Icons and inspiration were just two of the themes in a presentation made by Douglas Development Partnership manager Chris Pycroft to a forum of Isle of Man Champions.
The presentation, held at the Hamblin Skills Academy in Tower House, Douglas, saw the speaker outline a vision for the regeneration of Douglas; a vision he believed could only become reality if driven by experimentation, innovation and ambition.
To create a ‘new-look’ Douglas would require inspirational ideas, said Mr Pycroft, adding that ‘we should look globally and not be afraid to experiment.’
He urged Champions to send photographs to the Partnership of any street furniture they saw on their travels that might help serve as design cues for the Douglas town centre of the future and, citing Dubai and Liverpool as examples of cities driven by a can-do attitude, said ‘We need to raise our level of ambition if we are to create a better Douglas, but we must be careful not to over-promise.’
Mr Pycroft pointed out the potential for developing landmarks in the capital - such as the Tower of Refuge and the hydraulic tower - to attract visitors, while Douglas Head could, with investment and vision, be transformed into a country park. He also highlighted the opportunities for developing a dedicated TT visitor centre and the tourism potential of the Douglas horse trams and Manx Electric Railway.
With proposals to establish a town centre forum and the recent appointment of a regeneration manager, the tide had changed, said Mr Pycroft, pointing to the re-development of North Quay as a successful example of what can be achieved.
Mr Pycroft’s presentation was followed by an update on Champions activity from Freedom to Flourish marketing consultant Alistair Audley. Since Microgaming accepted the Chief Minister’s invitation to join the scheme earlier this year, the number of Isle of Man Champions has risen to 33.
Among recent initiatives delivered through the Champions’ skills, youth and awareness task forces were Bridging the Gap – an online marketing tool devised by the Chamber of Commerce and KPMG to provide GCSE students with vocational skills; the funding of 10 laptops for Age Concern Isle of Man’s drop-in centres to promote digital inclusion among the over-50s; and a series of New Horizons redundancy workshops delivered by Hamblin.
Collectively, the Champions have funded and commissioned a film by two 15-year-olds which elicits young people’s views on whether they believe they have 'Freedom to Flourish', while PDMS has created the Manx Graduates website (in partnership with the DTI) to provide graduates with information on job opportunities and employers could post vacancies. In addition, an awareness campaign proposal from the Champions has been prepared by Mr Audsley for submission to Government.
The Champions also assessed the feasibility of commissioning a Freedom to Flourish Opportunities bus to serve as a mobile exhibition centre and promote career opportunities available to young people within the Champions network. Furthermore, a pilot programme dubbed 'Roots of Empathy', a pioneering classroom-based initiative tackling antisocial behaviour in 6 to 8 year olds, could be evaluated later in the year.
Addressing the development of the Champions scheme, Mr Audsley said ‘Experience has shown we’re at our most effective when working in small groups to make things happen. As a consequence, the task forces have evolved into sector working parties: skills, opportunities and marketing'.
‘The scheme’s now not only connecting with the wider community and harnessing the Champions’ breadth and depth of expertise, but is also evolving to match their aspirations.’
Pictured: Douglas Development Partnership Manager Chris Pycroft
