Introducing the Jones'

The Jones Family have lived in the town from the outset and by imagining their life in the eco-town, we can demonstrate some of its features and the solutions to todays challeneges we are bringing forward.

Mike Jones

Mike Jones is 50 and was one of the early pioneers in eco-town, having been on the community design and development panel since the outset.  Through the panel Mike feels he has played a real part in the design of the town and the community. He thought at the outset that he would lose interest but likes the way the town is continually evolving and learning from successes and failures in each phase.  The performance measuring and community feedback through the “Eco-town Community Company” ensures each phase of development is adapting designs as it goes forward and he finds it really interesting how fast things continue to change - particularly sources of embedded energy.  

Helen Jones

Helen Jones (48) moved to the area from London before she met Mike and had children.  She has always loved shopping and the theatre, and loves the accessibility she has to Leicester City on public transport.

Since the development of the rapid link on the Midland Mainline she can now get to London in under an hour – door to door to see her old friends.  

Helen, who works in Leicester city, also loves the fact that she can now check the community diary on the newly installed panels on the seat backs on the buses and she can also catch up with news on the way to work.  She also loves the fact that she can now download the community window onto her mobile.  The new “sell by date” software that transfers the shopping delivery bar code details to the fridge display to inform you what is going out of date has become much more useful now it can be downloaded onto Helen's mobile.  This means she can now check the sell by dates in the fridge whilst on the bus and plan the daily meals.  Although she has not measured it Helen feels she is wasting much less food.

Before they moved to the town Mike and Helen had two cars and with two teenagers would probably have more by now if they lived in the old place.  Now, they have just one car and can see the day soon when they will rely solely on the car share club - checking availability and booking cars through the community window. Being able to just have one car has been a huge saving for the family and with increasing energy prices even more so.  It will also mean a further saving on the town’s variable service charge.

 

image courtesy of Midas homes

 

Anthony Jones

Anthony Jones (19) has recently secured a full time job with Stretton Homes.  He works in the CAD department designing very high thermal insulation modular houses, now exported around the UK using the rail freight link at Great Glen.  Academically, Anthony struggled at school but he blossomed when instead of the sixth form he opted for one of the apprenticeship modules that are run by the academy in conjunction with the manufacturing businesses in the town. Stretton Homes, was one of the first businesses to take advantage of the business incentive scheme encouraging businesses to set up in the community in the early days.  They were given rent incentives and supply contracts for part of the town construction and the business has since gone from strength to strength.

Laura Jones

Laura Jones (15) is still at the academy and loves horse riding and keeping fit and she spends much of her time in the Great Park riding or jogging.  Mike thinks Laura is destined to become a politician. As voting on community issues is open to all ages she has cast her vote from the age of 10 and now sits on the town youth panel. She is also on the welcoming committee and meets teenagers from families new to the community to help them settle in. She finds it amusing that her Mum has the same lessons as her, studying Mandarin at the Academy, but she accesses these remotely from home via the community window.