Third Party Event: Developing an alternative vision for a more sustainable Kirklees

Date/Time:

26/11/2019 5:00 pm 8:00 pm

Location:

Heritage Quay
University of Huddersfield
Queensgate
Huddersfield
HD1 3DH

Cost:

This event is free to attend.

More Details:

THIRD PARTY EVENT: This event is not organised or hosted by River Holme Connections for more details or queries about the event, please contact the organiser.

Kirklees is well known for a wide range of independent sustainability projects and tourist destinations, including local food producers and retailers, craft breweries, a vineyard, and various coffee related businesses. Recently community-led enterprise has been at the forefront of innovation in sustainability. But over the last decade, a narrow definition of the local economy has consistently hindered the potential to develop sustainable local business networks and rural tourism in favour of what are seen to be more pressing economic priorities focused on house building and job creation (Lever at al. 2019). Evident in many regions around the UK (McCamley and Gilmore 2017; 2018), this approach hinders the potential to forge links between rural and urban areas to further sustainable enterprise and enhance local tourism to develop a sense of place in regions such as Kirklees.

A group of academics at the University of Huddersfield specialising in sustainability have been funded by the Academy of Marketing to develop an alternative vision for a more sustainable and equitable local economy that will benefit local communities, businesses and tourism providers. We will do this by bringing sustainable local businesses and co-operatives, tourist providers and third sector organisations together in a conversation with academics to share their experiences and map out what practical steps are needed to move towards a more sustainable, place-based economy. Over the next 12 months, we will develop and refine an alternative vision for Kirklees, which will be promoted and put into action at the end of the project through a photographic exhibition at the Media Centre in Huddersfield.

We would like to invite you to the first conversation in the project at Heritage Quay at the University of Huddersfield on Tuesday 26th November 2019 from 5-8pm. Light refreshments will be provided.