John Till, Founding Director, Thinking Place
The Harrogate story is really a forward looking view of what Harrogate can be as a place and of course when I say Harrogate I mean the wider district. It’s really important that a place has a clear direction of travel, a story that everyone can get behind, and that it is something that is true to the place, that’s about the place’s distinctiveness, but it’s about what it can also be. For Harrogate that is about building on what is a fantastic reputation, a fantastic brand, but a lot of people don’t know about the bits that are surprises – particularly the businesses that are largely hidden; the amazing talent, and the amazing opportunity there is for business here. So yes, it’s about a story – but there is a very hard edged reason for doing it and that’s about attracting inward investment, attracting talent and building the economy for the benefit of all.