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Annex 3:

Social and

Economic

Wellbeing

Benefit Case

Study

Collection

Final

November

2015

Collingwood

Environmental Planning Limited

in partnership with

GeoData Institute

Defra project code: WC1061

Monitoring and Evaluation of Nature

Improvement Areas: Final Report (2012-15)

Annex 3: Social and Economic Wellbeing November 2015 Benefit Case Study Collection

Monitoring and Evaluation of NIAs: Collingwood Environmental Planning Final Report (2012-15) i

Project title: Monitoring and Evaluation of Nature Improvement Areas: Phase 2

Contracting organisation:

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Defra project code: WC1061

Lead contractor: Collingwood Environmental Planning Limited

Address: 1E The Chandlery, 50 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7QY, UK

Contacts: Ric Eales (Project Director) [email protected] Owen White (Project Manager) [email protected]

Tel. 020 7407 8700

Website: www.cep.co.uk

Partner organisations:

GeoData Institute:

Contact: Chris Hill

Email: [email protected]

Cascade Consulting:

Contact: David Kingsley-Rowe

Email: [email protected]

Report details: Report title: Monitoring and Evaluation of Nature Improvement Areas: Final Report (2012-15). Annex 3: Social and Economic Wellbeing Benefit Case Study Collection

Work Package: WP3: Social and economic benefits wellbeing

Date issued: 27 November 2015

Purpose: To provide examples of NIA projects that deliver social and economic wellbeing benefits

Version: Final

Author(s): Baker, J., and Twigger-Ross, C.

Contributors: The following NIA project officers co-authored these case studies: Simon Atkinson (Birmingham and the Black Country); Jo Sampson (Greater Thames Marshes); Cathy Williams (Marlborough Downs); Tom Hayek (Meres and Mosses of the Marches); Lucy Barron and Martin Wain (Morecombe Bay Limestone and Wetlands); Heather Ball (Nene Valley); Lisa Schneidau and Tammy Addie (North Devon); Alison Turnock and Tom Munro (Wild Purbeck).

Citation: Collingwood Environmental Planning (2015) Monitoring and Evaluation of Nature Improvement Areas: Final Report (2012-15). Annex 3: Social and Economic Wellbeing Benefit Case Study Collection. Defra Research Project WC1061.

Acknowledgements: The research project was commissioned by Defra, working in partnership with Natural England and guided by a Project Steering Group which included members of both organisations, representatives of the NIA partnerships and an independent expert ecologist.

The case studies were co-authored by the NIA project officers (see contributors).

Photograph Credits: Cover photograph credits:

Top: Tammy Addie (see p.27) / Middle: Simon Atkinson (see p.5) / Bottom: Nick Upton (see p.9)

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.cep.co.uk/




Monitoring and Evaluation of NIAs: Collingwood Environmental Planning Final Report (2012-15) ii

Contents

1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 Context to the case studies ................................................................................................................................ 1

2. Birmingham & Black Country ..................................................................................... 3 Project Name: Castle Vale Meadows ................................................................................................................. 3 Project Description ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Lessons learnt .................................................................................................................................................... 5

3. Marlborough Downs .................................................................................................. 7 Project Name: Driving for the Disabled (DDA) track works ............................................................................... 7 Project Description ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Lessons learnt .................................................................................................................................................. 10

4. Meres & Mosses ...................................................................................................... 11 Project Name: Down to Earth - Whixall ........................................................................................................... 11 Project Description .......................................................................................................................................... 11 Lessons learnt .................................................................................................................................................. 15

5. Morecambe Bay Limestones and Wetlands .............................................................. 16 Project Name: Morecambe Bay Woodfuel Project .......................................................................................... 16 Project Description .......................................................................................................................................... 16 Lessons learnt .................................................................................................................................................. 18

6. Nene Valley ............................................................................................................. 19 Project Name: Community Panel Public Dialogue Project ............................................................................... 19 Project Description .......................................................................................................................................... 19 Lessons learnt .................................................................................................................................................. 26

7. Northern Devon ....................................................................................................... 27 Project Name: Producing a Teachers’ Pack to promote understanding of ecosystem services in local schools ......................................................................................................................................................................... 27 Project Description .......................................................................................................................................... 27 Lessons learned ................................................................................................................................................ 31

8. Greater Thames Marshes ......................................................................................... 32 Project Name: Public Art Project at Hadleigh Country Farm ........................................................................... 32 Project Description .......................................................................................................................................... 32 Lessons learnt .................................................................................................................................................. 36

9. Wild Purbeck ........................................................................................................... 39 Project Name: Getting Wild about Purbeck in Your School ............................................................................. 39 Project Description .......................................................................................................................................... 39 Lessons learnt .................................................................................................................................................. 45


Monitoring and Evaluation of NIAs: Final Report (2012-15) 1 Collingwood Environmental Planning

1. Introduction

Context to the case studies

One of the objectives of the NIA Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Phase 2 project was to develop ways of capturing and evaluating the social, economic and human wellbeing outcomes or benefits of NIA activities. This involved developing and testing different ways of capturing these benefits within the existing M&E Framework. This work was undertaken within Work Package 3 of the M&E Phase 2 project. However, the approaches developed were also to be designed with their potential future use in mind, so that as well as the 12 initial NIAs, any future locally determined NIAs can identify and understand social, economic and wellbeing benefits after the completion of the M&E Phase 2 project.

A number of different ‘options’ were developed with the aim of better understanding and communicating the social and economic wellbeing benefits of the NIA partnerships’ activities. One of the preferred options that emerged from this process was the co-development of case studies. The M&E project team developed a template and provided editorial oversight with the NIA partnerships writing the case study material. The template is presented in Appendix 1.

The case studies were identified by the M&E project team from a workshop held with the NIAs (November 2013) and from reviewing NIA progress reporting. Case studies that were chosen were considered to demonstrate the NIAs work in delivering a range of social and economic wellbeing benefits.

The work of the NIAs was highly dynamic and although the text presented here reflects the M&E project team’s best understanding of the progress of the case studies. It is likely that circumstances and progress will have changed by the time of publication.

Benefit typology

A literature review1 undertaken as part of Work Package 3 led to the development of a typology of social and economic wellbeing benefits. These benefit types were used to structure information collection and reporting within the M&E Phase 2 project2.

Economic - being near the natural environment increases land and property values, tourism brings employment and expenditure.

Education and ecological knowledge - educational visits, learning outside can support development of cognitive and motor skills, increase appreciation and awareness of the environment, learning new skills.

Social development and connections - coming together within the environment to share experiences as a community or individuals strengthens social relationships, can build networks.

Spiritual, cultural and aesthetic - being in places with personal, national symbolism important for identity, being in specific places creates sense of awe and wonder, spiritual connections, and inspiration for creative endeavours.

Health - activities involving physical exercise improving cardiovascular fitness, reduction in stress, restoration from mental fatigue.

1 Available from http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=12320_NIAMandEYear2ProgressReportANNEXLiteratureReview.pdf 2 All reports are available fromhttp://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&ProjectID=18555&FromSearch=Y&Publisher=1&SearchText=WC1061&SortString=ProjectCode&SortOrder=Asc&Paging=10

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=12320_NIAMandEYear2ProgressReportANNEXLiteratureReview.pdf

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&ProjectID=18555&FromSearch=Y&Publisher=1&SearchText=WC1061&SortString=ProjectCode&SortOrder=Asc&Paging=10

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&ProjectID=18555&FromSearch=Y&Publisher=1&SearchText=WC1061&SortString=ProjectCode&SortOrder=Asc&Paging=10



Summary of the case studies

Table 1 summarises the case studies and the relevant social and economic wellbeing benefits. Note that not all the NIA partnerships were able to provide case studies. Table 1: Summary of the case studies

NIA Case study name

Types of social and economic wellbeing benefits explicitly presented within the case study

Health

Social development

and connections

Economic Education

Spiritual, cultural

and aesthetic

Birmingham and Black Country

Castle Vale Meadow

Marlborough Downs Driving for the Disabled track works

Meres and Mosses of the Marches

Down to Earth - Whixall

Morecambe Bay Limestone and Wetlands

Morecambe Bay Woodfuel Project

Nene Valley Community Panel Public Dialogue Project

Northern Devon Producing a Teachers’ Pack to promote understanding of ecosystem services in local schools

The Greater Thames Marshes

Public Art Project at Hadleigh Farm

Wild Purbeck Getting Wild about Purbeck in Your School

Key: = benefits delivered as explicit objective of the case study

= benefits delivered indirectly



2. Birmingham & Black Country

Project Name: Castle Vale Meadows

Project Description

What are the objectives of the project?

The Castle Vale Meadows project contributed to the delivery of the Birmingham and Black Country (BBC) NIA’s grassland delivery theme. The objective of the delivery theme is to create new meadows and to restore old grassland by re-introducing traditional management across a network of species-rich grassland sites in Birmingham and the Black Country. One part of the network was Castle Vale Meadows where 4.75 hectares of new meadow was created through the NIA.

What activities does the project include?

Castle Vale Meadows sits on an area of species-poor grassland located between the Castle Vale Estate and River Tame in east Birmingham. The site is owned by Birmingham City Council and managed by The Community Environmental Trust. The area is a capped landfill that until recently was grazed by horses. The Community Environment Trust and Council concluded that the area was no longer suitable for grazing due to potential problems with toxicity, and since this time the site has been an unmanaged and informal public open space. The grassland is currently species-poor, dominated by Red fescue and other common grasses. The site has several ‘desire lines’ where users walk through the site but it is otherwise little used. The soil fertility levels were tested and were found to be suitable for meadow creation.

The area is divided in two by a now defunct fence and the NIA decided to create two separate meadows using a different source of green hay in each. Both areas were treated with glyphosate herbicide leaving a 25m strip adjacent to the fence line (creating a 50m untreated strip between the two). The whole site was cut and the arisings removed prior to strewing. Castle Vale Meadow East (Field 1) was strewn by volunteers with green hay harvested from Eades Meadow SSSI in Worcestershire, whilst Castle Vale Meadow West (Field 2) was strewn with hay from Draycote Meadow SSSI in Warwickshire. Both were strewn at a ratio of 1:2 (donor:receptor).

The project was designed and delivered in conjunction with the University of Wolverhampton and forms part of the research for a PhD. Each field therefore incorporates an experimental design comprised of 36 10mx10m plots which were subject to different treatments. Treatments include control (no hay), normal hay (as per rest of site), late hay (September, from Eades only), normal removed and late added, normal and late turned, normal and late applied above.

The development of the whole site is to be monitored by the University of Wolverhampton in conjunction with The Wildlife Trust for at least 3 years and all data passed to EcoRecord (this to the include buffer strip to assess colonisation of this by introduced species). The purpose of the research is to investigate if it is possible to increase the number of species which are successfully introduced to new sites via green hay strewing by using hay which is harvested later in the growing season.

Future management of the whole site will include an annual cut and collect in mid-July (or as close to July as possible, depending on the weather).



Figure 1: Bales being rolled out at Castle Vale Meadows (Credit: Simon Atkinson)

What is the role of the NIA in the project?

NIA staff identified Castle Vale Meadows as a potential project in conjunction with the Community Environmental Trust. NIA staff designed the project in conjunction with the University of Wolverhampton, sourced all materials, organised contractors, promoted the project to local media and recruited volunteers for both the strewing days. NIA staff continues to work with the University of Wolverhampton on data collection and analysis and have arranged management of the site in 2014. The NIA fully-funded the project.

What are the social and economic wellbeing benefits of this activity

Figure 2 summarises the relevant outputs, outcomes and benefits for this case study as identified by the NIA.

Figure 2: Castle Vale Meadows, outcomes and relevant benefits



Economic Due to the creation of the new meadows at Castle Vale this once overlooked and peripheral area of ‘wasteland’ is developing as a high quality area of local greenspace. The NIA felt that this will increase the desirability of the area as a place to live.

Education and ecological knowledge During the project a total of 50 volunteers contributed 375 hours of time to the project. Volunteers were predominantly local residents who learnt about the contribution of the project to the NIA ecological network, the wildlife value of species-rich meadows and the techniques involved in creation and management. The Community Environmental Trust now uses the site for education activities which they undertake with local community and school groups. One volunteer informed NIA staff that he felt his involvement had helped him be better prepared for the job market.

Social development and connections The Castle Vale Meadows project was used as a catalyst by the Community Environmental Trust to bring local residents and community groups together to make improvements to their local open space. The NIA felt that this had led to social cohesion benefits.

Spiritual, cultural and aesthetic The creation of Castle Vale Meadows has provided an area of high quality open space in a deprived urban-fringe estate that suffers from a poor quality physical environment with little access to natural greenspace. The site is now utilised by volunteers and groups associated with the Community Environmental Trust for activities designed to bring people into contact with attractive and inspiring wildlife.

Health The project involved 50 volunteers undertaking physical tasks.

Figure 3: The green hay from Eades Meadow being strewn at Castle Vale Meadows (Credit: Simon Atkinson)

Lessons learnt

What worked well?

Working in collaboration with a local and active community-focused environmental charity enabled the NIA to engage with a local community in a very direct and successful way. The project was promoted through local media and this helped the local and wider community to understand the significance of the project and its wider context. Links with university research have helped to



ensure the project was robust and includes long-term monitoring. The NIA considered the project to be a good example of the need for the NIA to support local groups in all aspects of the project delivery, it being clear that the project would not have been possible without this.

What challenges has the project experienced and how have these been addressed?

The only significant challenge to the project to date has been the securing of long-term management for the meadows beyond the funded phase of the project. NIA staff secured management through site owners Birmingham City Council and are working to have the site entered into a Higher Level Stewardship (or successor) agreement.

Supporting documentation

A local BBC News piece on the Castle Vale Meadows project is available to view here3.

A link to a summary description and project photographs is available here4.

3 www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/niaprojects 4 www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/nia/projects/castle-vale-meadows

http://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/niaprojects

http://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/nia/projects/castle-vale-meadows

http://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/niaprojects

http://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/nia/projects/castle-vale-meadows



3. Marlborough Downs

Project Name: Driving for the Disabled (DDA) track works

Project Description


To carry out surface improvements along 3.5 miles of public byway to enable access for horse drawn carriages driven by disabled people including servicemen and women injured during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These works are over and above the general maintenance requirements of the local authority.

The track links the Old Eagle to Barbury Castle and down to Ogbourne Maizey and the improvements proposed will allow more off-road access for the carriage drivers all year round and offer a safer, longer riding experience. The Marlborough Downs NIA project has a small budget for improving access and has secured additional funds (£19,000) to improve the track and to expand the network. For the NIA this is purely a capital project as it has been agreed that, once complete, maintenance will become the responsibility of Wiltshire Council, the local authority.


Kennett Valley Driving Group (KVDG) is affiliated to Riding for the Disabled and is based at Maisey Farm, Rockley in the heart of the Marlborough Downs NIA. KVDG offers adults with a wide range of physical disabilities the opportunity to learn to control a horse and carriage in the same way as a person without disability, something that is rare for those with disabilities. The carriages are adapted to accommodate wheelchairs and the harnesses are ‘dual control’, but otherwise disabled people are able to learn and then drive under the same conditions as able bodied people.

Figure 4: Carriage on the road (Credit: Nick Upton)

When KVDG first moved to Maisey Farm they were restricted to one track around a 110 acre field. Through the Marlborough Downs NIA project neighbouring farmers have allowed the group access to a far wider area. This means that in addition to public byways, KVDG is now able to utilise a network of around five miles of private farm tracks and other permissive routes on neighbouring farms. Because of this larger network the group can now go for far longer drives, take picnics up on the Downs and undertake numerous other activities, such as competitive games. This increases the attractiveness of the activity for other groups, including servicemen and women from Tedworth



House Recovery Centre5Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. who in the past wouldn’t have made the long journey for a short drive.

In addition, other users, particularly horse riders, ramblers and cyclists will benefit as the existing poor state of the track is such that it can only be utilised with difficulty and, in winter conditions, is often impassable.

KVDG is part of a wider network via Driving for the Disabled (DDA) and it is hoped that other groups will visit and use the new routes. KVDG is also working with Help for Heroes and thus has access to an even wider audience and potential user group. The NIA is also hoping to link up with a British Horse Society project which promotes routes for disable carriage driving nationally.6

The improvements we are proposing will allow carriages to access another part of the downs and give alternative routes to use by way of variety and at times when other routes may be closed due to poor ground conditions or other reasons.


The NIA secured grant funding from the Landfill Community Fund (£15,000) and Wiltshire & Swindon Community Foundation’s Public Health & Wellbeing fund (£4k). In addition a small amount (£200-500) has been pledged by the KVDG. The total cost of the works will be £20,152 and the NIA budget will cover the shortfall from their Improving Access budget.

The project is managed by the NIA project manager and two members of the NIA’s improving access delivery group, a Wiltshire Right of Way officer (Wiltshire Council are NIA partners) and a farmer who is involved with the KVDG and Riding for the Disabled. To date, this joint working has involved auditing the route and preparing a works specification, meeting contractors on site, reviewing quotations and filling in grant applications to secure appropriate funding. It is anticipated that the bulk of the project management from now on will be undertaken by the Rights of Way officer as they have experience of working with contractors on this type of job.



Figure 5: Driving for the Disabled (DDA) track works outputs, outcomes and relevant benefits

5 http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/how-we-help/recovery-centres/tidworth-wiltshire/ 6 http://www.bhs.org.uk/our-charity/press-centre/news/july-to-dec-2013/plap-launch

http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/how-we-help/recovery-centres/tidworth-wiltshire/

http://www.bhs.org.uk/our-charity/press-centre/news/july-to-dec-2013/plap-launch



Economic Possible economic benefits include increased visitor numbers for KDVG now that the driving circuit has been extended. It is possible that improvements to access on the Downs might also encourage more walkers, cyclists and other recreational users.

Education and ecological knowledge By being out on the Downs drivers and their helpers will achieve a greater understanding and appreciation of the landscape, management and wildlife of the area. The NIA farmer involved with the group provides the riders with information about the ecology of the land and land use history.

Social development and connections The NIA feels that being able to get out into the countryside, breath the fresh air, participate in a challenging activity and enjoy a day with friends means a lot to anyone. To those who might otherwise only experience this from inside a car it is beyond price. In the words of the Tedworth House Battle Back Instructor, “these visits not only provide our “blokes” with an opportunity to try something new but they achieve so much more such as social interaction [and] confidence in a public place” (see Figure 7 for the full letter sent to the NIA).

More widely, this work will benefit the whole range of walkers, horse riders and cyclists of all ages and backgrounds who enjoy the countryside and who will be able to get up on the downs throughout the year in all weathers and conditions.

Figure 6: Cross-country driving (Credit: Nick Upton)

Spiritual, cultural and aesthetic For a disabled person the opportunity to get up on the Downs under one’s own steam, developing new skills and exploring different routes is an empowering and exhilarating experience. Carriage driving is described as offering those with disabilities the feeling of freedom from their disability and takes their minds away from their worries for a while. Drivers have said that the ability to move about and to control movement is very therapeutic.

Health Not only is this a social activity which engenders shared experiences and a smattering of healthy competition, carriage driving can help improve balance, co-ordination and muscle tone, and the beautiful countryside never fails to lift the spirits of drivers and helpers alike.



Figure 7: Letter received from Tedworth House Battle Back Instructor

Lessons learnt

What worked well?

The main reason for the success of this project is the fact that everyone involved worked in partnership to achieve design, funding and delivery.

What worked less well?

There was some concern that the works would increase traffic, particularly from off-road vehicles. The carriages are slow and any vehicles meeting or catching up with the cavalcade might leave the byway and use adjacent private land to pass it. Similarly, there were concerns that signage would encourage significantly more visitors who might then stray onto private land. However, through discussions with the relevant landowners, the NIA were able to address these issues and offer support should problems arise, such as potential funding for short stretches of fencing to prevent trespass. It was also agreed that the design and location of information boards will be decided in consultation with landowners.


News summary: http://mdnia.org.uk/featured_stories_general.html#general

http://mdnia.org.uk/featured_stories_general.html#general



4. Meres & Mosses

Project Name: Down to Earth - Whixall

Project Description


Objectives:

To raise the profile of the Meres and Mosses landscape locally.

To facilitate better communication and partnership working between:

o Different sectors: private, public, voluntary and academic

o Different disciplines e.g. ecology, hydrology, archaeology.

o Grass roots and policy makers.

To encourage a wider range of people to explore and enjoy the Meres and Mosses landscape and to create opportunities for people to get practically involved.

To restore distinctive landscape features.

To develop the heritage skills of local people and deepen their understanding of why and how this landscape should be protected and enhanced.

To learn lessons that can be passed on to future initiatives.

This project is relevant to the following NIA Objectives:

NIA Objective 2 – Buffers and Corridors - working with groups on 3 sites: down to Earth project at Whixall, Welshampton, Barmere

NIA Objective 4 – Increase awareness: identify and recruit volunteers, undertake volunteer work days and training Events


Down to Earth is delivered in five phases, these are described in the following section:

Time spent building up local contacts leading to a public meeting An initial meeting was undertaken to present the Down to Earth project, to establish if the community wanted to proceed and, if so, to conduct a stakeholder analysis exercise to identify all the groups and individuals, within the community, who may wish to contribute to the project and establish a local steering group.

In Whixall the public meeting hosted a range of talks by local people knowledgeable about the area in a range of fields. The group then carried out an exercise to decide on relevant local people who should sit on the steering group. One barrier to engagement identified during this process was that community members initially found it difficult to discuss delivering such an ‘open’ project with no obvious criteria (i.e. what will the project be ‘about).’

Informing the community Events were held in each of the Down to Earth areas to provide people with information on their local landscape and its features. Different types of events were held to ensure all members of the community are engaged in the process, e.g. guided landscape walks, illustrated talks, story tellers in schools, bus trips, etc.

A wide range of landscape features and topics were covered, including archaeology, the natural and built environment, customs and traditions, wildlife, farming and forestry. This raising of knowledge and awareness was considered to allow people to make informed decisions on the best local project for their local area.



In Whixall the NIA held a local history day at the social centre and a bus tour around the area. The local school bus driver was brought up in the area and described the buildings and who had lived there.

Community consultation Through the consultation the NIA wanted to establish what people value about their landscape, what issues they feel affect it and ideas for community led projects. Information was to be gathered in several ways, including; post it notes exercises at all events; and, for those who don’t like filling in forms, option of discussions with the Community Officer or other members of the local steering group.

There were extensive discussions through which it became very apparent that local history was a key issue for community members. Whixall is an area dominated by people who have always lived in the area, with few new incomers, and there is no community hub (the local pub burned down) for people to meet and integrate. The history project chosen by the community (see below) broke down barriers between new and old residents as incomers wished to understand the local history and the original residents feel valued when they are asked about their history. From the perspective of the NIA, local history is intimately bound up with that of Fenns, Whixall and Bettisfield moss, a key site in the Meres & Mosses area.

Community action Results from the community consultations were analysed by the Down to Earth Steering Group. The most popular project ideas were presented back to the community, at a public meeting, so the local people could decide which projects to progress. The Community Officer supported the new project group during the set up and development of the project. When it was felt that the group were confident, the officer left the group but remained available, as required, for support and help. This evolving role was made clear at the outset.

The aim of Down to Earth is that, although the projects are set up by the NIA, they will ultimately be self-sustaining and run by local people.

Examples of action include:

A local history group was proposed and an initial meeting held in a nearby pub. There was good turn-out for the evening and it was decided that the group would carry out an oral history project capturing the reminiscences of the older generation – especially where stories and image archives had been identified. This involved scanning and archiving old photos, interviewing locals (with initial stages being led by the local primary school) and setting up a website.

The Community Officer for the NIA had organised a visit to the county archives to meet the archivists and to look for resources that could be used across the project. The Community Officer also created links with other local history groups in the area and the local heritage centre (who will help with scanning and web maintenance – to help ensure the longevity of the archive). Training on how to run an oral history project is being provided and there will be an event to find the oldest tree in Whixall.

A resident who was one of the last peat cutters in the area indicated that he knew where tools and other artefacts may have been lost on the Moss. The Community Officer liaised with Natural England to arrange a metal detecting event to find these.

Celebration event Approximately one year on from the start of Down to Earth a celebration event was held to update the community on what has been achieved to benefit the landscape and to celebrate their success. It is also an opportunity for the group to inform the community of future plans and offer opportunities for new members to get involved.




The involvement of the NIA and HLF funded Community Officer has been crucial in this process.

It was felt that the NIA partnership creates the conditions required for involving people in landscape scale thinking, both in terms of habitats and land management but also in terms of the wider influences that have shaped and continue to shape the landscape (geological, archaeological, modern history, social, political) which are often missed or underrepresented.

NIA partners have also been involved. For example Natural England, who manage the NNR Fenns, Whixall and Bettisfield Moss, allowed access to their records and archive, as well as providing general background information and expertise on other projects that have followed similar themes in the past.

Shropshire Council have given advice in terms of Archive services and other information and the Shropshire Council Community Action Team have provided background support to the project.

Figure 8: Bill Almark old peat worker talks (Credit Luke Neal)





Figure 9: Down to Earth – Whixall outputs, outcomes and relevant benefits

Economic

Unknown at this time. However the local history research adds to a body of evidence in the area and links to the NIA History Trail opened on Whixall Moss, with awareness raising through the local community, heritage centre and county and national archives tourism benefit is likely.

Information gathered will contribute to content on the view-ranger walking app via another project.

Cultural, spiritual and aesthetic benefits

Increased understanding within local community about their environment and its history.

Education and ecological knowledge

Talks on the local area at initial meeting attended by 30 people.

Oral History Training, 2 evenings, 5 hours, 12 people.

Informal exchange of local knowledge through local history group and heritage networks.

Local school children will be asked to ‘interview’ their oldest relative as part of the project and the local school will carry out other teaching around this.

This has also built a link with the staff and volunteers at Fenns, Whixall, Bettisfield Moss which is the crucial natural resource which is the root of human settlement and livelihood in the area; this will lead to greater ecological understanding.

Social development and connections

This project has brought together mutually isolated sections of the community in a common arena. It has also brought together groups with similar interests from neighbouring parishes.

Spiritual, cultural and aesthetic



This project increases local understanding and connection to the area, giving a sense of place, belonging and shared history.

Health

Unknown.

Figure 10: History group (Credit: Luke Neal)

Lessons learnt

What worked well?

Several people on the steering group were willing to actively engage with this. Felt that the social benefit of uniting newcomers with original residents has been powerful and was likely to have a long lasting effect within the community.

Allowing the local community to explore ideas and develop the project was felt to mean that they have full ownership of the process and results. This had led to strong local involvement and it is considered likely that the project will be sustained into the future.


Whixall is a sparsely populated rural area with no community focal point, this made getting to know people and creating networks difficult. As a result the project has taken 6 months longer than planned.



5. Morecambe Bay Limestones and Wetlands

Project Name: Morecambe Bay Woodfuel Project

Project Description

Developing the area’s woodfuel supply and demand chain – working to achieve win-win benefits for wood fuel production and wildlife.


To increase the area of woodland in sustainable management for woodfuel.

To increase capacity to manage sensitive sites for biodiversity and woodfuel gains.

To increase capacity and sustainability within the local woodfuel economy - developing short supply chains, local markets and new processing infrastructure.

To encourage businesses and woodland owners/managers to develop woodfuel as part of their business model.

To establish a series of community woodfuel schemes.


Initially research and scoping studies were completed. These involved working with consultants, experts including Forestry Commission, Cumbria Woodlands and a social enterprise expert, local contractors and owners to assess the current status and potential of the local woodfuel economy and to identify opportunities and challenges. This process recommended a number of actions, including training, capacity building and physical works, the delivery of which constitutes this project.

The NIA Woodland Advisor, a part time position funded for the length of the 3-year NIA programme, provided bespoke advice and support to landowners and contractors. This has resulted in 14 active Woodland Improvement Grant7 schemes covering 292 ha of woodland which are to be managed in a sustainable way. These schemes have brought £444,000 worth of grants, 52 woodland contractors have gained work through the schemes and four major landowning estates are developing woodfuel products as part of their estate management business model.

The NIA Partnership felt that the advice and support available through the project had helped achieve several successful funding bids for the purchase of specialist small scale extraction equipment and machinery that is needed for difficult to access and sensitive sites. This equipment is now being used to improve woodland management in the NIA. The project delivered over 20 training and awareness raising events including site visits, workshops, chainsaw training, demonstration events and volunteer work parties.

The NIA Woodland Advisor has worked with 12 community woodfuel groups, at least two of which have developed into self-sustaining initiatives that will become a legacy of the NIA programme. The Silverdale and District Wood Bank is a group of residents and volunteers who carry out active woodland management on sensitive woodland sites and distribute processed woodfuel to members of the group and to local households in fuel poverty. Members of the group have received First Aid and Chainsaw training. The development of this group has been actively supported and it is now well-established, operating independently and processing about 8 tonnes woodfuel per quarter. The Grange and Meathop Woodlanders are a group of about 20 landowners/ managers and residents who are working together to manage their network of woodland sites for woodfuel and biodiversity.

7 Woodland Improvement Grant (WIG) funds capital investment in woodlands, over an agreed period to create, enhance and sustain an increase in the quantity and quality of public benefits delivered.



They have carried out a number of woodland management projects and held demonstration events and are now well positioned to develop into the future.


The NIA Woodland Advisor is funded through the NIA programme and is leading on the delivery of this project with the active support of the NIA Community Engagement Officer. The Forestry Commission and Arnside & Silverdale AONB Partnership, both NIA partners are supporting the project.

What are the social and economic wellbeing benefits of this activity?


Figure 11: Morecambe Bay Woodfuel Project outputs, outcomes and relevant benefits

Economic The NIA project has helped secure £444,000 in Woodland Improvement Grants. 52 local woodland management contractors have also gained work as a result of the schemes, many of whom are small businesses. The project as a whole is considered by the NIA to be acting as a catalyst to encourage and promote the development of the local woodfuel economy, a process which is expected to have economic benefit in the future.

A local woodfuel directory has been developed. This is a directory of local businesses which provide woodfuel and/or woodland management services. Each business is profiled in the directory and it is intended that this collective promotion will result in increased business and/or new customers for these small businesses.



Education and ecological knowledge Demonstration, training and awareness raising events have been delivered involving local residents, land owners, contractors and volunteers. The programme of events included study visits, machinery demonstrations, practical woodland management skills, and ecological survey skills such as butterfly transect monitoring. Events have raised awareness of the importance of the area’s woodlands for biodiversity.

The events were felt to have increased skills and knowledge in sustainable woodland management techniques such as coppicing, sustainable extraction techniques and use of tools including chain saw.

Volunteers have also received first aid training.

Social development and connections 12 community groups are being supported and a network of people with an interest in woodfuel is developing. Benefits of this approach are felt to be: health and wellbeing benefits; people working together to try to tackle fuel poverty; and the social benefits of developing local short supply chains

Spiritual, cultural and aesthetic The ancient cultural practise of coppicing is being supported through this project with numerous new areas of coppice being established and local coppice workers being supported.

Health Over 50 volunteers are gaining both physical and mental health benefits as a result of being involved.

Lessons learnt

What worked well?

The NIA woodland advisor was integral to the project. Their enthusiasm and hard work has resulted in a large number of people coming on board with the project and has helped to achieve the wide ranging benefits described above. Ensuring there is sufficient staff support is vital to future success.


There have been a number of changes to the woodland grant schemes during the lifetime of the project, which has meant a sometimes inconsistent message for landowners and reworking of some schemes.



6. Nene Valley

Project Name: Community Panel Public Dialogue Project

Project Description


To provide members of the public the opportunity to engage with the technical and scientific issues relevant to recreation and access at key sites within the NIA.


In late 2012, three of the 12 NIAs applied for funds to embed public dialogue into local policy making. All three projects were successful and received approval for support valued between £37,000 and 46,000 each over two years. The Nene Valley NIA was one of these. Funds were jointly provided by Natural England and Sciencewise. An independent facilitator was appointed by the funders to work with the Nene Valley NIA partners to scope out and deliver the public dialogue.

The project plan, as it was agreed in early 2013, consisted of three workstreams over two years. One of these – Community Panels – is the focus of this case study.

The plan was to set up Community Panel(s) centred on key locations within the Special Protection Area (SPA) at the heart of the NIA to consider, and to address issues around the use of these sites. These Panels were to draw up action plans and make recommendations to the NIA Board.

Year 1

In year 1 of the project (2013/14) a Community Panel was formed to look at the issues at Northampton Washland. The intention was to use this as a pilot for further Community Panels to run in year 2 of the project (2014/15).

Figure 12: The washlands (Credit Colin Wilkinson)

The Washland was chosen as the pilot project because it is one of the most important parts of the SPA - particularly for wintering golden plovers and wigeon. It is also a popular site for informal recreation including bird watching, dog walking and jogging. Some visitors and dogs stray from the footpaths and disturb the birds, and the tenant farmer also reports significant problems with dogs worrying and even killing sheep. In addition, the Washland is an operational flood storage reservoir.



Part of the reasoning in selecting this site for the pilot project was a formal evidence base that showed that recreational disturbance was causing problems for the wintering bird populations at this site.

Figure 13: Vision (Credit: Anon)

Recruitment for the Northampton Washland Community Panel took place in autumn 2013. This took longer than expected, but 12 people in total participated in the Panel. The group represented a good spread of interests including birdwatchers, dog walkers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. On-site advertising, including posters with a contact number, backed up by a couple of days of on-site time from NIA partners (the River Nene Regional Park & the Wildlife Trust) speaking to potential Panel members, proved much more productive than newspaper articles.

Crucially, despite expressing initial concerns about the intention behind the creation of the Panel, the site’s tenant farmer attended all of its meetings and participated fully in discussions. Active participation by Natural England and RSPB staff was also crucial, providing technical expertise and acting as a “sounding board” for ideas generated by the Panel.

The Panel met four times in total, as follows:

Meeting Attendees Actions

Meeting 1: 4th

December 2013

Attended by 6 members of the public, plus RSPB, River Nene Regional Park, Natural England.

Explained role and purpose of the Panel.

Discussed the parameters of the Panel’s work.

Developed an overview of the issues in Northampton Washlands.

Meeting 2: 21

st January

2014

Attended by 9 members of the public, plus River Nene Regional Park, Natural England.

Discussed ‘vision’ /and aspirations for the site.

Considered the benefits, issues and problems related to the site ecology, agriculture, recreational use, and flood prevention purpose.

Meeting 3: 25

th February

2014

Attended by 6 members of the public, plus RSPB, River Nene Regional Park, 3KQ observer

Generated actions related to the site ecology, agriculture, recreational use, and flood prevention purpose - reflecting the agreed vision.

Interim meeting: 3

rd

March 2014

Attended by 2 members of the public, plus RSPB.

Daytime meeting to coincide with facilitator being in Northampton, with open invitation for Panel members to join the meeting to help sort the actions generated at meeting 3.




Final meeting: 11

th

March 2014

Attended by 5 members of the public, plus River Nene Regional Park.

Examined the action sheets developed following the interim meeting to formulate proposals to go to the NIA Board. Very constructive meeting with 2 options for specific ways forward to address recreational / dog disturbance.

All 5 attendees expressed an interest in continuing to be involved with the site in a voluntary capacity, possibly through a ‘Friends Of’ group.

This work fed into an outline action plan that included a vision for the site, plus recommendations for a range of management activities. The plan was presented to the NIA Board on 18th March 2014. At this meeting NIA members expressed their gratitude for the work done by Panel members; and committed to exploring the action plan in more detail including seeking funds for those activities that would require investment.

Box 1: The agreed vision – Northampton Washland

In 2020 Northampton Washlands will:

o Perform its purposes as a flood prevention scheme

o Retain the high ecological value of its bird populations and maintain its protected status

o Provide access for the general public along the Public Right of Way and the permitted paths

o Provide for well managed recreation

o Provide information to and engage its users, and

o Be a site for sustainable agricultural use.

A management plan will be in place that includes details about how these purposes are managed in a complementary way so that no single purpose adversely affects the others.

The level of debate and engagement during the Panel meetings was of a very high standard. All attendees demonstrated a willingness to share their own knowledge, as well as to learn from others. Participants were enabled through skilled facilitation to engage with complex technical issues, and to produce clear thinking and constructive deliberation.

The key aspect of this process was that it was aimed at the general public – this was not about securing a representative sample of interest groups or key stakeholders. The NIA was keen that no Panel members had a specific interest in the site – some were seasoned bird watchers and recorders; someone was interested in local history; someone had recently written a book on future relationship between our economy and the environment; mixed with dog walkers and recreational users of the site. This balance was felt to be crucial to the development of a balanced and achievable vision for the site.



Figure 14: The washlands (Credit: Colin Wilkinson)

Year 2

The NIA experience of running the Washland Community Panel was reviewed and the learning noted in order to feed into the roll out of further Panels. The planning group examined the findings of a recently published visitor survey, a major piece of research commissioned by the NIA8. They established that two further sites merited attention through the formation of a Community Panel. Given these sites were immediately adjacent, and that visitor pressure on one would have a knock-on impact on the other, it was decided to create one Community Panel to cover them together, for Summer Leys and Mary’s Lake.

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough purchased Summer Leys Local Nature Reserve in 2008 with funding from Natural England through Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund and the Department of Communities and Local Government.

Previously the reserve was owned by Hanson Aggregates UK and leased to Northamptonshire County Council who, through working with the Wildlife Trust, developed the site and designated it as a local nature reserve, to help ensure that the site was accessible for future generations to enjoy. Like many other areas in the Nene Valley, the reserve was formed following gravel and sand extraction and designed to create the right conditions for a variety of wildlife, for example by minimising access to the lake by users and dogs. The habitats created are the flooded gravel pits, flood meadows, species rich neutral grassland and mature hedges. The reserve is part of a larger Site of Special Scientific Interest, which is an important refuge for wintering and breeding birds, including golden plover, lapwing, wigeon and shoveler, and is located in a rural area.

The status of Mary’s Lake is different and remains under the ownership of Hanson Aggregates. Public rights of way run along two sides of the lake and, until recently, these have been linked by informal access along the third. The angling syndicate that is licensed to fish on the lake has recently blocked this route.

8 http://www.nenevalleynia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Footprint-Ecology-Upper-Nene-Valley-Gravel-Pits-SPA-Visitor-Survey-screenres.pdf



Early in the Community Panel process participants decided to consider the two lakes as a single site, and this in turn became one of the Panel’s aspiration – that Mary’s Lake would come into public ownership at some point in the future and could then be actively managed alongside Summer Leys.

The experience of recruiting for this Community Panel was similar to that for the Washland. The start of the process was set back when not enough people came forward, but with more intensive recruitment methods, including more time on site, a total of 14 members of the public eventually volunteered to take part. Active participation by Natural England, the RSPB and the Wildlife Trust Reserves Manager was again crucial in providing technical expertise to the deliberations, as well as a degree of credibility to the process from the perspective of the participants.

The Panel met six times in total, as follows:


Meeting 1: 23

rd

September 2014

Attended by 5 members of the public, plus RSPB, River Nene Regional Park, Wildlife Trust.

Explained role and purpose of the Panel.

Discussed the parameters of the Panel’s work.

Developed an overview of the issues in Summer Leys / Mary’s Lake.

Meeting 2: 7th

October 2014

Attended by 11 members of the public, plus River Nene Regional Park, Natural England, Wildlife Trust.

Discussed ‘vision’ /and aspirations for the site.

Drafted vision for the site.

Meeting 3: 21

st October

2014

Attended by 8 members of the public, plus RSPB, River Nene Regional Park, RSPB, Natural England, Sciencewise observer.

Considered the benefits, issues and problems related to the site ecology / wildlife, recreational use, and land management.

Meeting 4: 4th

November 2014

Attended by 11 members of the public, plus RSPB, Natural England, River Nene Regional Park, Wildlife Trust.

Vision confirmed.

Analysis of the benefits, issues and problems related to the site ecology / wildlife, recreational use, and land management.

Meeting 5: 18

th

November 2014

Attended by 12 members of the public, plus River Nene Regional Park, RSPB, Natural England, Wildlife Trust.

Drafting actions to move from the current position to realise the agreed vision.

Refining the actions.

Sorting actions against a matrix: ‘must have’ or ‘nice to have’ plus ‘hard to implement’ or ‘easy to implement’.

Meeting 6: 2

nd December

2014

Attended by 11 members of the public, plus River Nene Regional Park, RSPB, Natural England, Wildlife Trust.

Examined the actions in more detail formulate proposals to go to the NIA Board.

A number of attendees expressed an interest in continuing to be involved with the site in a voluntary capacity, possibly through re establishing a ‘Friends Of’ group (including one volunteer to co-ordinate the group).

Several other activities took place in addition to these formal meetings:

Survey: Panel members were aware that there were gaps in their knowledge and therefore created a survey to reach a wider range of users (for example, runners, parents with young children / pushchairs, people with disabilities) and was used in the following ways

o Panel members took copies to site and interviewed other users using the survey format

o Panel members placed flyers under car windscreens in the car park, directing users to the online version of the survey



Website: key questions about the site were posted in the Nene Valley NIA interactive website (www.nenevalleynia.org).

Guided walk: a guided walk around the site was planned as part of a wider events programme in Northamptonshire. This was led by the Reserves Manager and volunteers from the Panel accompanied her, taking the opportunity to explain about the work of the group and finding out the perspective of the walk participants about the site. At the same time the facilitator and a colleague remained in the car park, talking to visitors about their use of the site.

This work fed into the creation of a detailed action plan that included a vision for the site, plus recommendations for a wide range of management activities, with analysis of their relative importance and ease of implementation. The plan was presented to the NIA Board on 12th December 2014. At this meeting NIA members expressed their gratitude for the work done by Panel members; and committed to exploring the action plan in more detail, including seeking funds for those activities that would require investment.

Box 2: The agreed vision – Summer Leys and Mary’s Lake

In 2024 Summer Leys will be managed primarily for its nature conservation value. It will retain its high ecological value and maintain the protected status.

Use by the public will be managed and will:

o ensure good access for people with disabilities

o provide access for the public along the Public Rights of Way and the permissive paths

o provide information to users about the value of the site and recommended behaviours

o engage its users.

The Wildlife Trust management plan will be in place that includes detail about how these purposes are managed. This management plan will sit within a strategic level zoning plan for this section of the valley, so each site can be managed for its primary purpose/s.

This round of Community Panels was again very successful. Levels of participation by members of the public were consistently high, and did not decline as the process progressed. This suggests that their interest was maintained throughout and their level of commitment to both the public dialogue process and the site itself was considerably high. The deliberation that took place was considered and detailed. Although there was a sense of “no major issues” among Panel members at the start, they undertook a forensic analysis of the site’s current situation in order to assess how it could achieve the vision they had drafted, and as a result created what is a detailed and insightful action plan.


This was an NIA driven project. Specifically the NIA:

Brought together organisations from the NIA’s planning group9 (NE, RSPB, NWT and RNRP) including the RSPB’s NIA Board member as the link person between the two NIA structures.

Bid for and coordinated the funding that was provided by from Natural England and Sciencewise, for public dialogue projects developed by the 12 NIA partnerships.

Recommendations produced by the Panels were reported to and endorsed by the NIA Board. The NIA group which is coordinating further funding bids to facilitate work beyond March 2015 is taking these recommendations into account in project development.

Other NIA partner roles were as follows.

9 Nene Valley NIA has planning groups for each of its five objectives, and the public dialogue work had been developed by the group responsible for objective 2 (‘enhance public awareness, access and benefits of the NIA in a sustainable and sympathetic way, while ensuring that the designated sites at the core remain in favourable condition’).

http://www.nenevalleynia.org/



Natural England attended Panel meetings and provided technical expertise and background information between meetings.

The Wildlife Trust helped with recruitment of Panel members, including an on-site presence. The Reserve Manager attended the Summer Leys and Mary’s Lake Panel.

River Nene Regional Park helped with recruitment and played a crucial role in booking meeting venues. They also provided technical expertise, background information between meetings and support facilitation at meetings.

River Nene Regional Park’s Chief Executive acted as a ‘sounding board’ for the facilitator on the detailed design of individual dialogue sessions.

The RSPB attended meetings and provided technical expertise and background information between meetings. They also paid for the venues for the Summer Leys and Mary’s Lake Panel.

The project was felt to be a good example of NIA partnership working.





Figure 15 Public dialogue outputs, outcomes and relevant benefits

Economic Northampton Washland - it is a primary purpose of the vision that any changes do not impact negatively on the tenant farmer’s income.

Education and ecological knowledge Members of the general public have contributed their knowledge of the site, learned from one another, and have benefited from the technical expertise of key NIA partners. Technical experts have learned from Panel members with considerable day to day knowledge of the sites and their uses.

Social development and connections The majority of Panel members for both sites have requested a continuing involvement. The RSPB has offered to help the Washland Panel establish a ‘Friends of’ group, and there is interest at Summer Leys to re-start the lapsed group.

At the Washland the tenant farmer now has good connections with a number of members of the public who will hopefully act as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the site on his behalf when he is not present. The Wildlife Trust Reserves Manager now has similar links with a large number of people who have expressed a commitment to Summer Leys.

The vision developed by the groups mean that it is more likely that existing uses (such as recreation and bird-watching) can continue and co-exist.

Spiritual, cultural and aesthetic The vision statements ensure that the value of the sites to various user groups is maintained.

Lessons learnt

What worked well?

The level of debate and engagement during the Panel meetings was felt to be of a very high standard. Everyone attending demonstrated a willingness to share their own knowledge, as well as learn from others. Participants were enabled through skilled facilitation to engage with complex technical issues, and to produce clear thinking and constructive deliberation.



Being able to use the technical knowledge and networks of key agencies was key in providing quick turnaround information to the Panel members and at meetings.

Independent, skilled facilitation kept the process on track and delivered what the process set out to do.


Recruitment of Panel members took longer than expected – this is a methodology that requires a substantial (unpaid) commitment from members of the public and this will effect recruitment. It is valid within public dialogue processes to make incentive payments to participants, and this is a consideration for the future.

The NIA and partners had to find answers to Panel members’ questions very quickly – this worked when those involved in the process could respond; it was harder to achieve quick turnaround from organisations not directly involved in the Panel, such as other NIA partners.

Some Panel members have had a very long involvement with the site in question and are hugely knowledgeable. A very small number however have very fixed positions about how things are and what they want to see, with little tolerance of others’ views and experiences. Having an expert facilitator was critical in managing these individuals and ensuring that they were assets to the process.



7. Northern Devon

Project Name: Producing a Teachers’ Pack to promote understanding of ecosystem services in local schools

Project Description


In order to deepen understanding of the work of the NIA, a teachers’ pack has been developed to support the work of teachers in schools. This has been developed in conjunction with a Devon curriculum advisor and is aimed at work with children in Key Stage 1, 2 and 3 in primary and lower secondary schools.

The pack aims to introduce teachers to the concept of the ‘ecosystem services’ approach to the value of nature and how this can be incorporated into their cross-curricular planning. Especially when this relates to visits to ‘wild places’ including nature reserves, local farms and outdoor areas near to school. This project links with the national ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ agenda which encourages schools to use outside venues for learning.

The pack contains a scheme of work with 3 lines of enquiry, plus all associated resources, on the themes of:

How is the environment at Meeth Quarry (a nature reserve in the NIA) being improved?

Who works at this farm?

How can we improve opportunities for wildlife in our parish?

The draft pack was considered to be well received by local teachers who attended a training session (INSET) that introduced the resource. The activity ideas are currently being trialled in schools with the intention that, once feedback has been collated, the plan is to adapt and amend any areas in response to teacher’s comments and to then launch it to schools across the NIA from the second half of 2014.

Figure 16: School children visiting the Ruby Red calves (Credit: Tamasine Addie)




The Key Aim for all aspects of the schemes of work and activity suggestions was for children and young people to appreciate the benefits and value of nature: - often described as ecosystem services. These benefits become apparent by experiencing outdoor venues first hand in order to build knowledge and understanding of key concepts, develop associated skills during activity sessions and then to apply this learning to the children’s local environment.

The ‘local application’ aspect of the work was considered crucial, not only to demonstrate understanding but also to show a commitment to taking responsibility for future actions in order to benefit the natural environment.

Box 3: Example activity for school visits to NIA sites

The following activity is suggested as a pre-visit activity ahead of a visit to Meeth Quarry Nature reserve:

“Construct a timeline and use the ecosystem services diagrams to consider what different ecosystem services (benefits) have been delivered here in the past.

Annotate with post-it notes or prepare a washing line to show changes over time.

This could include: current changes, 2004-2013 cessation of quarrying, quarrying in 21st Century, 20th Century quarrying, 19th Century pre quarry land use, ancient land use, geological developments, depending on how far back you want to go.

The time line could also be projected forward to see what ecosystem services (benefits) the area could provide in the future”.

The following timeline was developed for the project:

Action When

Initial plans for Teachers’ pack April 2013

David Weatherly, Education Consultant, drafted in to help with structure and content of teachers’ pack

May 2013

Scheme of work outlined to include 3 lines of enquiry –

How is the environment at Meeth Quarry being improved?

Who works at this farm?

How can we improve opportunities for wildlife in our Parish?

July 2013

Resources added to accompany each line of enquiry August 2013

Draft teachers pack complete, on disc, ready to be trialled September 2013

Teachers Twilight INSET session held to introduce teachers pack. Attended by 7 teachers from 3 local schools – Holsworthy Primary, Chulmleigh Primary, Halwill Primary

October 2013

Teachers pack provided to staff at Holsworthy Community College after NIA themed school assembly provided by NIA staff

December 2013

I line of enquiry included in the ‘Burn the Curtain’ teachers’ pack, offered to 2 local schools by BtC staff after workshops with BtC staff – Dolton Primary, Burrington Primary

January 2014

Consultation with local teachers for feedback November 2013 – January 2014

Teachers Twilight INSET session held to introduce teachers’ pack, linked specifically to Meeth Quarry nature reserve. Attended by 4 teachers from 4 local schools – Black Torrington Primary, Highampton Primary, Exbourne Primary, Clinton School-The Tarka Federation (Merton & Dolton Primaries)

March 2014

Teachers pack provided to staff at Fremington Primary School after 2 school visits to Meeth provided by NIA staff

March 2014



Action When

Consultation with local teachers for feedback March 2014 onwards

Minor amendments according to feedback, ahead of design work to be carried out through July 2014 for (planned) wider launch September 2014

July 2014

Teachers pack documents handed over to design company used by Devon Wildlife Trust to organise layout, design and presentation of the pack on CD, plus presentation of the 3 ‘Lines of Enquiry’ as a paper based hard copy

October 2014

CD ready for distribution to schools February 2015

CDs posted out to 55 local schools, within or near the NIA, with a covering letter and opportunity for feedback evaluation from teachers.

February 2015

CDs and paper copies of Lines of Enquiry made available at NIA celebration event 3 March 2015

3 Lines of Enquiry documents, plus selected resource documents uploaded to NIA website

March 2015


The NIA has provided significant community outreach staff resource – part of the work plan of Tamasine Addie, Community Outreach Officer – to plan and develop the teachers pack, working with an Education Consultant, David Weatherly during the initial development phase.

Other NIA partner input includes discussions with Devon Wildlife Trust’s (DWT) Education Officer Paul Martin regarding possible resources; North Devon Biosphere including reference to some of their online resources; Beaford Arts with input from their education officer and a local theatre company, Burn the Curtain; and the teachers in local schools who have been involved in trialling the ideas and providing feedback.

Figure 17: Enjoying the moor (Credit: Tamasine Addie)





Figure 18: Teachers pack outputs, outcomes and relevant benefits

Economic The teachers’ pack is being used by staff in local schools to encourage children and families to value and understand their local environment, and the benefits it can bring when well managed. This brings economic benefit to the region as visitors to wild places who live locally are encouraged to visit local shops, cafes, car parks, amenities, activity centres etc. as part of their access to the outdoors and will also encourage others – tourists – to visit the region, bringing economic benefits through spending power and greater opportunities for employment in the tourism industry.

The NIA also believe that it supports the development of the green economy and the local farming economy as residents from the local area learn to value their region and support local initiatives e.g. farm shops, woodfuel activities, cafes on the Tarka Trail.

Education and ecological knowledge Educational visits to outdoor venues bring opportunities for teaching and learning, including the development of thinking skills such as enquiry, information processing, reasoning, creative thinking, evaluation skills.

The NIA believe that education in outdoor venues can also:

Appeal to a variety of learning styles; provide a stimulus and focus for learning.

Increase enthusiasm for learning and boost enjoyment.

Encourage reluctant learners to participate in a different way in a different place with input from different people.

Provide endless opportunities for creativity; support curriculum planning.

Provide real-life situations for the application of class-based learning - testing theories, developing concepts, deepening understanding, increasing knowledge, using skills and developing new ones.

Provide challenge and extension activities for able learners and opportunities for students to plan their own learning.

Plus assessment opportunities for teachers as children participate in new experiences.

The project will provide opportunities to increase ecological knowledge regarding natural cycles, interrelationships, natural communities and ecosystems through the study of wildlife, food webs,



habitats, farming and land management practices, natural stems and processes, change and challenges.

Up until March 2014, the NIA had taken 33 school groups out on site to gain more understanding of the natural environment and the services it provides. This totalled over 1200 individuals, plus accompanying adults, from 17 different schools and of these, 10 schools have had access to the teachers pack on disc.

During the year 2014 – 2015, a further 20 school visits were made to ‘wild places’ including nature reserves, farms, riverside and woodland environments. This involved over 336 children and young people, with over 61 accompanying adults, from 12 different schools and settings. Groups ranged in age from pre-school toddlers, to Key Stage 1 and 2 Primary School children, to Key Stage 3 and 4 students from Secondary schools and colleges.

Social development and connections This project is considered to promote social skills by providing opportunities for paired work, group work, whole class, whole school and cross community approaches which can strengthen social cohesion at a range of levels. There are also opportunities to develop empathy with people working in the environmental sector with better understanding of the pressures on them, and a greater understanding of the interconnectedness of individual impacts on the environment.

Spiritual cultural and aesthetic The activities lead to the recognition of the cultural contribution of the environment to local communities. The ‘Love your Landscape’ approach is also based on the aesthetic value of North Devon’s landscape.

Lessons learned

What worked well?

The NIA reflects that the progress of the project was good, in particular the NIA reflected that the time spent with an experienced educational consultant was invaluable in making sure that the materials connected effectively with the current curriculum. The teacher’s INSET days allowed the NIA to discuss the material with teachers in a relaxed environment and develop effective working relationships with busy people.


Developing the materials took time, especially when liaising with other staff and external consultants. Dedicated time was put aside to focus on development.

It was a challenge fitting in with school time scales where topics are planned long in advance. This meant that teachers have only used the pack when it suited their curriculum planning arrangements. Further time is being allowed to fit with these termly arrangements, in order to get valid feedback from teachers who are using the pack in real class based topics, rather than just one off visits.

Gathering feedback from teachers was considered to have taken longer than expected, with many follow up calls required for some. It was felt that time, patience and dedication to follow up were important to fully capturing feedback.

Once trialling in schools was complete and feedback gathered, the pack was turned over to a design company used by Devon Wildlife Trust to organise layout, design and presentation of the pack on CD. Work on this phase of the project took considerably longer than expected due to communications back and forth between staff and designers. However, the pack was produced and ready for distribution to schools in late February 2015. CDs were posted out to 55 local schools, within or near the NIA, with a covering letter and opportunity for feedback evaluation from teachers.



8. Greater Thames Marshes

Project Name: Public Art Project at Hadleigh Country Farm

Project Description


To enhance the understanding and appreciation of the Greater Thames Marshes environment amongst new visitors and local residents to the area.

To identify opportunities for integrating art into the natural environment, taking into consideration DDA regulations H&S requirements and environmental designations

To support delivery of key themes, messages, aims and objectives of the Hadleigh Farm and Hadleigh Country Park Legacy Project Interpretive Master plan

To develop a holistic programme of activities with the partners that will incorporate event/s, interpretation, marketing and training

The project should look to increase visitors to the park that would not normally engage with the countryside.

To establish a partnership project between local Mental Health support providers and Hadleigh Country Park that will act as a pilot for future collaborative programming.

Assist in the monitoring and evaluation of the project.


To develop a site‐specific, environmental artwork that would improve access to and communication about biodiversity within the unique landscape at Hadleigh Country Park. The Public Art service at Place Services developed a project brief and promoted a public art opportunity.

Four artists/creative collaborations were shortlisted and interviewed. Anna Heinrich and Leon Palmer of PalmerHeinrich were appointed to work with the Greater Thames Marshes Nature Watch Point project in the development of a dynamic and innovative vision for the interpretation and enjoyment of the identified NIA area at Hadleigh Country Park in Essex.

The aim of the project was to creatively integrate an artwork into the environment to enhance the interpretation of the area and its biodiversity, whilst working with the local community to build a lasting relationship with the site. The work looks to improve people’s understanding and appreciation, whether visiting for the first time or on a regular basis, transforming and enhancing people’s experience and understanding of the environment and its habitat.

The appointed artists worked with local residents to encourage their engagement in the development of the artwork, whilst increasing participation and access to Hadleigh Country Park.

The Nature Watch point was designed to enable wider and deeper engagement with target audiences, with an intention to provide a legacy of access to the natural environment beyond the timescale of the project. The work enhances the landscape aesthetically and physically, respecting the natural and historic characteristics of the area, whilst provide additional habitat for invertebrates and small reptiles

The project provided a unique opportunity with much of the land within Hadleigh Country Park being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest as a haven for around 1,300 species of wildlife which includes the shrill carder bee, the emerald damselfly and the weevil hunting wasp. The local environment also supports dark‐bellied Brent geese.

The final art project – The Reveal The final art project is titled a camera obscura called The Reveal,



The idea for The Reveal evolved out of a process of research and engagement with the site and through working with local groups and the Park Rangers at Hadleigh Country Park.

On the artists’ first visit to Hadleigh the magnificent views were revealed to them. The high vantage point overlooking the Thames estuary makes Sandpit Hill an ideal observation post.

Historically the site played an important strategic role in combat and defence and the World War II gun emplacements and ancillary buildings which are scattered about the site both above and below ground are evidence of this. More recent additions are the development of the Olympic Mountain Bike Course for 2012. In contrast to these man‐made interventions are the earth burrows and nests created by some of the park’s invertebrates such as the Shrill Carder Bee.

The artist’s idea, to create an underground camera obscura evolved from their observations and the desire to harness this amazing view and reveal it in an unexpected way. The shell of the camera obscura is constructed from a 3.6 metre long pipe, identical to those used in the nearby bike trails. This has been embedded into the side of hill and positioned to face out towards the estuary and can be accessed via a path which leads down off the main trail on Sandpit Hill. The front has been faced with durable oak and the ash lined interior houses a seat and space for around 4 people. The lens of the camera obscura is fixed within the door which needs to be closed in order to dim the light and focus the view onto the back wall of the tunnel.

Figure 19: The Reveal being installed (Credit: Jo Sampson)

The Reveal has been designed to be accessible for wheelchair users and provides the visitor with a contemplative space in which to rest and experience the world in a different way. It reflects whatever is outside so will by its nature always be changing.

Community engagement Alongside the development of the art project a programme of workshops was held for two key locally based organisations Rethink Recovery and Own Arts. The organisations assist people in their management and recovery with a broad range of mental health issues. More specific details about this can be seen in Box 4 and examples can be seen in.



Box 4: Description of activities

3 sessions each running 3 hours (although these often were longer as participants often wanted to stay on and discuss things.) were delivered by the commissioned artists Anna & Leon.

Another session is due to take place on the 25 March as the group are invited to help set up the exhibition in the Hub.

Rethink Recovery Workshop: 3 participants plus Rethink Recover Support Worker, artists. This also included an introduction to the park by one of the Park Rangers

Open Arts Workshop 1: 3 participants plus Open Arts Support Worker, artists. This also included an introduction to the park by one of the Park Rangers

Open Arts Workshop 2: 3 participants plus Open Arts Support Worker, artists

Planned Open Arts Workshop 3: Exhibition workshop numbers: TBC, artists

Workshops were based at Hadleigh Country Park and also used The Salvation Army facilities as a place to meet before and after.

A further six sessions have been run with mentored artist Filsan Beard.

Additional engagement in connection with developing the Camera Obscura:

Discussions with Friends Of Hadleigh Castle Country Park group. The artists attended FHCCP meeting in July 2014 to introduce the project (12 members attended this meeting). We also provided regular written articles and updates to 3 quarterly FHCCP newsletters.

In addition the proposal has been discussed with the Park Rangers at Hadleigh Country Park, ECC Senior Consultant Ecologist and ECC Historic and Built Environment Manager and informal discussions with staff and artists at Hadleigh Old Fire Station Artist Studio group.

Figure 20: Examples of the work undertaken in the community engagement project (Credit: Jo Sampson)


The NIA and partners had hoped to improve a view point within the NIA area and decided to include a creative element to this work. The NIA initiated the scheme, provided the majority of the funding and worked with partners (notably Place Services (Essex County Council)) to develop and implement the projects.

Specifically the NIA initially allocated £8,000 to the scheme. Additional funding of £10,000 was sourced from a Olympic Legacy Development Project taking place at the park, this contribution was used to aid the interpretation and enjoyment of the park alongside a funding application made by Place Services for £15,000 to the Arts Council of England. A further £2,000 was provided by the NIA so that a fully accessible path leading to the camera obscura to be installed. Total project budget of £35,000.





summarises the community engagement whilst Figure 22 presents the relevant benefits for the art project The Reveal.

Figure 21: Outputs, outcomes and relevant benefits for the art project The Reveal



Figure 22: Outputs, outcomes and relevant benefits for the community engagement

Economic None identified.

Education and ecological knowledge Participants of the community engagement gained a number of creative skills including photography and creating land art (i.e. art created from materials in the land).

Social development and connections The community engagement element of the work is reported to have created substantial social capital between participants; example of feedback includes: “[I] Feel safe with everyone now” and “really enjoy being part of the group, a purpose it’s been something to look forward to each month”. It is hoped that the art project will form a conversation starter for visitors to the park.

Spiritual, cultural and aesthetic One participant of the community engagement said the walk had brought back long forgotten memories another was reported to feel inspired to get a new camera and develop their passion for

photography. There was a sense in the feedback from participants that they had experienced some spiritual benefits, for instance one said “I get a sense of wellbeing which lasts for a few days when I get home after these workshops, from being outside”.

The art project and land art are also tangible contributions to the landscape that hope to engage visitors with the aesthetics of the Park and its biodiversity. Examples of these contributions can be seen in Figure 23.



Figure 23: Examples of land art and the view from the The Reveal

Health The participants of community engagement were chosen because they have a range of mental health issues. Their feedback is positive and suggests that participated helped improve their mental health, examples of feedback include: “the fact I haven’t had a panic attack today is wonderful. Today I didn’t have any worry about meeting here, no anxiety at all. Literally I didn’t feel anxiety today. [I have a] all natural sense of freedom. Normally [I] have trouble breathing, [today I just] just have a little tightness” and “being outside in the fresh air, doing art is good for me”.

It was reported that after the experience a participant who suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress felt able to go outside on her own for the first time in months.

There were also physical health benefits from participants spending substantial amount of time being active in the park.

Lessons learnt

What worked well?

The process of walking, talking and sharing observations about the park through the medium of photography was considered by the artist to be a good combination.

The artist noted that “we wanted participants to develop a sense of ownership of their creative process and the open ended nature of the workshops was conceived with this in mind. Most of all we wanted participants to feel relaxed and enjoy the day. Learning new skills and undertaking exercise was a desired outcome but not our primary objective”.

The group reported back that they really enjoyed the artists’ company and conversations. The fact that the group met in the same place each time, and were called round to remind them prior to each workshop as well as the fact that they had activities to do in between sessions were felt to be helpful in keeping the momentum going.

The group’s organiser noted that the group all attend the Open Arts studio on different days but were very keen to stay in touch and keep their ideas flowing, swapping numbers, and building up a rapport and trust with each other.

The group were said to be excited about being part of the first ever exhibition at the new hub in Hadleigh Park and playing their part in the Olympic legacy. The fact that the art studio is local was also believed to make the project feel linked in with the community and created shared ownership of the project.

Within the community engagement activities the group reported that they felt safe and supported. They were asked if they thought it would have been any different with larger numbers and all agreed that they wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much, as some people are quite shy and introverted, sometimes a bigger group can be intimidating with big characters. They felt it was important to be heard in a group and if there were more people they wouldn’t have joined in, and would have



separated themselves at the back “In a smaller, intimate group you can start to be yourself, in a big group sometimes feel part of a stage and an act”.

Cameras were supplied by Open Arts to those that didn’t have one which meant everyone could be included in the photography workshops at the beginning and no one was left out.


Engagement Challenge: One of the initial challenges was establishing a momentum to the engagement

work and finding enough interested participants.

o Manage: Establish a clear framework within which to work. It was considered beneficial that Open Arts had an established programme of art activities, potential participants and a supportive framework for participants to develop their work beyond the sessions.

Challenge: Access resources, equipment and low cost spaces in which to work.

o Manage: Establish, purchase resources, equipment and identify partners who can. In this instance The Salvation Army were very helpful and the park itself was the main venue for the sessions. Open Arts had camera equipment which meant that these sessions could be built on outside of normal workshop times.

Challenge: Difficult to know what level to pitch the workshops as there was not much prior knowledge about participants’ abilities, skills, interests and size of group.

o Manage: Keeping flexible, open and responding to participants’ needs and interests. The smaller group size allowed a high level of one to one communication and this helped to quickly build rapport and trust within the group.

Challenge: Lots of different threads to the project as a whole and it took a while to make all the connections.

o Manage: It was felt that the long timeframe allowed these connections to develop in an unforced way. Both artworks are about views and they complement each other aesthetically, conceptually and in their location.

Challenge: The earthwork element to idea was a new way of working for those involved. The organisers were mindful that the site for the camera obscura had to address and be sensitive to a number of considerations: the ecological and archaeological impact, suitability of ground, accessibility, cost and the aesthetic impact of the intervention on the site.

o Manage: Work with groundwork specialists who could professionally advise and undertake this element of the work. The organisers were guided on what would be the best site and the advice and input from members of the steering group and the Park Rangers was considered invaluable.


Photos provided by Rethink Recovery https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bvakjl2yxpvro54/AACWEnHtFGpbNuz2ZWRnblL_a

Photos provided by Open Arts https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q2ocyrk0mpkvzdq/AAA-cOpamlNnE2DEuWUZDjsra

Links to two FHCCP newsletter http://hadleighcountrypark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Park-News-89-October-2014.pdf and http://hadleighcountrypark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Park-News-90-January-2015.pdf

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bvakjl2yxpvro54/AACWEnHtFGpbNuz2ZWRnblL_a

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q2ocyrk0mpkvzdq/AAA-cOpamlNnE2DEuWUZDjsra

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q2ocyrk0mpkvzdq/AAA-cOpamlNnE2DEuWUZDjsra

http://hadleighcountrypark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Park-News-89-October-2014.pdf

http://hadleighcountrypark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Park-News-89-October-2014.pdf

http://hadleighcountrypark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Park-News-90-January-2015.pdf

http://hadleighcountrypark.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Park-News-90-January-2015.pdf



9. Wild Purbeck

Project Name: Getting Wild about Purbeck in Your School

Project Description


The Wild Purbeck Education Service was initiated as part of the Wild Purbeck NIA programme. Led by the Jurassic Coast Team (a Wild Purbeck NIA Partner), the service offers free teacher training to schools in the NIA area and strategic education advice to Wild Purbeck NIA Partners. The key aim of the project is to offer schools a chance to learn about how nature, wildlife and geology could help to deliver the new Primary and Secondary National Curriculum. The Wild Purbeck NIA is building on this foundation by helping a select number of schools achieve Level 1 Forest School training10 through funding where it is available.

The Forest School movement is about promoting outdoor education. Within Forest Schools the children, from both primary and secondary schools, visit forests/woodlands and learn personal, social and technical skills. By being and engaging in the natural environment the children are encouraged to think for themselves and to develop a sense of confidence and self-awareness. The topics covered in Forest School can be very broad in their scope, and include identifying plants and animals and understanding the nature of complex ecosystems. Children are encouraged to work as a team in order to solve problems or to create projects that use the natural materials around them. Relevant areas of the National Curriculum such as literacy and numeracy are also integrated into this creative learning approach.

The objectives of the project were to ensure:

Local geology, nature and wildlife interests become embedded in the core ethos of the school and are written into the school development plan.

The development of sustainable and enriching learning experiences for children and young people about their local environment.

Teachers are empowered with the knowledge and confidence to take forward skills and lessons learnt from specialist training to lead and inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

Encouraging schools to register for Forest Schools and integrate it within their curriculum planning meets the following Wild Purbeck NIA objectives:

‘Delivering ecological networks’ and ‘Building a shared vision’ Although work undertaken within participating schools is on a small scale, creating a natural, wildlife area within the school grounds is felt to be beneficial for the local community and environment. Recently the school system in Purbeck transitioned from a three tier educational system (first, middle and primary) to a two tier (primary and secondary) system. As a result many schools acquired significant parcels of land as school grounds have been improved and made larger. Head Teachers and governing bodies identified the need to enhance outdoor education provision and invest in these new and improved outdoor areas for their new increased pupil intake. The Wild Purbeck NIA has sought to build upon this opportunity and to work with some schools to undertake Level 1 Forest School training. Undertaking this training was considered important to embed this work into

10 Delivered by Dorset Forest School (DFS), this community interest company offers consultancy to educational settings who have the desire to establish their own forest school practice. DFS award the Forest School qualification to the teacher which can then be used towards qualifying for BTECH or other equivalent adult education award.



their curriculum development plan and their Self Evaluation Form11 which is reviewed and evaluated by OFSTED (see example in “Win-Win”).

Urban benefits By rehabilitating and restoring outdoor areas in school grounds, the communities, particularly those in urban areas, benefit from access to natural areas.

Win-win The NIA identified multiple benefits to enhancing the outdoor green spaces:

The Wild Purbeck NIA is improving access to wildlife in an urban setting.

The Wild Purbeck NIA is supporting schools to meet key objectives for Government targets to help children engage with the natural environment (Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto12).

Through activities like “Change 4 Life”13 the NIA encourages children and families to examine their relationship with the nature and how they can live in an active and healthy way. It is also intended that this part of the project will indirectly address key issues such as childhood obesity.

The NIA’s key aim was to support schools that are already committed to enhancing outdoor learning but to ensure that there is a sustainable model of delivery once the kickstarter funding has been provided. The NIA wanted to build on existing work Lulworth and Winfrith Primary School (one of the schools the Wild Purbeck NIA has invested in) has already demonstrated strong promise as shown in this statement from their 2011 OFSTED report (Box 5).

Box 5: School response to Wild about Purbeck

Lulworth and Winfrith CE VC First School, Extract from Ofsted Report (17 – 18th November 2011):

“They are very proud of, and highly committed to, their school community and have a strong voice in making decisions related to their learning and well-being. Through their actions and decision making, pupils have been involved in toilet and playground refurbishment, local beach cleans, tree planting for a nearby play area and environmental projects with Lulworth Heritage Centre”.

“...An outstanding number of trips, exciting clubs such as free running, and numerous visitors bring pupils’ learning to life, for example, visits to Corfe Castle, local coastal studies, Wellie Walks, Living Rainforest and the Tank Museum”

11 It is a government requirement that all schools complete a Self Evaluation Form (SEF). It is a collaborative, reflective process of internal school review. It provides teachers with a means of systematically looking at how they teach and how pupils learn and helps schools and teachers to improve outcomes for learners. 12 Launched in 2006, this Manifesto states that every young person (0-19yrs) should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances 13 Change 4 Life is a government NHS initiative to help people of ages adopt lifestyle changes to become more active and healthy. Activities such as gardening and walking for pleasure form a core part of the “Get Going” programme.



Figure 24: Grass identification (Credit: James Rich)


Teacher Training Through targeted free ‘twilight training sessions’, the Wild Purbeck NIA has been helping teachers to understand the Jurassic Coast14, the local geology in Purbeck and how this underpins and supports the area’s natural environment, including the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Of the 26 schools within the Wild Purbeck area, 9 schools have either completed, or registered for, the training sessions. To date, 45 teachers have been trained.

These sessions have led to schools integrated the Wild Purbeck NIA’s education themes into their curriculum planning. The NIA’s focus has been on helping teachers to understand how the local outdoor environment can help deliver aspects of the new Primary curriculum, particularly for science. The new curriculum to be launched in September 2014 has enhanced content about the life and earth sciences. For example, the new Earth Science content at lower Key Stage 2 (years 3 and 4) expects children to:

Compare and group together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties.

Describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock.

Recognise that soils are made from rocks and organic matter.

As the Wild Purbeck NIA incorporates at least a third of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, there exists a multitude of exciting opportunities to help children learn about the rocks and soils that underpin the diverse natural habitats within Purbeck. In our teacher training sessions, the NIA

14 The Jurassic Coast is England’s only natural World Heritage Site designated in 2001 by UNESCO for its internationally outstanding geology, palaeontology and geomorphological structures. The site has been coordinating a successful Education programme for 10 years which focuses primarily on teacher training and resource development.



outlines how this technical knowledge can be used to deliver the curriculum content against key target indicators for achievement.

Figure 25: Moss and lichen (Credit: James Rich)

The NIA structured the training and technical content around key indicators for success and achievement in the classroom and in doing so helped teachers to lead more sustainable and effective learning outside of the classroom. The NIA training was said to have been well received by the teachers that have attended sessions, here is some example of feedback received:

Box 6: Feedback from schools and teachers

“Brilliant! I'm sure many of the great ideas will easily translate into the classroom.” “Very useful session prompting us to review our topic cycle.” Wareham St Mary Primary School

“Useful links to the Dorset Wildlife Trust that can be linked to Bug Hotel in EYFS.” “Good reminder of science and history links and how to bring our local environment alive.” Sylvan Infant School, Poole

“I loved the enquiry aspect and all the ideas for questions for children.” “Great links to forest schools and eco-schools. Good ideas for EYFS and KS1.” “Very passionate and enthusiastic presentation on subject knowledge that is needed for teaching on our doorstep.” St Marks Primary School, Swanage

Forest School Level 1 training The Wild Purbeck NIA funded four schools to undertake Level 1 of Forest School training. This is a more detailed and accredited level of training concerned with outdoor learning. Schools were only able to access the funding once they had completed a twilight teacher training session with our team.

This was achieved with the following enrolled schools:

Wareham St Mary Primary School: 177 Pupils of which 37 qualify for free school meals (FSM).

Stoborough Primary School: 190 Pupils of which 15 qualify for FSM

St. Marks Primary School in Swanage: 135 Pupils of which 32 qualify for FSM

Lulworth and Winfrith Primary School: 115 Pupils of which of which 12 qualify for FSM



The Wild Purbeck NIA commissioned Dorset Forest Schools (DSF) to deliver the programme on their behalf. Each of the enrolled schools:

1. Undertook a two day training to qualify for Level 1 Forest School status.

2. Participated in at least four to six support sessions at school to identify learning needs.

3. Commenced school-based fundraising efforts to generate a fund that will sustainably support a Forest School movement in the school.

Going forward the NIA will be working with the Forest Schools teacher from Lulworth and Winfrith to set up twilight sessions with Purbeck schools on how Forest Schools ethos can be integrated into curriculum planning. There is also an opportunity to include wildlife and outdoor provision within a new school being built at Lulworth.

What is the role of the Wild Purbeck NIA in the project?

The Wild Purbeck NIA partners’ role in this project is providing advice and assistance to the schools as they develop their outdoor spaces into wildlife habitats. For example Dorset Wildlife Trust and RSPB are helping schools design and construct ‘bug hotels’ and hides. In some cases, the schools are working in partnership with the Wild Purbeck community groups (who are part of the NIA programme) to deliver joint objectives that engage people with wildlife.

Figure 26: Measurement (Credit: James Rich)


Figure 27Figure 9 summarises the relevant outputs, outcomes and benefits for this case study as identified by the NIA.



Figure 27: Getting Wild about Purbeck in Your School outputs, outcomes and relevant benefits

Feedback from the participating schools indicates that the support provided by the Wild Purbeck NIA and its partners has been invaluable. Many schools have outdoor areas that are been set aside for nature and wildlife, but the use of these areas for teaching and learning was felt to have had varied success. In some schools, it was reported that teachers lacked the confidence and knowledge to engage children with their outdoor areas. In other schools, outdoor areas for learning do not exist.

Teachers within enrolled schools reported that although their schools tended to be in rural environments or close to Poole Harbour, many of the children did not engage with nature. The reasons given were that their families were unaccustomed to, or could not afford to, go to these areas and undertake the sorts of activities the training was revealing.

For example, teachers at Sylvan Infant School in Poole stated that for many children, their trip to Brownsea Island in Year 5 would be the first time that many of them would see the beach and coast. At Lulworth and Winfrith Primary School, the Headteacher said that a large majority of the children had never seen Lulworth Cove (which is a 15 minute walk away) and that many families were either in areas of high rural deprivation or transitional circumstances associated with the military base.

The Wild Purbeck NIA hopes to enhance and improve wildlife habitats in the Poole Harbour and Purbeck area. The lessons from this project suggest that if there are a generation of children and young people growing up in the local area with no knowledge or experience of what lies beyond their school playground, then any improvements may not be sustainable. The Forest School leadership training is intended to provide teachers with the skills and confidence to interpret and explore outdoor environments. The Twilight training sessions have also engaged with the senior leadership of the enrolled schools.

Economic Not considered relevant.



Education and ecological knowledge The training is intended to provide the teachers and students with a greater understanding of the natural world, and in particular why their local environment should be conserved.

Social development and connections Through working with Wild Purbeck NIA partners, teachers and children are coming into contact with experts that work in nature and wildlife management. This has a huge impact not only in raising levels of knowledge and aspiration in teachers but also showcasing future careers and applications of science in the real world to children.

Spiritual, cultural and aesthetic The training is intended to create better links between the children and the geology and biodiversity of their local area.

The improvements to the green spaces within the schools are also likely to have aesthetic benefits.

Health Children undertake a range of physical activities as part of their outdoor learning. There are also potential mental health benefits to spending time outside.

Lessons learnt

What worked well?

The NIA felt that the free twilight training had been extremely successful as schools have been taking advantage of advice on the changes to the curriculum. The training also provides opportunities to make and contact with Wild Purbeck NIA partners who might be able to help with the delivery of outdoor education.

Providing funding to help teachers reach level 1 of Forest School is considered to have been well received by the four participating schools. In particular Lulworth and Winfrith Primary have placed further investment (about £540 plus supply teacher costs) into their nominated teacher qualify him as a Level 3 Forest School Leader. The school now has a fully qualified leader who is able to lead Forest School activities at other schools. Lulworth and Winfrith Primary School have also funded travel for all off site outdoor learning, for example transport to local woods and Winfrith Heath. James Rich, Forest School leader from the school explains:

“I am keen for all children (and staff) from the school to benefit from the Wild Purbeck project so I am aiming to organise a number of visits to the school. I have already arranged for a local wild flower expert (Gerard Russell of Heritage Seeds) to provide support and lead some sessions for the children. He has particular interest and expertise concerning wild flowers in Purbeck (many of the wild flowers on Winfrith Heath were introduced by his father). I have also been in contact with The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group and the NFU as I am very keen to integrate agriculture education within our curriculum as many of the children come from farming backgrounds. I have built links to a major local farm (Cobbs), where children visit the farm and learn about sustainable 'farm to fork' food production as well as wildlife on farms. I am also planning field trips to the Fine Foundation Marine Centre at Kimmeridge, the RSPB nature reserve at Arne and will be supporting projects by the Woodland Trust. I believe these organisations are partners in the Wild Purbeck Project. Many of our parents at school are also experts (including a range warden and local history expert) and I aim to utilise their skills to help the education of the children. I believe the funding you have given us will help hugely towards these field trips as well as bringing experts to the school.”


The biggest challenge was felt to have been coordinating the materials and to provide the training to the teachers. These materials (such as the training session), took significant time.



The Jurassic Coast (a Wild Purbeck NIA partner) has an education programme that specialises in earth science and geographical content about the coastline. Time was needed to consult with other partners (such as Dorset Wildlife Trust and the RSPB) to research and develop content that was relevant and specific to the wildlife and nature of Purbeck. The results of this consultation were then compiled into a two hour teacher Continual Professional Development (CPD) session. Subsequently these materials have been reviewed by Wild Purbeck NIA partners and lessons learnt about how to update their own education programmes considering recent changes within the National Curriculum.

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