Whilst part of my thinking began before the impact of Covid-19, it certainly focussed the mind during the pandemic.
The question is quite straight forward. What can improved Internet connectivity and technology bring to the Foodie sector in Dorset, especially in rural parts, and the impact to the future economy of the county?
It was a keynote presentation by Andrew Davis that really got me thinking about the bigger picture. At first I was only interested in connecting the digital and tech businesses and the growth in that sector. Not visionary enough for him.
With the bigger question, I need to research areas such as economics, town planning, traffic flows, the growth and demise of farms, country pubs, guest houses and artisan producers, and the change of demographics with regards to ageing and population movements.
This is all new to me. I certainly don’t have any answers and I need to ensure confirmation bias does not kick. Hence, I am sharing this journey with everyone and I hope experts can help me out along the way.
About Me
I am a company director of several businesses relating to web development, Internet hosting and consultancy in the security sector.
As part of growing our Datacenta Hosting business, we are building out a high-speed fibre network across Dorset, from the Dorset Innovation Park near Wool, to the Talbot Digital Exchange by the universities in Bournemouth.
@gordonfong on Twitter
Gordon Fong on Medium
About the Why
It might seem strange why I would venture onto this quest, to get involved in areas that are not my natural places of work or rest. Hitting 50 years of age makes you pause and reflect, which in turn makes you look towards the future.
I absolutely love where I live. I moved down to Bournemouth in 1996 and knew within a month or to that this is a place I will stay till I die, assuming no family emergencies get in the way.
I shuffled along to Southbourne in 1998 and finally found a place I could call Home. A place that goes beyond the four walls of where you live, but a place that has a much deeper connection and strong ties to the community. That’s why I have put a lot of effort into championing the place and getting involved.
My work then took me further west and I begun to appreciate what the whole county of Dorset has to offer and also the challenges it faces in rural areas, as well as places like Weymouth and Dorchester.
I hope my little championing of Southbourne made some difference. People were nice enough to tell me so.
So, in my pathway to retirement, the next 15 years I am calling it but Government policy might have something else to say about that, I wanted a bigger goal than just doing more business. How could I bring together the three themes of Place, Work and Foodie together that would be of mutual benefit to all?
And so began my quest.