Students shape future of town with Oswestry Masterplan activities

Youngsters are helping shape the future of Oswestry thanks to a linkup between The Marches School and the Future Oswestry Group.

Students, teachers and parents at the school have been having their say on the Oswestry Masterplan, with their vision, aspirations and hopes for the town being fed into the early stages of engagement.

The school’s Student Champion Tom Lidster has been helping get students involved in the process, with years seven, eight and nine taking part in Geography sessions around the masterplan, while a display board with comment cards has been capturing the views of all.

Sixth formers have also been discussing the masterplan as part of their tutor group activities, with all feedback being captured and analysed.

Councillor Steve Charmley, chairman of the Future Oswestry Group, said:

“It has been invaluable to have the support of The Marches as we keep working on the Oswestry Masterplan vision. We want to thank them so much for their support – it has been such a positive collaboration.

“It may sound like a cliché, but the youngsters at The Marches are our future and therefore it is vital that we take their views on and the way the school and the students have got involved has been absolutely fantastic.

“We want people to be ambitious and dream big – this project is designed to drive aspirations and thinking about the future of the town.

“The masterplan will highlight areas of potential development, movement and access strategic thinking and public realm opportunities.”

Student Champion Tom Lidster

Daniel Pritchard, Associate Assistant Headteacher at The Marches, said:

“We are really delighted to be working with the Future Oswestry Group on the Masterplan and we have already had great interest from the students here.

“We actually often carry out work exercises similar to this, so to actually have a real life example has been invaluable to the students and they have been enthusiastic with their feedback.”

Tom Lidster, Student Champion added:

“I am really keen on providing a voice for our students and this is a fantastic opportunity for me to work with Shropshire Council and the Future Oswestry Group on developing the Masterplan.

“I am really keen to get young people’s voices out there and bridge the distance between generations.”

You can find out more and take part in the Masterplan process by visiting: https://shropshire.gov.uk/future-oswestry-project/oswestry-masterplan/