About the project
The digital realm can play a vital role in shaping and developing perceptions of community across the globe. Yet, the digital is often framed as a space of division as opposed to a resource to aid inclusion into places. This pilot study seeks to trial novel data visualisation and storytelling methods to explore people moving to Loughborough develop belonging/community connectedness, and how digital platforms can be used as a resource to do so. The aim of this project is to explore how people who have moved to Loughborough develop a sense of belonging/community, and whether additional resources are needed that could support them and future new arrivals. The project does this through innovative creative digital methodologies: (1) the use of miro, an online collaborative tool to discover places with meaning for new arrivals, and (2) storytelling workshops to identify how places have meaning in creating Loughborough’s community. The findings will be presented in the ArcGIS storymap ‘Arriving and Thriving in Loughborough,’ which can be utilised as a resource to aid future new arrivals. This project matters because, to attract new businesses to Loughborough, we also need to ensure that we can attract and retain a workforce with relevant skills. As a result, understanding how new arrivals develop a sense of belonging/community will be vital in supporting Loughborough’s local economy.
Outcomes
The project produced three digital StoryMaps for the Loughborough Stories platform as part of the TOWN Observatory (“Thriving in Loughborough: Connecting Campus and Town”, “Step into Nature” and “Places which Develop or Hinder Belonging”), offering practical and emotional guidance to help new arrivals navigate the town.
Collaborative workshops and online Miro activities enabled participants to identify meaningful places and engage in discussions that strengthened community connections. The project also worked to bridge gaps within Loughborough, particularly between the university and the town, through targeted engagement.
Insights and reflections from the community engagement process were compiled into a report titled “Reflections on Community Engagement”, which aimed to inform future research and practice.
Pathways to Impact
Despite limited immediate impact due to sample constraints, the project uncovered multiple future pathways and laid the foundations for a transferable engagement framework, one that could inform inclusive community‑building approaches in other towns and cities.
Academic The project piloted innovative digital storytelling methods (Miro, ArcGIS StoryMaps) as tools for community‑focused research and contributed insights into how new arrivals build a sense of belonging in Loughborough. It also produced the “Reflections on Community Engagement” report. These methods could inform new interdisciplinary research approaches in social geography and digital inclusion.
Societal Through focus groups and participatory digital tools, the project encouraged dialogue between university and town communities and created two StoryMaps to support newcomers. It also highlighted issues around digital inclusion and cultural sensitivity. This could lead to stronger long‑term trust between communities, increased participation in engagement activities, and measurable improvements in newcomer experiences.
Economic The project offered early evidence that belonging is linked to attracting and retaining skilled workers and has relevance for local policy discussions around population growth and integration. These findings could encourage employers to adopt belonging‑focused onboarding practices, potentially reducing turnover and supporting regional economic stability.
Community & Culture The project identified practical needs of newcomers and emphasised the diverse experiences of different arrival groups, which could lead to more culturally inclusive resources in the future, increased use of digital StoryMaps, and greater participation in local cultural events.
Future Actions: Future actions could focus on broadening community representation by involving a wider range of new arrivals and developing stakeholder maps and user journeys; addressing digital inclusion through partnerships with community organisations and engagement with both digitally confident and digitally excluded groups; creating practical, community‑led resources that reflect cultural and accessibility needs and align with local support services; strengthening policy integration by sharing findings with local authorities and exploring how the approach could be adapted for other towns; and ensuring sustainability through ongoing engagement via community networks and the development of hybrid digital and offline resources.
Project team and roles
Dr Sophie Cranston, (Lead Investigator) Geography and Environment, PI
Dr David Maidment, Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Co-I
Prof Sarah Mills, Geography and Environment, Co-I
Dr Michelle Richey, Loughborough Business School, Co-I
Rosanna Cant, Geography and Environment, RA
Ellie Moore, Criminology, Social Policy, Sociology, RA
Masa Nooh, Geography and Environment, RA
