Notwestminster 2020

“Big hearts and open minds”
Friday 14th & Saturday 15th February 2020
The Media Centre, Northumberland Street, Huddersfield HD1 1RL

Notwestminster is a free event for everyone who has something positive to say about local democracy and anyone who is up for the challenge of making it better.

What’s happening on Friday…

Friday 14th February 2020 is our Democracy Solutions Day, hosed by the Notwestminster network. Then we have a special Notwestminster PechaKucha Night, followed by curry.

11am to 4pm Democracy Solutions Day

7pm to 9.45pm PechaKucha Night

Follow #Notwestminster on twitter

What’s happening on Saturday…

Saturday 15th February 2020 is Notwestminster – our main annual event for anyone who has something positive to say about local democracy.

Workshop session grid and live notes

Lightning talks | Workshops | Participants

Follow #Notwestminster on twitter

Look out for videos of our Lightning talks

About Notwestminster 2020

Main event tickets | Democracy Solutions Day | PechaKucha Night

Participants | Workshops | Talks | Timetable | Sponsorship

Do you want to be part of a kinder, more constructive and more open local democracy? If we want a more compassionate kind of democracy that matters for our everyday lives (and in which our everyday lives matter) then we can each be part of making that happen. Notwestminster is about finding the people, ideas and energy we need, so that we can grow our understanding by listening to each other, and where we can work together to improve our local democracy.

If you’re up for the challenge, please join us for two days of workshops, quick-fire talks, practical activities, conversations and inspiration in Huddersfield. Notwestminster is a free event and everyone is welcome to take part. All we ask is that you are interested in making our local democracy better, and willing to do something to make it happen.

Big hearts, open minds

Our kind of democracy is human-scale. When we talk about local democracy, we mean the democracy that happens where we are, in our neighbourhoods and the places that we know. It is the democracy that we live and breathe, each and every day. It only lives when we have our hearts in it, and it only grows when we are open to thinking and doing in different ways.

Notwestminster took root in the West Yorkshire town of Huddersfield in 2015, and has grown into a community of people who give their time and attention to improving our local democracy in places across the UK.

Like everywhere, there are many different Huddersfields, and we have much to gain by looking at our local places through the experiences of others. Huddersfield is currently home to both Dr Who and the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, who has said “The Huddersfield that I like best is a large town with a big heart and an open mind”.

This is how we have come to think of Notwestminster over the years. It’s a welcoming place for an amazing variety of people, which only exists because of the generosity of our participants, where we make room for each other’s ideas and experiences, and where we are reminded that local democracy has a big heart.

You can come to Notwestminster to share your ideas and experiences, listen to others, learn new ways of doing things, be part of finding solutions to issues for our local democracy, bring your questions, share your aspirations, hear things that will spark your imagination, and meet lots of people who are at the heart of efforts to improve our local democracy, for everyone.

So if you’re open to our local democracy being what we want it to be, and if you’re up for the challenge of doing something to help make it happen, please join us at Notwestminster.

If a kinder local democracy is your kind of democracy, you’re in the right place.

Tickets

Tickets are free (thanks to our generous sponsors). Places are limited, so we’re releasing our tickets for Notwestminster in three stages to give you every chance to book. Please set yourself a reminder…

Early bird ticket release – Tuesday 5th November at 12.30pm
Main ticket release – Thursday 28th November at 7.30pm
Last chance ticket release – Monday 13th January at 9.30am

Please note that you need to book a ticket for each day. We’ll contact everyone who books a ticket for Notwestminster to see if you’d like to come for the Friday night curry.

Main event tickets | Democracy Solutions Day | PechaKucha Night

Sponsorship

If you’d like to support Notwestminster 2020, we have a range of sponsorship packages available now. Please email us at notwestminster@gmail.com to request a sponsorship pack.