Our Future Newsletter – April 2026
It was wonderful to see so many of you at Open House 2026 and feel the energy of people from Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, Rochdale and towns across the country choosing to show up and work together on what’s possible…Read the full newsletter
Give it a Go opens with call for local people to help decide what gets backed through Grimsby’s Growing Together Fund People across Grimsby are being invited to become Decision Makers and help decide which community ideas receive support through Give it a Go, the first testing phase of the future Growing Together […]
Coming together for the future of a town
Since 2024, more than 1,100 people across Grimsby have come together to shape the future of their town. People from different backgrounds and experiences have been part of that work, connected by a shared belief that things can be better. As Mark Webb, Managing Director (The Business Hive, E-Factor ), puts it: “If you want […]
On the ground in Rochdale – hope, pride and possibility
Over the past year, the Our Future, For Generations to Come team has been meeting and listening to brilliant people and organisations across the borough. Jet and Ben have been out meeting community groups, public services, local organisations and neighbourhood spaces. The focus has been to listen, engage and get to know the incredible work […]
Jose Davies: “How I Ended Up Here: The Story Behind My Pivot to Place-Based Storytelling”
Author, Jose Davies I have spent over thirty years building a career in business. Recruitment for over 25 years. Funding Projects, Business Advisory, council-funded support programmes for business owners. A 1:1 coaching programme called Roadmap to Revenue. All of it built with care, and all of it useful in its own way. But none of […]
Open House 2026: Growing the Future Together
In early March, over 200 people came together in Grimsby for Open House – two days built around a single idea: that lasting change in a place happens when people come together with shared purpose, and keep coming back. The room reflected that ambition. Attendees came from community organisations, local businesses, the NHS, national foundations, […]
Growth, Grit and Opportunity – Mark Webb’s Speech at Open House 2026
At Open House 2026, Mark Webb, Managing Director (The Business Hive) delivered the following opening speech. He set out the vision, energy and determination shaping Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, highlighting the qualities that are driving the town’s transformation: Growth, Grit and Opportunity. Below is Mark’s full speech. “Growth, Grit and Opportunity Today I want to […]
Building a Brighter Future Together
When did we collectively give up our sense of agency, and our responsibility to future generations? Optimism feels out of fashion right now. It often feels easier, even safer, to assume the future will be worse rather than better. When did we collectively give up our sense of agency, and our responsibility to future generations?I […]
Let’s Talk About Our Kids: A Conversation Full of Hope
Since the launch of Rochdale For Generations to Come in May 2025, Our Future has been listening and engaging with people and organisations borough wide to understand the incredible work already happening, as well as the big ambitions that could shape its future. One way to engage is through the Let’s Talk series, which brings a mix […]
Open House 2026 – Celebrating People Making a Difference
Listen to the audio. Open House 2026 brought together brilliant people building a thriving future for Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire and communities right across the country. During Open House, Steve Cole (Panahpur) asked a simple question: Who would you shout out in your community? What followed was powerful. People celebrated: Not just in Grimsby, North […]
