PRIDE
IN PLACE
Layton and Grange Park set for £20m Regeneration
Are you a resident of Layton or Grange Park? I want to hear your views on how the area should be improved.
Through the Pride in Place Programme, I have secured £20 million of funding for Layton and Grange Park over the next ten years. That’s £2 million every year to invest in jobs, community facilities, youth services, green spaces and making our streets safer and cleaner.
This is a deeply personal project for me – my grandparents were one of the first to receive their keys to a brand new council house when Grange Park was first built and I was born and raised in Layton, where my parents still live.
I know this community through and through, just as you do. And your voice matters.
Please take a few minutes to share what matters most to you, your family and your neighbours by filling in my survey on the link below.
Over the coming months there will also be lots of opportunities for you to share your vision and your views in person. Please come along to one of the following events to have your voice heard.
Residents take Pride in Grange Park at our first Ideas Exchange sessions
Around 80 residents of Grange Park turned out over two days last week to help design the future of your estate.
Friday 30th and Saturday the 31st January saw our first Pride in Place Ideas Exchange sessions come to @theGrange. This was an opportunity for residents to tell me, local councillors and community leaders, how you think the £20m I’ve secured for Grange Park and Layton should be used to create a real and lasting transformation for the area.
Read all about what ideas came up here,
Neighbourhood turns out to take pride in Layton
On Friday 13th February I welcomed residents to a Neighbourhood Social in the heart of the high street at the Layton Institute. This place is so important to me - it’s where my dad had his first job as a glass collector and when I was little my grandad worked to door. I have vivid memories of sitting there with him, welcoming customers. That I got to do this now as their MP was really special.
It was great to chat with the current owner, Amie, about her transformation of the Layton. By transforming spaces around the building into studios for her performing arts school, AVR, she’s made the Layton a truly multi-generational and inclusive space. She told me about big plans she has coming up in the next 12 months which will have a really important role in Pride in Place.
The evening was very relaxed, with live music from the brilliant Darwin and the Finches. Members Mic and Liam both have connections to Layton so it was really cool to see what local talent the area has produced. There was lots of meaningful discussion and community connection – a great first event in Layton.
We have two more events coming up in Layton as well as another in Grange Park. If you haven’t made it to one yet, get yourself down!
Local youth leader appointed Chair of Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board
I’m pleased to welcome the appointment of Sarah Lindsay as Chair of the Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board for Grange Park and Layton.
Sarah was selected following a competitive recruitment process that attracted a strong field of candidates from across the community. All applicants brought valuable experience and insight and many are expected to play a role in the programme as it develops.
The role of the chair to champion the neighbourhood, provide leadership to the Neighbourhood Board and ensure the £20 million Pride in Place investment is community-led and rooted in local priorities.
Sarah grew up on Grange Park, where her family still lives and has spent more than a decade working with young people in the area. She is Head of Service at Boathouse Youth, where she spearheaded the development of the Grange Park youth centre.
Her experience spans youth work, safeguarding, early intervention, strategic planning, partnership working and programme delivery across the town.
Sarah couldn’t be more perfect for this role. She’s from Grange Park, her family are still here and she’s spent more than a decade working with young people on the estate.
We had a really strong group of candidates, which shows just how much talent and commitment there is in our communities. I want to thank everyone who applied and I hope many of them will have a role to play as Pride in Place moves forward.
This programme has to be led by the community, not done to it. Sarah understands the challenges, the strengths and the potential of these communities because she’s lived and worked in them. I’m looking forward to working with her to make sure this £20 million for Layton and Grange Park delivers real, lasting change.
A message from Sarah
“Grange Park is not just where I work, it’s where I’m from and where my family still lives. It has shaped my values, my career and my sense of purpose.
“I’ve spent the last decade working with young people and families on the estate, and I know both the challenges people face and the strength of the community. I want this investment to be shaped by local voices and to deliver real opportunities, especially for children and young people growing up here.
“Layton is a very different community but one I’m also familiar with. It’ll be really important that other members of the board are firmly rooted in Layton so that both communities are fully represented in this process and get what they want out of it.
“My ambition is for both Grange Park and Layton to be known for their strengths, their community spirit and their potential. Pride in Place gives us the chance to build something that lasts, with investment that improves life chances and strengthens the local community for the long term.
“As Chair, I’ll make sure the community’s voice is at the heart of every decision and that this funding is used in a way that is transparent, fair and focused on real impact.”
