Hundreds of residents have voiced their views as part of an exciting place brand project designed to help shape the future of Crewe and better define and communicate its values.
The online public consultation was launched back in November and the response was huge with more than 1,400 South Cheshire people telling of their experiences of living, working and spending time in Crewe.
The Place Brand Project led by Crewe Town Council, in partnership with Cheshire East Council and South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the pride local people have not only for the history of the town but also its potential.
One resident who completed the survey highlighted its community spirit and historic Lyceum Theatre. “The people of Crewe pull together to help others. There’s a wonderful theatre where people from surrounding areas visit.”
Another suggested: "Crewe has a lot of potential, good employers, education, links to countryside. It should embrace its multicultural make-up, especially through food and music."
Others spoke of the pride Crewe holds as a rail hub and home to global brand Bentley. “How can I say anything bad about a town that has provided me with employment since 1983!”
Another respondent felt more should be done to promote the town through the football club, saying: "Why aren't we working together to put the good name of Crewe Alexandra back on the map. We have one of the best youth set-ups in the world that will continue to produce top class talent."
Crewe Town Council Mayor Benn Minshall said: “The consultation was staged help to better define and communicate Crewe’s values.
“The feedback will be used to help produce a set of common goals for all of Crewe’s stakeholders to work towards.
“These can then provide a framework to guide strategic investment, influence policy and decision-making and ultimately enable Crewe to present a consistent, honest and positive image of itself at a regional and national scale.”
The consultation has closed on a high note. Cllr Minshall added: “We were overwhelmed with the response to the survey. What shouts out loud and clear is the pride and depth of feeling people have for their town.
“There were some negative comments but the positive outweighed them massively and we now begin the process of analysing the survey to draft a set of values which will form the narrative of Crewe.”
Designers HemingwayDesign, acclaimed for their regeneration work in cities and towns including York, Middlesbrough and Blackburn where residents were a vital part of the design process, have been drafted in to help with the project.
HemingwayDesign co-founder Wayne Hemingway, said: “For this project, HemingwayDesign, Crewe Town Council, Cheshire East Council, South Chamber of Commerce, wider stakeholders and residents are working together to enable Crewe to be the best town it can be, but in order to get there we first have to define what success looks like.
"Insights from the local community are essential in understanding this so we were really pleased that over 1,400 people took part in our digital survey to share their views on Crewe and their hopes for its future.”
A series of engagement sessions with stakeholders and members of the public will take place over the coming weeks to develop ideas and actions that will project the town’s positive values.