Almost exactly a month since our local business and retailer summit, Grapevine is proud to present a full report on rekindling connections lost over the past year of the pandemic.
Around 65 business owners, sector reps and supporters joined us online on 29 April to talk about forging a different future founded on connection and belonging in Coventry and Warwickshire’s city and town centres and local high streets.
Places and spaces where our social diet can be nourished by a variety of interactions with family, friends, acquaintances and strangers. Where the person at the counter knows our name and we know theirs. Where community boosts recovery and recovery boosts community.
This report aims to draw all those conversations, ideas and pledges for action from the day together in one place – ready for the next step in our joint build back plans.
Heavy on colour, hope and optimism – but lighter on page quantity! – we want to inspire more positivity and plans that help people, communities and business use their untapped power to create better futures. We’re ready to explore where this work goes next in Coventry and beyond!
What’s in our report?
- What did we set out to do and why?
- What’s on people’s minds after the last year?
- What are the ideas for action?
- What power do we need and who needs it?
Look out for our other reports from the pandemic period on the ‘Strategy and reports’ page of our website for a fuller picture of different ways we’ve been tackling isolation intensified by the crisis.
Follow us on social media for more on our day-to-day work with people, communities and systems.
With final thanks to:
Iona Lawrence (The Relationships Project), Claire Spencer (WMCA), Immy Robinson (The Relationships Project), Martin Reeves (Coventry City Council), businesses, BID leaders and other business sector workers who helped plan, design and deliver the summit.
An extra helping of thanks to all those who shared photographs, especially Alan Van Wijgerden and Street Art Strategy and to those who spoke at the event: Ann Osborn, Trish Willets, Steph Kerr and Emma Ward and Eilis Newman.
And a final thank you to everyone who brought their time and energy to the summit itself.