Innovate Magazine highlights efforts to tackle city’s inequalities

The latest edition of Marketing Derby’s Innovate Magazine, launched this week, explores the inequalities that exist in Derby and how they can be addressed.

Whilst Derby has a strong economy and pays the highest average salaries outside of London, it is also home to some of the UK’s most deprived areas, where residents can expect to live 10 years less than their wealthier neighbours.

In the autumn edition of the quarterly publication, we meet Councillor Baggy Shanker, the new leader of Derby City Council.

Baggy became leader following the local elections in May – and his first in-depth interview, he explains to Innovate his goals for the next four years. This includes addressing inequality in our city – something which for him is very much a personal mission.

A route to overcoming the barriers to social mobility is education – and in a Q&A with Innovate, Professor Kathryn Mitchell, the vice-chancellor of the University of Derby, explains the transformational role education can play in increasing opportunity, while Mandie Stravino, chief executive of Derby College Group discusses the positive impacts further education can have.

To truly understand the scale of the challenge facing Derby, Innovate sat down with Alison Martin, the city council’s recently appointed cabinet member for integrated health and adult care and  Robyn Dewis, Derby’s director of Public Health.

Statistics show “health inequality” in very much evident in Derby, meaning that, even in 2023, the area of the city where a child is born can still have a major bearing on the opportunities which will come their way, the health they will enjoy and even how long they will live.

We hear from Alison and Robyn about the efforts being made to close that inequality gap.

An annual event that aims to inspire young people to engage with education, particularly literature, is the Derby Book Festival.

In this edition of Innovate, we meet the organisers of this celebration of the written word, which has grown in popularity and stature year on year.

2023 is a landmark year for Treetops Hospice. The Risley-based charity, which provides end-of-life care, as well as support for loved ones, is this year celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Innovate meets up with its chief executive Julie Heath, who, as well as reflecting on four decades of providing vital care, talks about the important role Treetops’ continues to play, bringing light and comfort in the darkest moments.

Particularly since the pandemic, the role and purpose of cities has changed – and will, no doubt, continue to change.

In this edition’s Talking Business segment, a panel of experts come together to discuss how cities can shape an offer that will make them attract people as a place to live, work and visit.

Running with this theme,  in his latest column in Innovate, Marketing Derby managing director John Forkin, discusses the ‘repurposing’ of city centres – and how a ‘curated’ visitor experience could be key to Derby’s future success.

A digital version of the latest edition of Innovate magazine is now available on the Marketing Derby website at https://heyzine.com/flip-book/428478c2ea.html