A week in the life of Alice – our Head of Community
My working week requires an intimate knowledge of train timetables. And an alarm clock!
Monday
I’m up early to visit Canterbury. When people hear I work in development they expect me to be an architect or an engineer. The truth is that I have little to do with buildings or construction. My time is spent with people. Those who live in and around places we are developing to ensure that their voices are heard and that we find the right balance between them and the needs of new residents moving from afar.
Those voices aren’t the ones you might expect (councillors, planning experts and transport advisors). They are residents and neighbours, members of local sports clubs, teachers and students, youth group organisers, shop owners and street vendors. In Canterbury, I meet members of various youth organisations over coffee. They explain their desperate need for outdoor space to enable sports and activities.
Insights like this allow me to act as a ‘go-between’. On one side are local community groups, on the other our design and delivery teams. Our teams develop and adapt their proposals to incorporate as much value as possible to people who will become part of the wider community around South Canterbury. They want to hear all about those plans and understand how they can start to prepare for a future that includes new facilities and purpose-built spaces.
I leave those meetings on a high, and the day continues positively. A student at one of the City’s three Universities is working with us part-time. We meet to discuss her project work, including a focus group we are running to understand why students graduating from Canterbury tend to leave the area soon afterwards. It will be wonderful when our work creates opportunities for them to stay.
Tuesday
I tend to split my week between our London office and the places we are creating. Tuesday is an ‘HQ’ day. I feed back to the team, answer emails and update our Instagram accounts with latest developments in Stamford and Canterbury. There’s a great session with our Head of Design, mapping the needs of Canterbury youth groups against the green spaces we are creating, and a health and safety briefing on site visits during construction.
Wednesday
With the email inbox under control, the thermos flask is filled again before dawn for a trip to Stamford. I’ve been visiting this wonderful part of Lincolnshire for over two years now, and it has become a home from home.
The visit begins with the Stamford Community Orchard Group. They celebrate the dozens of apple varieties originating in Stamford (of which a number have been lost). They are using DNA analysis to correct that, and running workshops on orchard care and cider production. Nature recovery is a central part of our plan for Stamford North, and we are delighted to be doing all we can to support the Group.
Later in the day, I meet a group of young mothers. We discuss the best use of community spaces for local families. I then walk (although I should really jog!) to a meeting with a running group. We discuss exciting ways we can promote healthy living. Meetings like these are wonderful examples of likeminded people working in unison.
There’s another part of my role that is harder but just as important. That’s when I meet people who are less happy with our plans.
Today I visit a local resident worried about traffic in the town after the new homes are completed. She expresses concern about the difficulty she will have parking in the town centre. She is not the only resident who feels this way and it’s always a relief when I can provide reassurance backed-up by facts and figures. I show her all our plans and the research that sits behind them, explaining that we will only consider Stamford North to be a success if we can make a positive difference. I leave with her good wishes and an invitation to pop-in on my next visit which left me with a warm feeling on a long, cold journey home!
Thursday
I sleep well and am woken by the alarm with another trip to Canterbury in the offing. This is a team visit, which means joining our Directors Tim and Ben, and my colleague Nick who is responsible for Public Infrastructure and Research. We enjoy an excellent meeting with the Canterbury Residents’ Association. We discuss a future naming strategy for the roads, pathways and areas within the new place. This is a subject about which local people – understandably – have strong views. It is great to see a real alignment in our thinking over the course of the session. This is just a step along the way for the naming strategy which will include a significant consultation process with local people.
Later on I drop-in to see our friends at the Canterbury Cricket Club and speak with a Canterbury-based charity supporting homelessness and emergency care. We discuss their upcoming fundraising event, featuring a photography exhibition to raise awareness of their work. We’re proud to be able to support this important cause and I’m already looking forward to attending the event in a few weeks.
Friday
I’m back in the office. There is lots to catch-up on, including a team project meeting. I update my colleagues on the latest news from Canterbury. I manage to fit-in a meeting to prepare for focus groups we will be running to understand what future residents really want from a new place. Ultimately, that’s going to enable us to create communities that reflect the needs of real people.
That really is a typical week in the job of a Head of Community. It does what it says on the tin: working with people to create thriving communities. Fortunately, I love every single moment of it (apart from that alarm clock!).