Fylde LAS Express                                                                              back to top
Thursday June 3 2004

Computer game gives a real-life lesson to leaders
By Anne-Marie Wharton

FYLDE’s authorities have been playing computer games this week – but the exercise was designed as a way of looking at the future of the borough.

Representatives of Fylde Council, Lancashire County Council, Fylde Primary Care Trust, the police and local business and community groups took part in an experiment designed to predict the borough’s environmental, social and economic future.

Based on the top selling game Sim City, the learning simulator Planit North West places players in charge of vital resources such as power supplies, transport, education, healthcare, leisure facilities and home building.

Pledged
The simulation is designed to demonstrate what can be achieved for the Fylde community when information and resources are shared and local organisations work in partnership with each other.

It has been organised by the Fylde Local Strategic Partnership (LSP), a collection of public, private and voluntary sector organisations, which have pledged to work together to improve quality of services.

Managing director of North West learning solutions company PixelFountain, Paul Ladley is the man behind the sophisticated computer simulation.

He said: “The future is not somewhere we are going but somewhere we are creating. If we are to build sustainable communities, we need all organisations to work well together.”

“ The learning simulation helps decision makers better understand how their decisions, and those made by other organisations, can hinder or help sustainable development. It shows how working together can make a difference to people and profits.”

Fylde LSA Express                                                                              back to top
Thursday June 10 2004

It’s Fylde of fiction as bosses glimpse future

Fylde service bosses took a sneaky peek into the future of Fylde this week when they got together to play an interactive community building computer game.

Representatives of Fylde Council, Lancashire County Ocuncil and Fylde Primary Care Trust took part in an exciting learning simulation experiment designed to predict future environmental, social and economic impacts on the borough.

Police and local business and community groups also took part in the specialist learning simulation called Planit North West commissioned by the Government to encourage service providers to work together when making decisions that affect the communities they serve.

The game, played over a perceived four-year timeframe, placed delegates in charge of vital community resources such as power suppliues, transport systems, education, healthcare and leisure facilities. All decisions made during the game impacted on services provided by partner agencies – which required delegates to work closely or face failure. Local service bosses finished in the top band after a gruelling morning making decisions on how to spend their limited budgets.

The simulation event demonstrated what is achievable when information and resources are shared and local organisations work in partnership.

It was organised by the Fylde Local Stratic Partnership (LSP), a collection of public, private and voluntary sector organisations from across Fylde who have pledged to work together to improve the quality of services delivered to the Fylde community.

Value
Leader of Fylde Council, counc. John Coombes, took part in the event.
He said: “It was a very interesting morning that demonstrated the value of forming local partnerships.”

As managing director of North West learning solutions company PixelFountain, Paul Ladley is the man behind the sophisticated computer simulation. He said: “The future is not somewhere we are going but somewhere we are creating. If we are to build sustainable communities, we need all organisations to work well together.”