Building Strong Foundations for Shared Change - Strategy 2025-28
Behind the big plans are small moments that matter. Head of Service for Hub & Business Heather reflects on the keeping the CoLab cogs turning…
When I think about the new CoLab Strategy and its companion piece, I see more than a plan: I see a commitment to connection, courage, and community. For me, in the Hub & Business area, that means creating and reinforcing the strong foundations that allow change to happen — the infrastructure, relationships, and trust that make bold visions possible.
CoLab has always been more than a building. It is a civic hub where partnerships are forged, voices are amplified, and possibilities emerge. The Hub is not just about logistics and systems — it is about enabling and brokering the connections that bring our strategy to life. Whether that’s welcoming someone through our doors, hosting a difficult but necessary conversation, or creating space for innovation to take root, the strength lies in the voices and people who shape this place.
This strategy matters to me because it speaks to hope in challenging times. It says: we can do hard things together, if we do them with compassion, courage, and care. It embodies what I admire most about my colleagues — their relentless passion, their refusal to give up, and their ability to see possibility even in the most complex situations.
Strong foundations don’t often make the headlines, but they are what everything else is built on. And I’m proud that the Hub & Business work at CoLab helps create those conditions — enabling collaboration, catalysing change, and holding space for the kind of community we all want to live in.
As we step into this new chapter, my commitment is to keep building and protecting those foundations, so that hope, belonging, and shared purpose can continue to grow. Because in the end, this isn’t just strategy — it’s a promise to our city, and to each other.
Strong foundations rarely make the headlines — but what do you think Exeter most needs as a foundation for change?
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