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Building Flourishing Post-Industrial Communities: Lessons from Grimsby

03 May 2023 | 12:00 - 13:00
An event to discuss the political and economic theories underpinning our model with community change makers and academics at Grimsby Town Football Club
Storytelling Session

This event will tell stories from Our Future and the work underway in Grimsby, UK, to deliver a just
transition that builds long term wealth, wellbeing, and community in a post-industrial area. Our Future is developing a model for national and international scale and the first area for the work is Grimsby. The session will be hosted by Rebecca Eastmond, CEO and founder of Greenwood Place. Greenwood Place is an international philanthropy advisor and Catalyst 2030 award winner. They are an early supporter of Our Future. The session will bring together some of the partners who are central to driving the change in Grimsby:
– Josie Moon – a community leader in Grimsby who is one of the founders of East Marsh United – mobilising community to create a beautiful neighbourhood of the future in one of
the UK’s poorest districts.
– Jason Stockwood – Chair of Grimsby Town Football Club, co-founder of Our Future and serial tech entrepreneur
– Emily Bolton – Founder of Our Future and serial social entrepreneur (formerly a seniorleader at Social Finance who led the development of the world’s first Social Impact Bond)
Key topics discussed will be:
– Context on Grimsby– a short history of Grimsby and the social and economic consequences of the loss of the fishing industry in the 1970s
– The hope and promise for the future – why we believe that the green transition can be different for a community like Grimsby
– The central role of citizens’ institutions in creating a better future – the importance of institutions like Grimsby Town Football Club to the identity of a place, and how anchoring
our work at the football club has helped to build momentum and engage with Grimsby diaspora who love the town and want to contribute to its future
– Why building a better future is holistic – how citizens’ in Grimsby see issues in a holistic way and why lasting change can happen through working on multiple issues concurrently
– The Our Future model – the approach hinges on mpowering citizens of a place with the capabilities they need to build and benefit from a positive future. The model brings together investing, grantmaking and access to new networks through three pillars:

o Our Homes – blending the grant and social investment funding needed to enable citizen run groups to own and manage housing to build the neighbourhoods and
homes that they want.
o Our Work – harnessing entrepreneurial models to build the economy of the future and ensure citizens and post-industrial communities benefit.
o Our Community – providing grant funding and building networks to support citizen-led action in left behind communities. The fund would focus on enabling people to
establish the lasting social infrastructure their communities want.

– Questions for attendees – these focus on how we can draw on and learn from other great
practice:
o What are great international examples of mobilising citizen power?
o Where have communities been given power and agency to build a new and different future?
o What other great models should we learn from, particularly in terms of combining social change in communities with locally-led economic activity?

– How to get involved – we recognise that this is collaborative work and we want to partner with others with a shared vision and values. Ways to get involve include:
o Twice yearly Zoom calls for the community who want to support the change in Grimsby
o Come and join us at a Grimsby Town Football match and be part of the change
o Let us know about your networks and communities working on similar themes that we can contribute to

Main takeaways will be:
– Citizens and their love of place are central to driving the change
– Citizens need a breadth of resources to be empowered to unlock the change they want in an area
– Change is possible and is already happening in Grimsby

The hosts

Sustainable development goals

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities SDG 13 - Climate Action SDG 16 - Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

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