Our towns are changing, but still perform vital roles as

• business and employment centres
• hubs for public services
• shopping centres for the surrounding area – including traditional markets
• a growing focus for new housing

Our small towns face many problems in the future, including

• loss of variety and closure of shops in town centres
• centralisation of health services causing problems for an ageing population
• inflated house prices driving young people out of the towns where they grew up
• decline of traditional industries
• lure of jobs in cities – towns become dormitories for their bigger neighbours

Small towns have many good points – they are great places to start businesses, popular places to live, and often bubbling with community spirit.

In a new burst of local energy, thousands of projects that tackle small town issues have sprung into being through local initiative and Community Led Planning, most often led by town partnerships of businesses, community organisations, local councils and individual volunteers.

• Find out more about Community Led Planning

Towns Alive

Drawing together all our work on small towns is the Towns Alive programme – a five-year Big Lottery funded programme to raise the game of our market towns in 4 ways:

• sharing experience and good practice through the Towns-4-Towns programme
• providing vital training through the Market Towns Academy
• analysing and developing policy through the Knowledge Hub
• providing a National Voice for market towns

Download the AMT Convention programme

Go to the online Booking Form

Convention programme

October 12

9.30 onwards.  Registration and exhibition

10.00  What’s new in small towns: a two-minute soapbox

This opt-in session for early arrivers is a chance to network and share ideas. As a delegate, exhibitor or member of the AMT team; this is your chance to give a two-minute pitch on the issues of the moment and how you are tackling them. Come early, have your say and get inspired!

Track the discussions on throughout the Convention

Looking to the future:  What do we need to do differently in our towns?

11.15   Welcome to Chippenham. Cllr Mrs Sandra Oakes, Mayor of Chippenham

11.20   Running on empty: new challenges, new opportunities. Catherine Hammant, AMT Chair

11.30   The place of small towns in a Big Society: the political and financial challenges. Speaker to be confirmed

12.00   How sustainable is your town? Energy and environmental challenges. Rob Hopkins – co-founder of Transition Town Totnes and of the Transition Network.

12.30   Networking lunch – get help and inspiration for your town

• Towns Alive helpdesk – find out how your town can benefit from our Big Lottery-funded programme Exhibition of products and services.
• amt-i surgeries –discover how AMT’s research and consultancy services can provide solutions to your town’s problems.
• Speed networking – meet and share interests with delegates from across the country

One town’s story of self-reliance: share the Chippenham experience

2.00     Choose one of the study tours organized by our Chippenham hosts

Strategic

• Joined-up visions for the future:  developing a Master Plan and Community Plan for Chippenham
• Market towns are for young people too:  creating a successful Youth Strategy

Practical

• Running successful projects on a shoestring: delivering the Chippenham Museum & Heritage Centre
• Exploiting your liquid assets: making the most of the River Avon as under-used resource for residents and visitors
• Saving your energy: promoting local energy efficiency including an innovative Thermal Imaging project.
• Cashing-in on visitor spend: promoting tourism and enhancing the visitor experience.

Tales of transferrable success:  the Market Town Awards Showcase

4.15 Presentations by the eight regional Market Town Award winners will inspire you with ideas for projects that can be transferred to your town. Chaired by Philip Eden, AMT Vice Chairman

All award winners will be available in the Exhibition area afterwards to discuss the secrets of their success.

5.30 Action for Market Towns AGM

7.30     Gala Dinner Be dined and entertained by our Chippenham hosts and learn the national winner of the Market Towns Awards 2010.

October 13

Unlocking local leadership through strategic support

9.30     Introduction from Chair, Len Turner, Chairman of the Wiltshire Forum of Community Area Partnerships and South West Market and Coastal Towns Network.

9.40     Continuing the Market Town Renaissance: Supporting Self-reliance in Communities, Chris Wade, AMT Chief Executive

10.00  Shaping Policy Solutions with a new Government, Alison Eardley, AMT Policy Manager and friends!

• AMT Policy Campaigns – an agenda for change in our towns
• The new Small Towns for Tomorrow Policy Forum unveiled
• The Rural Coalition speaks out
• Hear from AMT Policy Advocates

How to lead a local economic revival: a national exchange of ideas

11.30 Workshop programme session 1 (choice of  two workshops)

Local leadership

• Filling the funding gap: finding funding to sustain your town partnership through lean times.
• Raising finance locally: how social enterprises and community share offers can provide the investment for community shops and other businesses.
• Joined-up thinking: using community-led planning to influence local authority strategy and deliver the new Government’s Open Source approach.
• Different roles, common purpose: a blue print to help your councils and community partnerships combine forces effectively .

Prosperous Places

• Joined-up communities and economies: understanding the place of your town within a wider economic assessment.
• Thriving town centres: how to develop a healthy retail sector in your town.
• Local green energy: opportunities to harness sustainable energy in your town and the financial rewards.
• Innovation in rural services: practical ideas for saving money and safeguarding essential services in your town

12.30 Networking lunch, featuring

• Exhibition
• Towns Alive helpdesk
• amt-i research and consultancy surgeries
• Sign-on to virtual networks: discover how AMT’s forums and social network can help you share experience and solve problems.
• Meet the Award winners – a further chance to discuss their projects with the eight regional market town award winners

1.30     Workshop programme session 2

Repeat of the morning workshop programme

The Towns-4-Towns Exchange: helping you, to help yourselves

2.45     Talking Shop: Geoff Burch, retail guru and presenter of the BBC’s ‘All over the Shop’ series gives his insights in to presenting your town as a department store to launch AMT’s ‘Prosperous Places’ on-line Forum

3.15 Taking part in a Towns Exchange Fund visit: apply now! Debbie McGrath, AMT Towns Alive Programme Manager and friends

An exciting part of AMT’s Towns Alive programme is funding to give towns the chance to share their great project successes with other towns. This closing item will showcase the programme and tell you how to apply.

3.45 Closing remarks. Catherine Hammant, Chairman of AMT

Cost

1. Convention -TWO-day passes: AMT Member- £240; Non-Member- £380
2. Convention – ONE-day pass: AMT member -£135; Non Member- £200

Save £80: Full town members of AMT can qualify for the special early bird discounted rate of £160 if they book by 31 July (places are limited).

Go to the online Booking Form

Accommodation

A wide range of good quality, inexpensive bed and breakfast accommodation is available in Chippenham and we have arranged for the Chippenham Tourist Information Centre to book it for you. You can either e-mail your requirements to: tourism@chippenham.gov.uk or call David Dorey on 01249 665974.

AMT is able to book hotel rooms on your behalf at either the Premier Inn or Stanton Manor. Please e-mail Anne Buchanan at: anne@eesolutions.co.uk

A new AMT briefing note looks at the Coalition programme and also the Conservative Open Source Planning Green Paper and concludes that ‘AMT’s track record and campaign for Community Led Planning is in tune with the new coalition government’s focus on helping people shape the places where they live through a collaborative process.’

Download the briefing note: ‘Community Led Planning and Government Policy’

AMT research in Northumberland shows that new Coalition policies for involving local people in planning have much to learn from the rural experience.  From the findings of the research, it would seem that Community Led Planning processes – widely used in rural areas for years – can play a pivotal role in delivering the new Coalition government’s aspirations to help people shape the places where they live.

Download: ‘Involving People in Planning: Rural Experience Shows How to Deliver Coalition’s Ambitions’

Community Led Planning is one of AMT’s key campaigns under the Towns Alive programme.  Find out more about Community Led Planning and AMT.

The “i” stands for insight and innovation but most of all for integrity as this is the guiding principle in everything we do, from designing programmes we believe will really benefit small towns, to pricing in a way that maximises value for our clients.

Whether you’re looking for car parking surveys, town benchmarking or loyalty cards, check out how amt-i’s range of town centre services can help your town.

Want to talk about practical solutions for your town?

Call amt-i’s Senior Research Consultant, Mike King or Business Development Manager, Hannah Bowden on 01284 756567.

Find out more

• Download the amt-i Town Centre Services brochure (opens pdf)
• Go to the amt-i website (opens new window)

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