Thousands of people from all over Calderdale got involved in a themed social media week all about what makes Calderdale distinctive, to build awareness of the joint Vision for the borough.
Cllr Tim Swift, Calderdale Council’s Leader, said:
“In 2024 Calderdale will celebrate its 50th birthday. It’s the perfect time to look back at all the things that make this such an amazing place, and to look forward to what we can achieve in the years to come.
“We all have a part to play in developing the Vision for Calderdale, so let’s work together to create the best possible future for everyone. This is about ambitions for our place, not just for the Council, and it comes at a time when Calderdale is receiving national recognition for the ongoing work to regenerate and shape our area.”
Vision2024 is focusing on some of Calderdale’s features and qualities as its main themes. The Council is raising awareness of the three themes by featuring them in social media ‘takeover weeks’, where messages centre on things that bring the themes to life. People are invited to support the content, comment and share their own messages and photos covering the themes:
- Distinctive: The transformation of The Piece Hall into a stunning international destination has kick-started culture-led regeneration. We want to build on this and put Calderdale on the world map as the place to be for heritage, arts and music.
- Enterprising and talented: We want people to achieve their full potential, make Calderdale the small business capital of the North, ensure children get the best start, and help prepare young people for life after school.
- Kind and resilient: We want to use our strong community spirit and experience of bouncing back to help us prepare for any kind of setback.
Calderdale Council kicked off the first takeover week (23 to 29 July 2018) based on the theme of distinctiveness, and many more individuals and organisations took part. The focus was on what makes Calderdale stand out and how we can use that distinctiveness in the future. The Twitter and Facebook posts reached over 77,000 people and there were nearly 3000 likes, shares, retweets and other engagements.
A photography competition during Distinctiveness Week inspired people to share their own images of what they think makes Calderdale special. Well done to Catherine Schofield, who took the winning photo of Widdop Reservoir near Hebden Bridge. Catherine’s photo captured Calderdale’s character, showcasing its dramatic scenery, rugged landscapes and its story to tell.
Takeover weeks on the other themes will follow over the coming months; #Resilience is up next in October. In the meantime, local people and organisations are encouraged to keep sharing content on their ambitions for Calderdale, and anything they’re doing that’s ambitious and future-facing.
Many contributors to Vision2024 were invited to its official launch event in March 2018. Local residents, employees, businesses and community groups listened to talks, took part in interactive workshops and watched a package of films exploring the Vision’s themes. For more information about the Vision and to watch the films, please visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/council/vision-2024
Where do we want to be by 2024? How will the Calderdale of 2024 be different from the place it is now? What ambitions do we share? Join the conversation by following #VisionCdale2024 and #Distinctiveness on social media.