Autumnal team meeting picnic in a wood

August 30, 2011 in Events | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It certainly feels like autumn has arrived here in Manchester this week.  So in looking forward to the days of autumn ahead, we’ll look back to a lovely team outing we had last autumn to Dunham Massey.

Dunham Massey is one of our local National Trust properties on the south side of Manchester, one of our favourite places for a picnic and a walk.  Late last autumn we decided take our team meeting out of the office and enjoy a wintery picnic in a beautiful spot of woodland.

We also had a birthday to celebrate (Steve from our team) and our last intern John had finished his time working with us and we wanted to say a proper thank you for all his hard work.

So we wandered into the picnic area at Dunham Massey laden down with baskets of cake and other goodies.  Charlie had made a lemon drizzle cake wrapped up in brown paper, and Mac and Steve lit a fire in the Kelly Kettle to boil up water for tea.

May and her little girl Isla built a den from branches and blankets, and we all sat around drinking hot tea and munching on cake.

Sophia had made a beautiful hand drawn card for John, featuring all the projects he had worked on during his time with us, and including cartoon versions of each of us.

Afterwards we enjoyed a nice walk around the deer park.  A big thanks for Kate who took all these lovely photos.

Summer User Survey with the Friends of Dunwood Park

August 23, 2011 in Consultation | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Over the next couple of weeks Steve and Kerry from our team will be out in Dunwood Park in Oldham helping the Friends of group to interview visitors.  As a follow up to the user survey we completed last winter, we are completing additional days during the summer to see if different types of people use the park, or for different reasons.

We are also collecting spotting data to see who is coming into the park, what they are doing, and how many people we see.  Steve, our Research Team Leader, is out with volunteers from the Friends of Dunwood Park to mentor and support them as they embark on the interviewing.

As part of this work we have created a questionnaire and a spotting data form, and designed an information leaflet to give out to anyone we speak to.

Fix the Fells path evaluation

August 17, 2011 in Evaluation | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recently the Fix the Fells team started evaluating paths with the help of their committed volunteers.  Above is Steve, the National Trust West Valleys Upland Footpath Team Supervisor, who is evaluting the path on the Helvellyn summit.

May from our team has been working with the Fix the Fells team and their path volunteers to develop an evaluation criteria for assessing their paths.  Working together they created a set of points against which they can go out and assess the paths.

We’ve been told that in this photo above you can see how the path on the righthand side was spreading outwards with no containment.

In the photo below, looking up the path to where Steve was evaluating, you can see the lefthand side has been recovered.

Dunwood Park User Survey

August 2, 2011 in Consultation, Spaceshaper | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 comment

In the winter of 2010 Pathways undertook a User Survey of Dunwood Park in Oldham.  It was lovely to discover recently that a copy of the User Survey we wrote is on the Oldham Council website for people to download.

Our team interviewed over 200 people in and around the park, finding out what they did and didn’t like about it, and how they currently they use it.

Dunwood Park has a small children’s play area, a bowling green and Pavilion, facilities for playing tennis, and some lovely woodland.  Oldham Parks and Countryside Service along with the Friends of Dunwood Park were awarded £1.09 million from the Big Lottery and Heritage Lottery Fund for the renovation of the park.

The Pathways team carried out interviews in Dunwood Park, on the streets nearby, going door-to-door, and at a local church fete.  We also ran a mini Spaceshaper event in the snow to gather more in-depth interviews.

Have a read of the Dunwood Park User Survey that was designed by our friends at Countryscape.

Our team join Bastille Day at Wicksteed Park

July 18, 2011 in Consultation, Engagement | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two of our team – Steve and Becca – spent last Friday at Wicksteed Park, interviewing teachers who’d come with their students to celebrate Bastille Day.  Here are a few photos from their day…

Steve and Becca were asking teachers about how often and why they their school comes to Wicksteed Park, and what activities they might like to do in the future.  We were also keen to find out if there were any barriers to visiting.

This day was the final part of the consultation we’re doing at Wicksteed Park – back in June we went for a whole week, when we had a colourful stall.

We are currently in the process of typing up all the results from the questionnaires and analysing the data.

If you’d like to know more about the work we’re doing for Wicksteed Park on their HLF Activity Plan please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us.

Manchester Art Gallery consultation on the Irwell Sculpture Trail

July 11, 2011 in Consultation, Research | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recently two of our team – Becca and Kerry – spent a day at Manchester Art Gallery with our consultation stall for the work we’re doing on the Irwell Sculpture Trail.  They had a fantastic spot in the main atrium at the gallery and interviewed over 50 people throughout the day.

The staff at the Manchester Art Gallery were so lovely and helpful – they’d already set up a table and chairs for us, and let us in early to set up ready for the doors to open at 10am.

We brought along the giant map of the Irwell Sculpture Trail and stuck in images of some of the sculptures.  And of course, a jar of chocolate eggs always helps and is a nice way to thank people who stop to talk to us.

Find out more about the work we’re doing on the Irwell Sculpture Trail.

Consultation at 1500 feet in the Lake District

June 27, 2011 in Consultation, Research | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We are still carrying out our consultation work for Fix the Fells and have received some more great photos from our team Kate and Ellie who have been climbing the peaks to interview hikers.

Last Friday 24th June they were up Stickle Tarn – that’s 1,500 feet up and pretty chilly!  Lots of friendly and cheerful interviewees, which made for a successful day.

On Saturday they headed back up Catbells in drizzle and later drove to Seathwaite Farm in Borrowdale, where they’d been the week before.

And yesterday they went into Coniston and drove up the Old Man track and set up the stall at Miner’s Bridge, interviewing people as they passed.  We hear the weather was much nicer than the rain from Saturday, and even the sun came out briefly.

Our team take on our highest consultation up Catbells in the Lake District

June 22, 2011 in Consultation, Research | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

For the last week our fab team – Kate and Ellie – have been up mountains in the Lake District interviewing people for our Fix the Fells work.  They have also been in Keswick speaking to people in the town, and have been sending us updates and great photos of what they’ve been up to.

This is undoubtedly our highest consultation ever!  And check out the beautiful banner Ellie made for the consultation…

We thought it would be nice to include a few of the reports from Kate and Ellie:

Thursday 16th June 2011

We were heading for the top of Helvellyn this morning but it was pouring with rain, so we headed to the Moot Hall in Keswick.  We enjoyed a trickled of interviewees there, but as soon as it brightened up we headed back out up to Catbells where we had a steady flow of people who all thought it was a good idea us being up there.  Let’s hope the weather is better than forecast tomorrow!  Best wishes, Kate

Saturday 18th June 2011

The cloud was down and the rain light though persistent, but many a hardy walker passed our little base at the entrance to Seathwaite Farm.  Nearly all we stopped were happy to chat, despite either being keen to get on with their five-hour hikes or absolutely exhausted after returning from such exertions!

Helping local parents to design a creative consultation for a Manchester school playground

June 21, 2011 in Consultation | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Today there is a consultation day at Oswald Road Primary School in Chorlton.  They are consulting on a new vision for the school, and looking at in detail a new vision for the school playground, which is mostly tarmac.

Pathways has supported two parents to design creative consultation tools with a focus on what children want more of.  Do they want more hiding?  More messy play?  More climbing or swinging?  More muddy play?

The consultation is running all day, so if you happen to be in Chorlton do go along and have a look at what they are doing.  We can’t wait to hear the results of their consultation.

If you are in the Manchester area and need support on similar projects, please get in contact with us at hello@pathwaysconsultancy.co.uk.

A Pathways party on a sunny afternoon with cupcakes and strawberries

June 15, 2011 in Events | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This is how we like to celebrate as a team at Pathways – pick a stonkingly hot afternoon, set out some picnic rugs and parasols in May’s garden, chill some drinks, prepare juicy strawberries and lay out cupcakes from a fabulous local cafe.

We tied up bunting, set out the blankets and made up a few jam jars of flowers picked from the garden.

There were scrumptious cupcakes – including a special cherry bakewell cupcake – from And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon in Disbury, which Charlie set out on vintage plates and decorated with herbs and feverfew from the garden.

We were joined by current and past team members, caught up on what everybody had been up to and what our current projects were, ate cupcakes and strawberries, finished with a tiny glass of bubbly and some facepainting from Isla and Mimi.

If you’re looking for an alternative work party or celebration, or want to have a team meeting with a different, do get in contact with us at hello@pathwaysconsultancy.co.uk or on 0161 273 8235 and we’d be more than delighted to discuss it with you.