Jim Hill is co-founder of Propeller, Exmouth’s new co-working space. Not only is he a big believer in building a friendly community of people looking to grow businesses but he thinks that, given access to skills, support and opportunities, people can grow world class companies right here. It’s great to hear about his thoughts on the future of Exmouth…

“Having lived in large UK cities and various places in Europe for a number of years, my wife and I wanted to raise a family in the UK and our initial instinct was to return to the Bristol/Bath area or London. That is until we started to write a list of the things we really wanted; great community, somewhere that our children would love, beautiful countryside, convenient transport links for work and most importantly an amazing beach for water sports! So around 8 years ago, with this in mind we ended up picking Exmouth on the map, having not really visited before… It’s turned out to be the longest either of us have ever lived in one place and it really feels like home. There are so many great things about Exmouth (and East Devon in general) like swimming with kids in the sea in summer, exploring the estuary on a paddle board, pop up events on The Strand and Queens Drive, walking on Woodbury Common, cycling to Exeter etc. And it feels like there's a growing buzz about the place, which I have felt elsewhere before and I find this really exciting. In fact, I started listing local inspiring people, businesses and community groups, but there are now so many I would feel bad if I missed anyone off! As for work, my background is in design and technology and I have been remote working for many years. But it is clear that the future of work in most industries will allow far more flexibility as to where we work. And this is where a beautiful town like Exmouth is in such a strong position; it has a great community, it has enviable natural assets, it is perfectly suited to a healthy lifestyle, and it is incredibly accessible. A few years ago we created our first prototype co-working space in the former Rolle College site which was such a brilliant experience. Even after it closed we have continued as a group and in November last year we finally found a suitable building and opened Propeller:Exmouth. It’s run as a social enterprise where people or businesses pay to become members in order to access our shared work hub space. You might be a remote or home worker and need a collaborative social environment to work in, or perhaps you’re a maker who wishes to accelerate your product development and marketing by testing your ideas and strategies with others. We also hold talks and lectures from successful makers and entrepreneurs, so people can fill any gaps in their skills and resources through collaboration and we’re planning to hold regular training programmes so that local people and businesses can develop digital skills. Looking forward we want to provide opportunities for the younger people in the town to enable them to take that first step by running a school leavers programme for teenagers that want to start their own business. But most importantly for us work must be about fun – it’s no coincidence that Propeller is two minutes from the beach – and how many other offices give you space to store your water sports equipment at work?! Since last November we have been growing month on month and it turns out that there are lots of people in Exmouth and the surrounding area that have been toiling away on incredible and exciting projects and businesses and are now part of our community. We now also attract people from outside of East Devon as they too see the benefits of working here and as a group our objective is to ensure that we provide current and upcoming generations with access to skills, support and opportunities to grow world class companies right here in Exmouth. We love this town and believe it is uniquely positioned to provide the ultimate work/life balance. So as more and more local community groups and businesses work together and flourish, it is clear that the town's appeal will only increase given the right support for future development. We have to make sure that all this hard work and effort is protected.” If you’re interested in seeing what Propeller has to offer then visit https://propellerexmouth.co.uk/ and if you’re keen to ensure that Exmouth is given the right support for future development then put Thursday 21st March in your diary. It’s your chance to support the Exmouth Neighbourhood Plan. http://www.exmouthneighbourhoodplan.uk/cast-your-vote.htm