SPOILER ALERT: This is NOT an April Fools Day joke!
Towyn & Kinmel Bay Town Council leads the way in digital innovation, making history with a Welsh digital first, enabled by funding from the UK Government Community Renewal Fund
The UK Government funding is being used by Towyn & Kinmel Bay Town Council to strengthen community connections, develop a Community Place Plan for the area and to pilot an innovative approach to community engagement using digital tools alongside traditional grass roots community development.
TKBVOICE’s Community Roadshow on the 1 and 2 April is the start of the formal public engagement process to develop a place plan informed by the views of locals, visitors and holiday makers. The Roadshow launches a period of engagement that is truly mobile, as traditional face to face community events, are supported by innovative digital applications, being used for the first time in Wales.
Helen Wilkinson of Wilkinson Bytes Consultancy based in North Wales, is the Digital Project Manager.
Helen says:
“The TKBVOICE website goes live on 31 March. It is our online toolkit and digital platform for community engagement. It is designed to be visually appealing, and intuitive with a strong community feel. We are using it to gather views, data and intelligence that will inform the place planning process itself. Our traditional #LoveTKB postcards, a feature of our awareness raising campaign which has reached all households in Towyn & Kinmel Bay through grass roots community action, has been taken online. People can share their views with our digital postcard through their phone, tablet, laptop or PC, wherever they are.”
TKBVOICE is also deploying and using an innovative digital application, Create Streets, a Welsh first. The app allows people to make specific comments about particular streets and areas tracking comments and matching user data to their geolocation. It will specifically allow the consultants to gather data and views that are granular and specific to streets and will directly inform the place plan that is being developed. This is the first time that this innovative digital application is used in Wales. The learning from this will be shared well beyond TKB.
Helen, TKBVOICE’s Digital Project Manager notes;
“The pandemic accelerated the pace of digital innovation in Wales through necessity. It also exposed the problems of digital exclusion, data poverty and the need to develop digital skills. We are delighted to be able to use some of the funding to continue digital innovation out of choice, using our online tools, and website platform, to increase our reach, timeframe and depth of online engagement alongside traditional grassroots community engagement techniques. We have done leaflet and postcard drops to homes, businesses, and community spaces in the area, to reach as many people as we can and ensure that everyone is involved in the conversation – face to face or online”.
As part of its commitment to digital inclusion and developing digital skills, TKBVOICE will be hosting three workshops in April to support people to fill out the postcard online, use the Create Streets app and find out more about how they can use the website to share views, news, images and ideas. These are being held on Wednesday, 6 April, 13 April and 20 April 10:30am-noon.
The information can be found on the events page of the new website, and will be listed on TKBVOICE’s Facebook page.
The Union & The Dragon
You might notice a flag on the top right hand corner of the site. The flag represents the language. If you click on the Welsh flag, you should get a Welsh version of our site.
Notes for Editors:
Press and media enquiries
Helen Wilkinson, Wilkinson Bytes Consultancy, is TKBVOICE’s Digital Project Manager and leads on community engagement. She can provide further information about the website and online toolkit - info@tkbvoice.com; 07713 997 075
About the UK Community Renewal Fund
The UK Community Renewal Fund is a UK Government programme for 2021/22. This aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches to prepare for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It invests in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment.
The Community Connections Project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund which aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches in preparation for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The Fund invests in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment.
About TKBTC
Towyn and Kinmel Bay Town Council has 15 Councillors representing the two wards Towyn and Kinmel Bay which combine to a total of some 8,500 residents and just less than 50,000 visitors in the holiday season. Towyn & Kinmel Bay is situated between Rhyl, and Pensarn and Abergele on the North Wales coast. The funding is being used to strengthen community connections in Towyn and Kinmel Bay and develop a Community Place Plan for the area with the active participation of its residents and visitors which stands the test of future generations and has the support of young people.
Social media hashtags
Sign up to be kept informed - www.tkbvoice.wales
Like or follow TKBVOICE socials, share, and retweet to friends and followers using the following hashtags.
#CommunityConnections #UKCOMMUNITYRENEWALFUND #TKBVoice #LOVETKB #DigitalInnovation #TKBDigitalInclusion