generation will also get to appreciate the building & the village surroundings also.

I come to look after my grandchildren who live in Ockley. What a wonderful and much needed idea. We attend the village playgroup and this new venture will be a brilliant addition to the village.

I own two cottages both with young people in them and to stay they need the right facilities to keep them to stay in the community

I think it is an average idea and will improve the area greatly.

After being empty for so long, the opportunity to turn it into a children's play centre should not be missed. It would provide a great community hub & somewhere to unite the village. Safe play areas are few these days and this would really benefit future generations to come. Ockley deserves it.

The village is in desperate need of facilities for families such as this. The play centre would be a great asset for our community.

This is a fantastic proposal! We live in the village with our two young children and we would be frequent users of the new play centre and café. It would also benefit many other local families. We do hope the currently empty space can be put to such a good use.

Facilities like this are desperately needed.

Fabulous idea

My old school was Ockley. I was very sad when it closed so I'd love to see the next generation use the space.

Yes, will be good for the Village.

This sounds very exciting. I have three children (7, 5 and 2) my youngest is disabled and we would love something local we could all enjoy. It’s wonderful to think the building will be in use again.

What a fantastic opportunity for so many little ones and a great hub for mums too!

I can’t think of a better, more worthy use for this building. Not only for the local children who would benefit so much, but my three year old granddaughter, who lives locally. I know my son and daughter in law would wish to support the venture and gain the developmental support for their daughter.

Be good to see the school back in use.

What a valuable asset this would be for Ockley where our grandchildren live.

We might live in Horsham, but we have family in Ockley and spend lots of time there with our little one. It would be great if something has opened there.

Definitely needed

I support this application.

Would be well worth it.

I think this is a fantastic thing to have and Kerry is a dedicated and lovely person to have on board. It will benefit so many children.

Sounds like a lovely idea. Wish my children were still little to enjoy it.

Absolutely fantastic idea for so needed place for the children from the community

This is a great idea for the children in the area. Their is nothing for young children in Ockley, and a great help for the family's. Best of luck with this project.

We need this for the survival of the village.

There is not much around for pre school children, and this is really needed

I come over to Dorking to look after my young Grandson and this would be as ideal place to take him

A great proposal and in line with the original vision for the site.  In a world of doom, this is a positive project which will bring benefits to the community and future generations.

What a great idea, there need to be more places like this

What a wonderful facility this could be!

Great idea! 👍  make use of an empty space for a good cause!

Fantastic idea.

This would be an amazing facility for little ones and parents to use.

WE NEED THIS!!!

An excellent idea,

I have a son who is autistic and this will be perfect for the area

Will be great for the village parents & kids as well as neighbouring villages.

We desperately need to have more community venues in Ockley. This venture would give young mums and kiddies to have a place to meet and play. I absolutely support the application

Wonderful initiative to encourage local community connection and activities for young and old alike

Totally in agreement!

As a grandmother carer in your area I would love a facility  like this

Great initiative

This would be a valuable asset to the community, bringing families together.

This would be great facility for ockley and neighbouring facilities.

Wholly support the proposals to provide facilities for local children and their families

As a swim teacher for all ages and abilities,I'm only to aware of the importance of a good safe and happy environment for young children and the community in and around Ockley. Will be in great benefit to this.

Would be so beneficial for parents and children

Will benefit the community

Such a great idea. My grandson would love it!

This is a wonderful idea that will benefit so many children in the surrounding area.

A facility such as this will be a huge asset to the local community, in particular the sensory room. It would also bring business to the local area as people get to know the area and see what is available there. Please seriously consider this opportunity to make excellent educational use.

Feel it would benefit community

Such a good idea of a unused waste of a property

I believe that many of Britain's small villages are beginning to loose their sense of community, anything that can bring the people together for a higher purpose should be nurtured, therefore my family and I are in full support of this project.

Great idea and lovely to see the building do something useful for the community again.

Think this is an amazing idea and great for the area.

I went to school in Ockley, it was a lovely village school, please save this lovely building with many memories

This is a great idea! As a local father and someone that runs a coffee shop, I would absolutely love to be involved and cannot recommend a project like this enough in this local area! Great idea team.

I wholeheartedly support the proposal to  use the old Ockley school building as a children's play area.

What a lovely idea for the community.

Sounds great my little one would love it!! Would be great to something so local!

There is a need in the area for a daily centre for young children.

As a young family living just outside the village we think this is an excellent way to honour the building. Just sad it isn’t still a village school.

All of our 4 children & 1 grandchild went to school here. I also worked in the school for many years until the heartbreaking day the doors closed. We would love nothing more than to see the place that was once the heart & soul of our village alive again with families and their young children."

This will be an amazing facility and community hub for residents and local people.

I think knots a fantastic idea, and would be very well used

So interested to see what happens here

What a fantastic building to retain and carry on using for families

Fantastic idea

The school should definitely stay serving children of the village and local area as the village has lost so much in that last 15 years with two pubs gone, the official post office/ village shop, I would love to see the butcher rekindle as something to it needs some life and attractions back to it.

A small library and board games might be benefical

A brilliant plan, it's what the area needs for our young people and the community in general.

I support the petition