Over the past year, Social Life and The Young Foundation have been working in Corby as part of our Bright Future project, exploring the characteristics of industrial towns in Europe. This short report is a summary of some of the conversations we've had with residents about their perspectives on the town.
Interviews were conducted with 40 people, many involved in actively shaping the town through local politics, civil society and business. We also spoke to a range of other residents, both younger and older, to hear their views on local life. These voices build a picture of what residents value about the town, as well as the challenges they face. They add nuance, complexity and often challenge common accounts of the decline of industrial towns.
We are now moving onto a new stage of the project which, through a series of participatory workshops, will explore how Corby and other similar towns can thrive in the future.
Bright Future is an ESRC-funded project in association with JPI-Europe, working with people in small and medium industrial towns in Europe to explore their socioeconomic characteristics, qualities and underlying resilience. The research will feed into practical ideas and policy recommendations geared towards supporting industrial towns to thrive into the future.
