Published: February 27, 2024 | Updated: 27th February 2024
Wayne Hemingway, co-founder of HemingwayDesign, is set to be a guest speaker at the Poole Business Improvement District’s Annual Review Meeting.
HemingwayDesign is a multi-disciplinary designed studio focused on people, place and positive social impact, specialising in affordable social design. Wayne is an English Designer and also co-founder of designer and manufacturer Red or Dead.
Jacqui Rock, Poole BID Lead who is hosting the Annual Review Meeting where Wayne is guest speaker said “The introduction of HemingwayDesign at this point is essential as we navigate through our next phase of resurgence for the town.
“It is therefore relevant to have their knowledge and experience to help us do this via this Meeting, as our levy paying businesses and key stakeholders will be in attendance, and so it will give Wayne the opportunity to deliver his message and understand our businesses needs first-hand too.”
This resurgence has been demonstrated by the good work that Legal & General have been involved in. Their ‘Kingland Experience’ – the Dolphin Centre’s shopping district of 10 hand-picked independent retailers, has created a diverse selection of brands which locals actually want to visit and support on their high street, where before lack of footfall in the area saw most businesses close.
Additionally, inside the Centre, a new NHS outpatients assessment clinic to tackle the huge backlog in waiting lists and redirect patients away from Hospitals and back into the town centre. The addition of the Adult Learning Centre which is now the new home of Skills & Learning in Poole alongside Access Wellbeing, a new support hub helping the community to access support and advice on a wide range of topics.
Not forgetting the coworking space, FOUNDRY offering hot desking, coworking and private offices, and this all adds to an increase in footfall from people that may not otherwise visit.
Jacqui continues: “Legal & General have been phenomenal in their investment in the town, both in terms of their time and the financial aspects. We believe that Poole has even more opportunity to extend this offering across the rest of the town and we are keen to harness this recovery post pandemic.”
“We are blessed to not experience a high number of vacant business units, but it is paramount that we keep this under control and so we are also in the process of working with our delivery partner, The Vacant Shops Academy and landlords, agents, and planning at BCP Council to encourage occupation via a marketable database.”
“This project aligns with this next phase with the curation of our district as a whole, hence the timely introduction of HemingwayDesign to help us with this.”
Wayne commented “Poole town centre is blessed with a number of assets that along with its geography can provide a recipe for it being a desirable, lively and economically vibrant place. Let’s get our heads together and start to discuss how Poole town centre can become a place in peoples lives and prosper over the immediate years ahead”.
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