Getting to Know the North at This Is The North 2023

I recently attended the 2023 This Is The North convention in Preston on 29th and 30th November. The first morning was a cold one so it was nice to enter the warmth of the convention venue, the Masonic Hall!

After the place filled up with attendees from across the North and we had all enjoyed a spot of lunch, the People’s Powerhouse chair Edna Robinson gave a welcome talk. She said something that cemented the purpose and energy of the next two days:

“The people of the North want to feel like they are heard, feel they are seen, and to feel that they have influence… We need to have a strong commitment to what we do more than ever”.

I was excited to be a part of something so invaluable for the North, but one thing bugged me… I didn’t actually feel like I was a part of ‘the people of the North’.

As someone who’s originally from North Wales, I didn’t grow up in any of the communities of the North of England. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I moved to Salford to study at university. That was in 2020, so due to the pandemic and the social isolation that came with it, I hadn’t fully explored the vastness of the North and connected with its people.

The convention provided me with the perfect opportunity to meet people from all across the North and gain a better understanding of the region’s different communities. What stood out to me was the variety of approaches that people took to supporting positive change in their local communities and the wider region.

Day one was packed with discussions about community wealth building. I heard from several individuals and organisations focused on the political and economic landscape. Matthew Brown’s work at Preston council was fascinating and it was refreshing to hear about local change done so well with the Preston Model.

On this day, I also attended a workshop focused on good work. I was particularly intrigued by Chris Dabbs’ work with Unlimited Potential and his discussion about autism in the workplace. I’ve been hearing a lot regarding neurodiversity in recent years and this workshop offered a great discussion on how the North can (and why we should) encourage inclusivity for neurodiversity in the workplace.

Day two of the convention was even busier with so many more speakers and facilitators offering a variety of sessions. The morning’s devolution panel talk propelled the day to a great start with an exciting panel lineup discussing what role devolution can play in the North and how methodological changes need to happen, not just structural changes!

Another thing that excited me on day 2 was the film festival held at the Larder Cafe! I attended the screening of The Unequal Pandemic. It was a powerful film and I enjoyed hearing the insights of Debbie Abrahams and the co-producers Phil Webb and Lorne Guy. I love to immerse myself in the film landscape and hearing firsthand from these producers was an amazing experience. I do hope to see a longer feature version in the future because the case studies I saw in the screening were extremely captivating and full of emotion!

My two days in Preston were a great experience and I feel glad to be a part of This Is The North 2023. I was introduced to some new initiatives that I’ll be keeping an eye on, and I made many connections that I’ll be keeping in my network after the convention. I was enthralled by many of the topics discussed during sessions over the two days and I learned a lot but the main thing I came to realise was that the North has a lot of potential, and it will reach that potential while its people connect and collaborate with each other and share their valuable approaches to positive change. After two days, I’m very glad to say that I feel much more involved with Northern communities far and wide!

Olive Roberts-Evans is a digital marketer specializing in social media and email campaigns – www.linkedin.com/in/olive-roberts-evans-a42836263