My eighth Christmas in Boston approaches. I have travelled and lived in many towns in many counties and within five countries but I have never before set down roots for this long – and I have no intention of uprooting any time soon. This is a reflection of how I feel about this great town and its potential; having so many other places as points of comparison, I can truly appreciate what we have here.
Boston has a great heritage, a great history and has adopted many guises over the centuries and more recent decades. We can always be nostalgic for the past – how things used to be – but the simple truth is that we cannot turn the clocks back. We can appreciate and build on what has gone before but we have to look to the future, re-inventing ourselves as Bostonians have done time and time again through history.
Constant change is now the steady state – locally, nationally and globally – but while the pace of change may have seemed faster than ever, change has always been an inevitable factor in our lives. Nearly 400 years ago a group of people left Boston seeking a new life in the new world. They founded Boston Massachusetts – a city built by migrants from Lincolnshire, Europe and other parts of the world, a vibrant city built on a proud history that celebrates its cultural diversity.
Back here in Lincolnshire we have a longer history to be proud of and incredible cultural diversity. We are facing the same challenges as every other town up and down the country, with the backdrop of technological advances bringing not only opportunity but consequences, significant changes in how we shop and spend our time and some shops closing their doors. But there is still much to be positive and excited about. We need to continue to embrace and adapt to change or, better still, define and drive the change we want for Boston, writing the next chapter in our history.
I was honoured to take over the role of Chair of the Boston Town Board in July of this year, inheriting a wide portfolio of projects set in motion under the careful stewardship of my predecessor, Neil Kempster. The members of the Town Board give their time freely and willingly, committed and dedicated to improving the town and the lives of its communities – it is a real privilege to work with them.
Over the last year we have seen many changes take shape, from smaller scale community driven initiatives to larger scale investment. The Town Board has continued to oversee the £21.9M Towns Fund investment provided in 2020 which, alongside significant partner funding, has continued to deliver improvements this year. Extensive and sensitive renovation work has seen St Botolph’s historic library open its doors for the first time to visitors, and a number of buildings in the town centre are benefitting from investment through the Healing the High Street programme. One beneficiary is the Warehouse, the former home and studio of renowned textile artist and designer Mary Farmer which is undergoing refurbishment supported by the programme. The former British Heart Foundation building at 3-4 Petticoat Lane, and the works that have transformed the appearance and accessibility of Dolphin Lane have also been supported by the Healing the High Street programme.
In addition, the works at the railway station are moving forward, and nearly 100 local businesses have been supported with expert advice and grants through the Centre for Food and Fresh Produce Logistics. Meanwhile, music and events continue to fill the newly renovated community space within Blenkin Memorial Hall, which was our first completed Towns Fund project in 2023.
A key milestone has also been realised this year with the start of work on the landmark Mayflower, Boston’s new state-of-the-art adult education centre which is now rising from the ground. More recently, Boston Borough Council agreed to expand the Boston Leisure Project – the much needed upgrade to the Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre – to incorporate a Community Volunteering and Wellbeing Hub. The new hub is being supported by additional funding from the Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG).
Alongside all these and many other exciting investment projects that are taking shape – including the regeneration of Rosegarth Square – the Council and partners have been working hard behind the scenes to help make the Town Centre a cleaner, brighter and a safer place to be.
But while 2024 has seen many positive changes there is still much work to be done to breathe new life back in to the great old bones of Boston and to help those who have fallen out of love to fall back in love with this great town.
Towards the end of this year the Town Board, together with the Council, commissioned a piece of work to properly understand and assess the long-term opportunities for Boston as we seek – again – to re-invent ourselves. But while we need to look to the future we know that there are issues we need to tackle and changes we need to make in the short term – many of these informed by the people of Boston (both their aspirations and frustrations), through the engagement we undertook over the summer.
Looking ahead, the Town Board will be overseeing an additional £2M per annum investment for ten year from 2026 and it is critical that, while there will be conditions attached by government, we make the very best use of this funding. To do that we will cast a wide net and seek the views of our communities, businesses and partners and build on the feedback we received over the summer.
Much has happened in 2024 but it has been a small part of the journey for Boston. If we want to unlock the full potential of this town, if we want this next chapter to be one we can all be proud of and benefit form, we all need to work together to make it happen …. Bostonians have done it before, both here and as enterprising migrants over 3000 miles across the pond!
While my focus has been on Boston, no reflections of the year can be complete without the recognition and thought of those who have suffered and are suffering around the world as bombs and missiles have fallen and natural disasters have ripped through countries and communities. So many lives have been lost and so many livelihoods torn apart. It is important to maintain perspective and realise just how fortunate most of us are and while we may not be able to stop the wars or change the course of the weather, we can all spare some thought and time for those people who are struggling within our own communities. We can all do better together.
Very best wishes for 2025.
