24/01/12….The power of partnerships & the High Street

HIGH streets and market towns in decline? Well, perhaps not in Oxfordshire. Mary Portas?s recent review of the high street has shown what community-minded Town Partnerships in the county had already demonstrated: that they know best what is required to make their towns vibrant.

A lively event in Carterton Community Centre last Tuesday, (17/01), hosted by Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC), celebrated the achievements of six towns in the county at the end of a funding scheme initiated by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).

Members from each of the towns, including Thame, went home from the event invigorated by examples of a wide range of creative and enterprising projects.

?It was wonderful to hear about successes in other places,” said one of the delegates. ?I?m taking away lots of ideas for my own town.?

An important factor in each town?s success was the initial completion of a local consultation exercise – a ?Healthcheck? – to develop a shared vision for the future. This was required before an application for some of the