18 May London Change Campaign – can Bournemouth offer the solution?

We’ve been keeping our eye on the awesome recent London Change Campaign, its purpose is to create a dialogue about the socio-economic changes happening in our capital. The campaign was centred around Londoners emotive views about their city, the rising cost of living and bring to light the stories of people moving in and out of London.

The campaign was designed by Dr Rebecca Ross, senior lecturer and MA communication Design Course Leader at Central Saint Martins. Individual’s views and quotes were displayed on billboards across the city. The responses ranged from optimism to heartbreak – here a selection of comments:

“I’m worried that I’ll be signed up to a life of poverty, despite being highly qualified.” – a student planning to relocate from Australia to Hackney.

“It was a huge decision to leave my family and friends. How do we get to a point that landlords, investors and government create an environment where I cannot save for a deposit or even afford a roof over my head?” – An individual moving from Hounslow to Sweden

“I feel excited about moving to London – I love London – but also terrified, as it’s so expensive. I’m worried that, even if I do manage to secure a job afterwards, I’ll be signing up to a life of unnecessary poverty, despite being highly qualified.” – A student moving from Australia to Hackney

“Happy to be leaving London. What I once saw as a chance to find a job has swiftly descended into a nightmare where I can only just afford my weekly shop, let alone socialise.”– A journalist moving from Lambeth to the south-west of the UK

We find the campaign to be deeply emotive and we love the honesty of Dr Rebecca Ross’s project. We can’t help but make the link between relocation and the thriving digital economy in Bournemouth. It’s understandable that people are prioritising their lifestyle and moving out of the city. Our area is crying out for more talent and perhaps Dorset can offer some great opportunities to people relocating from London – with beautiful scenery, reasonable house prices and a fertile digital jobs market, is Bournemouth set to be London on the sea in the future? We certainly think so.