In 2025 Rural Media’s P.O.V. (Point of View) programme was asked to consult with young people in Bromyard to explore their views about safety following conversations with West Mercia Police. This was an opportunity for a broader conversation for P.O.V. to have with young people living in Bromyard and the surrounding area and we launched a full-scale creative consultation. Having been speaking with young people across Herefordshire and South Shropshire since 2020 we were delighted to connect with young people in Bromyard to create a snapshot of their experiences, ambitions, and ideas on shaping the town’s future.

Following initial conversations with stakeholders we decided to focus our consultation with children and young people from aged 9 to 16 years. The rationale for this being we could impact longer term change by connecting with younger children that was more sustainable and impactful. We divided the consultation into three age bands:

• 9-11 years (Years 5-6)

• 11-14 years (Years 7-9)

• 14-16 years (Years 10-11)

This age-specific approach recognises that a 9-year-old's experiences differ significantly from a 16-year-olds. By speaking with each age bracket separately, we wanted to better understand their distinct concerns and interests, especially of the younger age groups, and potentially establish activities that build lasting connections between young people and the town as they grow up.

As always with P.O.V. creativity is at the heart of what we do and how we work and that has been no different in Bromyard.

We used poetry, creative writing, drama, dance, parkour and documentary photography to open up conversations with young people growing up here. We intentionally took time to build trust and relationships with young people, adults and organisations in the town, and through this slow and steady approach we have had 577 creative interactions with children and young people. We have worked with Bromyard Info, both in print and online, to share our work and its intentions, and we’ve collaborated with community leaders to now platform the voice of Bromyard’s young residents.

Our work in the town has been championed by Aimee Williams, Talk Community Development Officer and we are thankful to her for the access and support she has provided.