Berwick-upon-Tweed: build it and they will come

Sometimes, you escape the hurly burly of 'retail politics' and do something more, dare I say it, genteel. Last night, Ros and I were in Berwick, attending a dinner and politics evening in the home of one of the members.

Over an excellent homemade dinner, the conversation ranged across the political arena (excluding the budget, unexpectedly), before we settled on a discussion of the local aim to create a university college for Berwick. Berwick-upon-Tweed is now one of the British towns furthest from a university and, with the government's declared aim to expand the tertiary sector, a group of community leaders have come together to do something about it.

I was fascinated because, as a Londoner, the idea of a university in a town like Berwick would once have been slightly absurd. Yet now that I have part of my life in rural Suffolk, the importance of an institution like that becomes more obviously apparent. It acts as an economic driver, creating jobs and attracting industry. In turn, young people are less likely to be driven to leave the area in search of education and opportunity.

Of course, you have to have a unique selling point, perhaps a speciality that would attract a particular demographic, or links that might offer the opportunity of international exchange and collaboration. Agriculture is one area that perhaps stands out, but Northumberland and Berwickshire offer a wealth of opportunities that make for an interesting educational prospectus.

So I would like to offer my best wishes to those attempting to bring a university to Berwick-upon-Tweed, and maybe one day, I'll get to visit it...