Progress: Summer 2023 - exploring feasibility

Rachel Bodle explored aspects of the feasibility of this project, connecting with potential collaborators.

April 2023

I sounded out the idea of a community-based project to discover, document & promote the long-term vision of the Shaftesbury area community with the town council’s Sustainable Shaftesbury Working Group (11th) – and received encouragement (including from Town Clerk, Brie Logan). Brie later confirmed that such a vision would be of value to the Council when it makes strategic plans, including those that align with the version of Dorset’s Local Plan that is expected to be adopted in 2026 and which will look a minimum of 15 years ahead.
I explored the feasibility of carrying out consultations and deriving a vision using the methodology deployed for the ‘People’s Plan for Nature’ (included in note 'Inspiring plans & visions'). Made contact with Rich Rippin of the Sortition Foundation who suggested we couldn’t afford to use their service – but he’d be willing to answer questions that arose as we move forward. He passed me on to Susan Ritchie of Mutual Gain which works with communities on a smaller scale. This led to a very reassuring Zoom call (27th). I took notes which I can share with anyone who needs them.
With Ed Bersey and separately Lee Hennessey I wondered if Survey Monkey and Excel would handle part of the job Shaftesbury would need. Ed agreed to support me as I set up a website.

May 2023

I started to develop a website that outlined the proposed project. This required me to be more specific about who we’d include, the topics that we'd cover, etc. I identified relevant work in other communities and found some statistics from the 2021 census. Further census information will become available in December ’23.
Around the end of the month I emailed 2-3 dozen people with details of the idea, a link to the website, and an invitation to offer feedback. Over the following weeks I approached more people: those who replied offered encouragement, some offered arm’s length support, and a handful expressed interest in ‘joining in’. I also encountered some cynicism: Will it make a difference?

June 2023

I interacted by email, phone or face to face with a widening group of contacts that reached beyond those I had previously encountered. Mike Madgwick and Lucy Young separately offered themselves as valuable sounding boards, making useful suggestions over coming weeks.
I introduced the project to Shaftesbury Town Councillors ahead of their meeting (29th). Offered further conversations about it on request. Council chair/mayor, Virginia Edwyn-Jones, later expressed interest.

July 2023

I introduced the project to the town’s Youth Council (1st). I asked the student councillors what about the town they’d like to keep for people in 20 years’ time, and what they’d like to see improved. Mike Motteram at Shaftesbury School expressed support.
There were more connections and interactions as I sought people with valuable experience and potential collaborators. I received a copy of the much earlier Community Plan: ‘The View of the Hill’.

August 2023

One of Shaftesbury’s Dorset Councillors, Derek Beer, (who was also part of the team that worked on ‘The View of the Hill’) expressed support for the project (9th) and will liaise between our volunteers and officers of Dorset Council.
Approached potential collaborators to find convenient dates for an initial meeting to assess our capacity to establish the community group needed to support the project. It became clear that a meeting wouldn’t be possible earlier than late October.

Sept. 2023

Met North Dorset’s MP, Simon Hoare (8th) and sought feedback on the project idea from him. He was supportive and offered to attend an early meeting. He will also contribute modest funding for venues if required. He advised that volunteers of the project could usefully be termed ‘Champions’ for this community, and encouraged the identification of ‘quick wins’ within the vision – areas where we can be confident of demonstrating that it has influence.
I introduced the project idea to trustees of the Swans Trust (20th). I invited feedback but made no specific request. There was a range of views on the type of support it may be appropriate for them to offer but the overall impression was encouraging and they asked to be kept in touch.