What’s a project based in the northern fishing town of Grimsby got to do with us in Bicester and Woodstock?
In turns out quite a lot.
Last year I was lucky enough to be asked by a former colleague to support with an endeavour called OUR future (our-future.io). The initiative has been set up to enable communities in post industrial UK towns to be at the forefront of the nationwide transition from a carbon heavy economy into a greener future.
Previous economic transitions – away from coal and heavy industry - have been hard on communities like Grimsby but there’s nothing inevitable about this. By coming together to plan ahead and adopt a shared vision, change becomes an opportunity not a risk.
It would be hard to describe Bicester and Woodstock as post-industrial but we too are facing transitions.
Bicester and Woodstock are already in a great position to embrace the low carbon economy with a thriving green business scene, including companies like Electrogenic and low carbon housing developments like Elsmbrook. And I think we can do the same when it comes to the Artificial Intelligence transition. We need to plan for it, so no one gets left behind.
But its not just what Our Future does in terms of economic transition planning that’s interesting for us in Oxfordshire. Its how it does it.
The Our Future initiative has found that when strangers come together with a shared love of their home town, amazing stuff happens. The school debating team that couldn’t make the bus fare down to Oxford for the final of a national competition suddenly finds a sponsor, communities fed up with insecure tenancies begin to raise investment to buy their own, local artists find new audiences, and suddenly everyone is talking positively.
It takes a lot to bring strangers together. It happens fast enough in a crisis, but Our Future is pioneering peace-time convening. Their local football club – Grimsby Town FC has played a key role by providing an accessible venue for residents to meet as well as ideas and leadership well beyond football. Its something that hasn’t just happened, its been designed and invested in.
Our communities in Bicester and Woodstock are choka-block full of ideas, talent and entrepreneurism. And people who constantly go the extra mile for the love of their home town or village. From the community owned pubs in Stonesfield and Bladon to the Brass Band in Kidlington and the Scouts club in Bicester – there’s no shortage of opportunities to come together. I’m excited to learn from Our Future how we can turbo charge our natural talent for convening, and bring even more people together across interest groups, backgrounds, ages and professions.
Together we can build a future to look forward to, that we’ll be proud to pass on to our children.