People from across the county have come together to share their hopes and ambitions for Northamptonshire – with the University of Northampton committing to listen, respond and work with partners to help make them happen.
What should Northamptonshire look like in 20 years?
That was the question at the heart of a Future Communities conversation held today (Tuesday 15 September) at Northampton Town Football Club, bringing together voices from across the county to discuss the future of the communities they live, work and serve.
Hosted by the University of Northampton (UON) and Universities UK (UUK), the event brought together civic leaders, businesses, public services, community organisations, educators, students and residents to explore what makes Northamptonshire special, the opportunities and challenges ahead, and what local communities need from their institutions.
Rather than presenting a predetermined vision for the county, participants were asked to share their own experiences and ambitions through a series of facilitated discussions.
Among the questions explored were:
- What makes Northamptonshire special?
- What do people want the county to look like in 20 years?
- What opportunities and barriers will shape that future?
- What role can universities and colleges play in supporting local ambitions?
As a result of the conversations, the following themes were identified:
- Community: The people are at the heart of Northampton, and we need to be better at shouting more about our successes and exactly what makes us such a great place to live and work.
- Connection: We need to connect people with more opportunity through employment, volunteering, study and business.
- Collaboration: We need to explore more potential to unite the county’s siloed individual and group collaborations into a bigger display of success.
Becky Bradshaw, Interim Vice Chancellor at the University of Northampton, said: “Today has been about listening. We brought together people with very different experiences of Northamptonshire because we wanted to hear what matters to them and what they want the future of our communities to look like.
“What we’ve heard today will not simply sit on a page. It gives us an opportunity to think honestly about where the University can make a difference, where we need to do more and, importantly, where we need to work alongside others.
“Universities are part of the communities they serve. Our role is not simply to educate students or contribute to the economy, but to be a partner in helping our communities thrive.”
The conversation builds on the University of Northampton’s existing work with communities across the county, from our student midwives supporting around 2,500 births annually and conducting 600,000 hours a year supporting our local health services; the Orchard Project at the Autumn Centre in Corby, which is working with partners to strengthen dementia awareness, support and care; and Headsets for Hope, which uses immersive reality to help children with developmental or learning disabilities build confidence around everyday travel.
Other examples include research into technology supported wellbeing in care home settings, nationally funded work on community engagement and physical activity led by Dr Declan Ryan, and Move Northamptonshire, where the University is supporting partners to use data, evaluation and training to help more people be physically active and tackle inequalities across the county. This partnership work has helped Northamptonshire Sport and our two unitary authorities secure £2.3million of funding from Sport England’s Place Expansion Programme
Through these projects, University staff and students are already working alongside local organisations and communities to promote health and wellbeing, as well as improve access to services across the county.
Today’s conversation is intended to build on that work rather than stand apart from it.
Professor Malcolm Press CBE DL, President of Universities UK, said: “Universities are anchor institutions in their communities. They educate local people, undertake research, support employers and help drive economic and social progress. But if universities are to continue making the greatest possible contribution, they need to listen closely to the communities they serve.
“Future Communities is about making sure local voices are central to the conversation about their own future and the future of higher education. We want to understand what people value in their communities, what challenges they face and where universities can make the biggest difference for them.
“Northamptonshire and the University of Northampton have shown exactly why these conversations matter. We have heard a huge range of perspectives and ideas today, and those insights will help inform our work as we develop a vision for the future role of universities in society.”
As a next step, the University has published an open letter to the Northamptonshire community from Becky Bradshaw, setting out what the University has heard and how it intends to respond.
The University will also continue the conversation with community partners through a new quarterly community newsletter, providing a space to share progress, opportunities, partnerships and further opportunities for people across Northamptonshire to contribute.
The conversation forms part of the national Future Universities programme led by Universities UK, which is exploring how universities need to evolve to play their full part in supporting the communities and places they are part of.
Becky Bradshaw added: “We don’t have all the answers, and no single organisation can shape Northamptonshire’s future alone.
“But we can listen, we can bring people together and we can use the expertise, people and resources of our University to help turn shared ambitions into action.
“Today’s conversation is a starting point. Now we need to take what we have heard and work with our partners and communities to decide what comes next.”