Now that the initial excitement from two weeks ago has subsided, it's time to take stock and look around at what we have achieved to move forward with a plan.
Yes, we have enthusiasm and by the cart-load.
Yes, we have some amazing ideas.
And yes we have some incredible support from some incredible people.
But that will only make town meetings and blogs look good.
Now we have to fine-tune the whole operation and put it into action. We are basically going to try and harvest all of the ideas and enthusiasm Warwick and its supporters have given us. Simple task yeah?
Without going into the finer details of the 28 Recommendations, we have to fulfil certain criteria. Mary Portas has advised the UK government what the high streets and towns need to 'breathe new life' into them. This review then advises us as a Town Team what we should set out to do to improve Warwick. At the moment it's all about winning. We want to be successful. We want the maximum £100,000 prize and we want to achieve that by the end of this month. Tough job? Well in many ways yes...but in many more ways no, not at all!
Warwick has so much going for it. We are so lucky and grateful to be able to draw on such fabulous assets. Warwick Castle, I mention it first because it's so obvious. Arguably the best castle in England, if not the UK. (Controversial, I'm sorry.) Warwick Racecourse, an amazing hub of local events and sporting accolade on our doorstep. St. Mary's church, a simply stunning landmark and regarded as one of the most important churches in England. Market Square. It's already there, it's already a market and it's all ready...period. The heart of Warwick, surrounded in history and wealth of architecture and beauty. In fact, pass me the town guide - I'm going to write it myself.
With just these things Warwick is already a winner and I haven't even mentioned the plethora of independent shops or the stunning array of eateries and beautiful places to drink and socialise. Warwick really does have it all, we just seem to keep it to ourselves. Come here from out of town and you won't read about it, see it on the town guide in the car park, hear it on an announcement on Chiltern railways, or be ushered lovingly towards it from the racecourse. I salute the efforts from Warwick Castle to send people to 'explore Warwick,' but we must do more. Send the people here, invite them in and show off what we have to give. But let's hope it's not on a Sunday hey?!
The market and the image of Warwick are the key drivers here. The market square is already there, soul-less for most of its existence, but it's there. The Saturday market is great. The buzz and atmosphere there last Saturday was a joy. This needs to be built on, and everyone so far is in favour; we are a market town after all.
Using it in conjunction with our key points and places is going to be very important in our proposal to Mary Portas and the Pilots committee. We have less than 30 days to get the town mobilised. Why work against it when we can use its current successes and build on them?
We are furiously researching Warwick as well as other towns in the UK. This is a competition and we are not going to hold back. We are proud of this town, and we are passionate about its strengths. We are actively looking at what works and what doesn't work in Warwick and indeed neighbouring towns, and in particular market towns. We will never be Leamington Spa or Kenilworth or Stratford-upon-Avon. We are a market town designed around a castle and that's never going to change. Warwick is a fragmented town in geographical terms but it is very much joined in community spirit.
So, enough of the election speech. What's next?
Well we now have the huge task of whittling down all the amazing ideas that have come in over the last two weeks. Thank you to you all, your energy and passion is driving this proposal. We hope to have a clear plan by the end of this week, and then we are going to start putting it together. We have support from the MP to the Mayor to business owners all the way to a team of local school children. We plan to make this very much a town effort. Together as one we will be a force to be reckoned with, and even if we don't make the cut, Mary Portas will be coming to this town. Why? Not because we need her here, because she won't be able to stay away!
Warwick rocks and we plan to prove that.
Please keep your comments and views coming. We really do take them all on board and we try to reply and consider each and every one of them.
Cheers for now.
Todd @Underwoodwines & @Warwicktweetup
warwicktweetup@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment