Over the past year, For Generations to Come has been meeting and listening to brilliant people and organisations across the borough. Jet and Ben have been out meeting community groups, public services, local organisations and neighbourhood spaces. The focus has been to listen, engage and get to know the incredible work already happening across Rochdale, as well as the big ambitions shaping its future.
One thing is absolutely clear. The borough is full of care, effort and commitment. People are rolling their sleeves up and doing important work every day, often without much attention or recognition.
Across all of this, a picture is emerging. Much is already happening, but there is a real sense that when efforts come together, they can go further and have a greater collective impact over time.
This is at the heart of the Our Future approach, where relationships and trust matter just as much as delivery – recognising that each person and organisation holds part of the answer, but no one can do it alone.
Out and about
In March, Ben joined the Doorstep Out event with Rochdale North NHS, local volunteers, local charities, research organisations and many more all with a shared interest in learning directly from the Doorstep. Ben met with residents around Belfield Road. What stood out from these doorstep conversations was the pride people feel in their community, even during challenging times.
He also took part in a community litter pick in Roch Wood alongside the Forestry Commission and local volunteers. It created space not only for action, but for meaningful conversation. There is a strong sense of pride in local green spaces, and a shared desire to look after them better, together.
NetWalks with Rochdale Development Agency continue to offer a simple but powerful way to connect with others. They bring people together from across the borough while exploring the places that shape everyday life in Rochdale. Walking the borough shifts the tone of conversation – it becomes more open, more honest, and closer to lived experience.
What is coming through
In one of the conversations, a local champion said “you can tell a lot about how people feel about a place by listening to how they say where they are from. We want to create a change that allows people to always say Rochdale with pride.”
The word ‘hope‘ has been used a lot when people have come together. There is also a shared honesty that a lot of incredible work already exists, but it doesn’t always feel joined up. People are asking for stronger connections between efforts so things aren’t happening in isolation.
Looking ahead
A borough-wide conversation is coming this summer as part of imagining a better future. Rochdale’s story has always been driven by people who care. This is a chance to shape what comes next, together.
