OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FORCE FOR CHANGE
The £125m Eden North project is looking to drive optimism back into Morecambe and the rest of Lancashire as it works to be a major force in tackling deprivation.
David Harland, chief executive of Eden Project, spelled out the opportunities the major investment programme will deliver in an examination of some of the ‘big ticket’ projects that will have an impact on the county.
David said that Morecambe, despite its natural assets such as the Bay and proximity to the Lake District, has experienced levels of deprivation “that we should be ashamed of”.
He added: “A big part of this project is about driving optimism back into the town and the region and to drive out that deprivation.”
That included providing opportunities for people to build careers in the area and to make sure there is hope for young people through education.
David added: “We want to buy at least 80 per cent of our goods and services in Lancashire, that is how you really drive change.”
Daniel Cochlin, head of external affairs at The Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said one of the main challenges for Lancashire and the wider region was communicating how the ‘levelling up’ agenda can change people’s lives.
He said projects like Net Zero North, which is looking decarbonise the region’s economy, provided large-scale opportunities to create industries “that we can export all round the world”.
Daniel also spoke of the positive influence that devolution and an elected mayor system had delivered in other parts of the North.
He added: “Securing some form of devolution in Lancashire as a whole or for parts of Lancashire would be a great step forward.”
He stressed that every part of the North could play a part in the powerhouse process, which was a long-term project. And he added: “It is important businesses get behind the principle we are trying to put forward that every part of the North is worth investing in.”
Ben Blackman, operations consultant at Lancashire 2025, the county’s UK city of culture bid, said the whole of the county needed to come together as one to sell itself on a national and international stage.
He cited the way Yorkshire has presented itself as one complete entity and added: “We need to unite as Lancashire. Lancashire 2025 presents that opportunity to say this is us, this is all of us, we all live and work in this amazing county.”
David Harland
Gill Hall
Gill Hall, owner of Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, said the pandemic had been a catalyst to accelerate change in the business. Butlers had joined forces with other quality food producers in the county to offer a delivery service to homes across the North West.
She said: “It fast-tracked a strategy we were already on to go directly to consumers. We’d already done the thinking and we were able to do it much quicker.”
Julien Parven, director of partner business and marketing at Daisy Communications, also shared his business’ journey during the pandemic.
Julien Parven Daniel Cochlin
He said that the pandemic had been a “catalyst” which had seen businesses look to meet the challenges of remote and flexible working through innovation.
It had completely changed the landscape for some of them while others had begun a digital transformation journey, with increased use of the cloud.
Jamie Grimshaw, investment executive at FW Capital, said the specialist funding provider had also had to adapt.
He said that businesses across the county had invested in helping their staff work from home efficiently, and had also worked to support them with issues such as mental health.
Ben Blackman Jamie Grimshaw
Looking at the funding landscape, Jamie said: “There is a lot of money out there, particularly from lenders and other non-traditional funders.”
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