Special blog by Henry Jinman of Vicinity, sponsor of Town of the Year in the Scotland Loves Local Awards
If you’re looking to see how a town can be rejuvenated through determination, innovation and – critically – collaboration, look no further than Oban.
Scotland’s reigning town of the year is flying the flag for what can be achieved when people, businesses and other organisations join forces, understand what action is needed and work together for the greater good.
That’s not to say that it’s easy. Or a quick-fix, of course.
Oban’s journey has taken several years. The process of creating the vibrant town centre you see today has been described locally as a “reinvention”, with everything from new annual events to shopfront and public space improvements and initiatives encouraging people to choose local and get behind businesses in the town.
I really enjoyed hearing a little about how that has happened as the team here at Vicinity sponsored the town of the year category in the 2024 Scotland Loves Local Awards.
The award was fantastic recognition for all that the community has achieved, crowning a year in which Oban shone in the global spotlight, delivering a multi-million pound economic boost as a port in The Clipper Round The World Yacht Race – alongside the likes of Washington DC and Cape Town – as well as hosting Scotland’s Royal National Mod festival, a celebration of Gaelic culture which attracted in excess of 10,000 people.
The work of Oban Business Improvement District, BID4Oban, has been a critical part of the success of recent years. It was great to have the chance to personally congratulate its chief executive, Andrew Spence, and Kay Macdonald, who does great work as a town centre ambassador, when we were all at Scotland’s Towns Conference in Perth.
I would encourage people to look at Oban and discover more about the art of the possible.
The people who have driven change understand their community. And their success reinforced to me the fact that knowledge really is power when it comes to reimagining and rejuvenating our town centres.
That is something that our team at Vicinity is working with communities and organisations of all kinds across the United Kingdom – including many in Scotland – to achieve.
We are all about gathering data. Information which is unique to a specific place. We then help our clients to tactically use that information to tailor action to support regeneration through action which encourages people to visit – and support businesses in – their town centres.
We are the custodians of data for more than 100 towns and cities in the UK, 51,000 businesses and in excess of £6bn-worth of rateable value.
Our software empowers Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) – and others – throughout their entire lifecycle, from data ingestion from local authorities to issue reporting and ballot management.
Through our mobile apps, we promote local places, local economies, and cultivate loyal user bases. Digital innovation and place-making are ingrained in our DNA.
Indeed, as part of our work with Scotland’s Towns Partnership, we were delighted to pilot a series of digital trails with BIDs in Alloa, Kirkintilloch and Linlithgow as part of Scotland Loves Local Week last summer. It was really nice to see the buzz which surrounded those.
Initiatives such as this bring people and businesses together in all sorts of ways.
And it is through collaboration such as this that we can capture the imagination of the wider community, encouraging locals and visitors alike to explore communities – sustaining long-established businesses, opening opportunities for new enterprise and encouraging the fresh investment that every place needs in order to keep it attractive and alive.
Data can underpin the human determination that is needed to deliver change. Time and again we see the positive results of that.
Great things are happening in communities across Scotland. With ambition, positive action will follow. Oban is a living example of that. Its success should be an inspiration to others as we look to make 2025 a year when we take the transformation of our places to the next level.
Henry Jinman is the Chief Executive of technology solutions company Vicinity, which works with Business Improvement Districts, councils and property owners across the country. Vicinity is also a strategic partner of Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), the organisation behind the Scotland Loves Local Awards. Find out more at www.getvicinity.com

For more details about partnership opportunities with STP, please email Nicola Hutchinson – [email protected]