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Between March and June 2013 we worked for Yorkshire Peat Partnership to explore the issues around the possible creation of a strategic Peat Partnership covering the whole of the Pennine Chain from the Scottish borders to the Peak District. Valuable work is already going on to restore degraded upland peat bogs but could a strategic partnership tap into other funding, co-ordinate work and speak collectively to regional and national bodies? Our work to assess the appetite for the partnership involved 62 in depth interviews and three stakeholder workshops.
A wonderful festival to celebrate the parks 100th birthday and its official reopening after a major programme of restoration funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Oldham Council. The sun shone and over 2500 people packed the park to seek out gorillas and boggarts; be thrilled by tight rope walkers and puppeteers; go home with painted faces and wearing willow crowns and enjoy a one man band, a traditional brass band and the evening finale by Biggles Band!
Back during the winter of 2009 – 2010 the Pathways team led on the consultation as part of the Lakes to Dales Landscape Designation Project on behalf of Natural England. The project looked at whether certain areas between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks should be designated as National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
We worked with Countryscape to lead the consultation, which involved setting up and delivering a number of drop-in events across the counties. The photos you see here are taken at some of those meetings that we held, all in spite of the heavy snow the fell during this winter.
Recently it has been announced that officials from Natural England have approved extensions. If confirmed by the Secretary of State, it will see the boundaries of the Yorkshire Dales National Park expand to encompass another 162 square miles.
This extension would see the inclusion of parts of the Orton Fells, the northern Howgill Fells, Wild Boar Fell and Mallerstang to the north, and to the west, Barbon, Middleton, Casterton and Leck Fells, the River Lune and part of Firbank Fell and other fells to the west of the river.
Kerry and Sophia from our team have been out interviewing at Dukes Drives, Salford’s newest country park. Recently we had a stall at the Escape to the City event, now we’re busy speaking to people about what they’d like to see in the area.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Our lovely colleagues Steve and Becca recently spent a week at Wicksteed Park in Northamptonshire, interviewing people about what they’d like to see going on in the park.
Here are some photos Steve took of the stall, which was designed specifically for this piece of work. We used our new stripey sun tent, a blackboard sign, an easel displaying ideas for activities, and bunting made by printing images onto fabric.
Pathways 