Crewe Place Brand

Part of the reason we wanted to work on a place brand for Crewe was the scale of the challenge involved. At HemingwayDesign as regeneration specialists, we spend much of our time working in economically and socially deprived and sadly somewhat ‘forgotten’ areas of the United Kingdom. We are used to locals having nothing good to say about their place, to seeing struggling high streets and worrying numbers in economic reporting, but Crewe felt like a place that had already lost faith in itself. With 26% empty units on the high street, it wasn’t surprising that the results of our initial engagement were not optimistic. The challenge therefore was to work hard and be creative in our engagement and consultation process in order to begin to draw out some positive thinking. This is a place that feels harshly judged by outsiders. It’s also a place with an impressive skills heritage, genuine resilience, a meaningful place in Britain’s past and the wit and grit traditionally associated with northern towns. Last year, stakeholders told us that the best things about Crewe were its former glory days in football and its association to the Bentley brand. Now the town is talked of as a people-powered place full of potential, with a self-starting attitude, engaged communities and the motivation to get things done. Crewe now knows itself as a place that truly nurtures technical talent, that is relied upon by its surrounding Cheshire towns for its amenities and employment, is proud of its mettle and is much, much more than just a railway connection.