Everyone is invited to join a Visioning Day with the aim of influencing Cockermouth’s future development and success.
A team of volunteers has come together to work on creating a Community-Led Plan. The aim is to identify what people already value about the town, and what they see in the Cockermouth of the future.
Throughout 2026, a small group of people, supported by Cockermouth Town Council and ACTion with Communities in Cumbria, will be starting conversations, and gathering ideas, about what people in Cockermouth care about most and how individuals and organisations can work together. Their first major event is the Visioning Day which will be held at the United Reformed Church on Main Street from 10am to 2pm on Saturday 21 March. This will be a drop-in event where visitors can share their views through interactive activities. It will be very informal – simply pop by, eat free cake and jot down any thoughts.
A Community-Led Plan identifies how local issues can be tackled and what opportunities there are to develop the community and the area. It will set out actions including things that the community can do on its own, and those which require partnership with local authorities or other agencies.
Cockermouth’s Community-Led Plan team is inviting everyone who lives, works or comes regularly into the town to say what they want to preserve and see more of, what the area is lacking and how it could develop positively, and also how they could help make all of this happen. There are four themes – getting around, living here, our environment, work and play.
Everyone is welcome to get involved and, importantly, the voices of the next generation will form an important part of these discussions. Many of the schools in the town and the surrounding villages are already taking part in a creative art project which will culminate in a joint school event at Cockermouth School and play a major part in the Visioning Day.
Chris Bridgman is the chair of the Community-Led Plan group. He said: “We know Cockermouth is a wonderful place to live, work and visit, and we want it to stay that way for generations to come. But that means we can’t stand still. There are always things that can be improved, or new ideas that will bring more benefit to more members of the community, or negative issues that could be solved with some imagination and proactive collaboration.
“We want to hear what people think, both at the Visioning Day and at ongoing events through the rest of the year. Please come and join in and let’s build Cockermouth an even better future.”
More information about Cockermouth’s Community-Led Plan is available at www.cockermouth.org/cclp/ and also via the group’s new Facebook page. Alternatively, email cclp@cockermouth.org
