Canal Restoration to Connect Our People and Regenerate Our Communities

Activity Plan Canal restoration to connect our people and regenerate our communities

Section C Version May 2020 Contents Executive Summary 05 2.4.10 Deepening engagement, 48 stimulating social action and Chapter 1: building a sense of ownership Introduction & Overview 2.5 The Main Changes since Round One 51 1.1 Our Activity Plan 12 2.5.1 From Themes to Strategic Aims 51 1.2 Cotswold Canals Connected 13 2.5.2 Timing of the A38/A419 roundabout 51 Project Summary crossing project 1.2.2 Why Here Why Now? 17 2.5.3 Community Hubs 52 2.5.4 Canal Interpretation: 53 Chapter 2: a community-led approach Our Activity Plan 2.5.5 Apprenticeship Programme 53 2.5.6 Nature Conservation 54 2.1 How we developed our plan 23 2.2 Partnership working 26 2.2.1 Building a dynamic and Chapter 3: robust partnership 26 The current situation for our people 2.2.2 Governance & leadership 27 & communities 3.1 Our Place: Geography, 56 People, partnerships & local resilience: 2.3 31 demographics and context Our open approach 3.1.2 Geography & Environment 58 2.3.1 Embedding Community Engagement 31 into all our work 3.1.3 Urban Centres 59 2.4 A creative approach to research 33 3.1.4 Demography & Population 59 & development 3.2 Under-represented people and 61 2.4.1 Our Research Model 33 communities: poverty & deprivation, unemployment, BAME & LGBTQ+ 2.4.2 Assessing the Baseline 35 3.2.1 Poverty and deprivation 61 2.4.3 Community Consultation 36 3.2.2 Black Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) 65 Surveys and questionnaires 2.4.4 36 populations 2.4.5 Learning from others 37 3.2.3 Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender 66 2.4.6 Piloting ideas & models 39 and Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ+) 2.4.7 Consolidating, reviewing and 45 communities sharing learning 3.2.4 Targeting under-represented people 68 2.4.8 Developing our strategy and 45 and communities demographically operational plans 3.3 Education, Training, Employment 69 2.4.9 Principles and Approach to 45 and Enterprise Community Engagement 3.3.1 Education & Training 69 3.3.2 Employment & Enterprise 70 • The National Perspective 3.3.3 Community-based organisations 71 • The local picture and local hubs • Waterways and the 3.4 Our Existing Cultural & Heritage Assets 72 importance of Place 3.4.1 The Museum in the Park and Stroud 72 • Public response to the Textiles Trust canal restoration project 3.4.2 Visitors Centres and Canal Heritage 74 4.4 Barriers to Canal Engagement 105 Hubs 4.4.1 Understanding the barriers and 107 3.4.3 Stroudwater Navigation Archive 75 identifying target audiences for more Charity (SNAC) focused engagement 3.4.4 Stroud Valleys Canal Company (SVCC) 76 4.4.2 Learning more about volunteers 108 3.4.5 Railways & Waterways 76 4.4.3 Barriers for Existing Volunteers 111 3.4.6 Local Community Arts & Cultural 78 4.4.4 Barriers for under-represented 111 Heritage Resources people and communities 3.5 Our Existing Volunteers 83 • Example 1: Children and 3.5.1 Cotswold Canals Trust Volunteers 85 young people excluded from 3.5.2 Stroud District Council Volunteers 85 mainstream education 3.5.3 Stroud Valleys Canal Company 86 • Example 2. Vulnerable adults Volunteers 3.5.4 Stroudwater Navigation Archives 86 Chapter 5: Charity Volunteers Opportunities for People & Communities 3.5.5 Waterway Recovery Group Volunteers 86 5.1 Pilot projects – testing our approaches 120 3.5.6 Corporate volunteers 87 and models 3.5.7 A Volunteer-led Management Team 87 5.1.1 Connecting Communities 125 5.1.2 The Canal-Rail Trail 126 Chapter 4: 5.2 Developing Community Hubs 128 Our Project Audiences 5.2.1 Hubs for improving local services 129 4.1 Existing Audiences 89 and facilities 4.2 Our CCC Main Target Audience Groups 90 5.2.2 Improving Health & Wellbeing 131 4.2.1 Targeting specific audiences for 94 5.2.3 Our Learning Visit to the Community 132 volunteer recruitment Connect Foundation in Birmingham 4.3 Who, how and why do people use 96 5.2.4 Social and economic benefits of Hubs 134 our canal waterways? 5.2.5 Supporting local entrepreneurs for 136 4.3.1 Engagement with National Waterways 96 business and Hub development 4.3.2 Who and how do people use our canal? 97 5.3 Opportunities for People & Nature 137 4.3.3 Current trends in towpath use 101 5.3.1 Opportunities for People & Nature 140 activities for the Delivery Stage 4.3.4 Why do people engage in our 102 canal waterways? 5.3.2 Opportunities for Climate Change 141 Resilience 5.3.3 Opportunities for new activities at 142 6.3 Developing operational delivery plans 200 Framilode as a response to 6.3.1 Delivering project activities by 205 community feedback multiple partners 5.4 Opportunities for Heritage Learning 143 6.3.2 Activities and outcomes for our 206 5.4.1 Opportunities for Formal Learning 144 audience groups 5.4.2 Archive Engagement Opportunities 150 6.4 Meeting HLF’s outcomes 209 5.4.3 Opportunities for Informal Learning 151 6.4.1 Making a difference for heritage 209 5.5 Opportunities for Existing and 157 6.4.2 Making a difference for people 210 New Volunteers 6.4.3 Making a difference for wildlife and 212 5.5.1 Recruiting a diverse base of new 158 the environment volunteers for Phase 1B. 6.4.4 Making a difference to our economy, 213 5.5.2 Opportunities for volunteering which 159 our communities and our organisations create pathways to skills development, 6.5 Communications & Marketing 215 training & employment 6.6 Governance & Management 219 5.5.3 Opportunities for Volunteer-led Canal 161 6.7 Working Strategically in Partnership 222 Management & Maintenance 6.7.1 International Strategies and 223 5.6 Opportunities for Interpretation 165 Policy Frameworks 5.6.1 Opportunities for Creative and 166 6.7.2 National and Regional Strategies 223 Community-led Interpretation and Policy Frameworks 5.6.2 Opportunities for Formal/ Didactic 171 6.7.3 Regional and Local Strategies and 223 Interpretation Policy Frameworks 5.7 Opportunities for Local Enterprise 173 6.8 Tracking progress and measuring 224 and Economy impact 5.7.1 Opportunities for Sustainable Tourism 173 6.9 Innovation and national significance: 225 to Create a Canal Destination leaving a lasting legacy 5.7.2 Opportunities for Economic 176 Regeneration Chapter 7: 5.7.3 Opportunities for Events & Activities 179 Our Delivery Plan Summaries 5.8 Exploring and Developing Our 183 Community Enterprise & Local Spirit of Place 7.1 229 Economic Development 7.2 Formal & Informal Learning 232 Chapter 6: 7.3 Interpretation 234 Strategic Planning & Delivering Outcomes 7.4 Participation & Inclusion Plan 236 6.1 Sharing our learning and developing 188 People & Nature Plan a strategy 7.5 239 7.6 Volunteering 241 6.1.1 Filling in the gaps: Volunteer survey 188 and strategy workshop 7.7 Communication & Marketing 244 6.2 Developing a Vision and 191 7.8 Outcomes Measurement Framework 246 Theory of Change Executive Summary The Cotswold Canals Connected Project (CCC) has become a transformative and exciting canal restoration and regeneration project. It marks the culmination of a 47-year legacy of canal restoration, spearheaded by the Cotswold Canals Trust, and is jointly led by Stroud District Council and the Cotswold Canals Trust.

Cotswold Canals Connected (CCC) will reopen 6km of the Stroudwater Navigation (SN), including restoration of derelict sections and the reconstruction of a ‘Missing Mile’ of former canal which was destroyed in the 1960s. This will result in 16km of restored canal and the reconnection of our canal to the rest of the UK’s canal network – a quantum leap in realising our vision to reconnect England’s two main greatest rivers. It will bring canal boats back into the heart of our rural towns and villages, revive lost heritage, strengthen our communities, and offer immense potential for local regeneration.

The NLHF development funding gave us the opportunity to develop our canal restoration into an ambitious, far reaching and multi- faceted project, that can now benefit a far broader range of people and communities across a large geographical area. Phases 1A and B of the canal restoration navigate through varied urban and rural landscapes, weaving together a diverse demographic and connecting a wide network of communities, organisations and heritage assets. Through significant investment in local capacity building, collaboration and network building,

CCC will build on and galvanise these connections, giving priority Boatmobility joining to areas of social deprivation, linking urban communities with rural in the Cotswold Canals Raft Race 2017 opportunities and creating a unique visitor canal destination. ©Simon Pizzey CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 05 CCC will invest in some monumental engineering works to Our activities have been informed by an enormous body restore our lost canal infrastructure in a contemporary and of action research delivered over the past two years. This creative way. However, against this backdrop, we will also includes direct consultation with over 6,000 people, through achieve a multitude of longer-term sustainable outcomes for participatory surveys, focus groups, mapping and pilot our people and communities. Building on lessons learned projects, as well as engagement with a further 26,000 through during Phase 1A and the huge body of work carried out our existing canal-related work and outreach activities. This during the Development Stage, CCC now draws on all of our comprehensive, rich body of research data1 conclusively strengths, networks and partnerships, putting people and demonstrates the power that our canals and green waterway communities firmly at the heart of everything we do. corridor can have to transform lives, change attitudes and regenerate our communities. 1. Research and Restored to its former glory, this incredible resource will Development 2 Reports: Creating give rise to inclusive learning initiatives, flagship creative Our Theory of Change and five overarching strategic aims Places, Prosperous interpretation, accessible and unique archive and important and outcome ambitions were further synthesised during and Connected Communities, wildlife habitat and biodiversity protection projects. the Development Stage. CCC now presents a high-quality Inclusive and Cohesive Supported by a contemporary, far reaching communications Action Plan, that offers an integrated mix of outputs, which Communities, Pathways to Heritage and marketing strategy, CCC will spark national interest and lead to tangible and lasting outcomes as well as allowing Learning and Working attention, further enliven our heritage, social history and help flexibility for local people to influence activities with their with Nature. 2. CCC Theory of to re-connect people with their natural environment. own ideas and projects. Change (see page 199)

By investing in people, strategic relationships and partnerships and by placing strong emphasis on inclusive models of community engagement and participation, CCC now also plays a wider strategic role in community regeneration, heritage preservation, nature conservation and sustainable tourism.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 06 Our Vision is to: Restore the historic link between England’s two greatest rivers in the interests of conservation, biodiversity and local quality of life, maximising the widest potential of the restoration as a catalyst for social, cultural, economic and environmental regeneration. This vision will be realised through the achievement of five strategic aims and delivered through a series of practical delivery plans which will:

Create a sense of place through renovating and enhancing our heritage assets to build community ownership of built and natural heritage and enhance our cultural identity.

Build prosperous and connected communities by connecting towns, railways and waterways, restoring our built heritage, creating opportunities and becoming a catalyst for economic growth and regeneration.

Broaden opportunities to a wider audience and build resilient and cohesive communities ensuring that those under-represented people and communities are supported to participate in and benefit from our project.

Create and strengthen pathways for heritage learning by improving access to heritage education & learning, enhancing people’s skills and building new pathways for sustainable formal and informal heritage education.

Conserve, protect and enhance wildlife by creating new habitats that mitigate the impacts of the restoration, result in an overall net gain for biodiversity and create opportunities for local participation in conservation and nature resource management.

Our research findings support the fundamental premise centre to the next section of the canal restoration. It is the that real change comes when we successfully match our heart of our project and has become a strategic focus for heritage assets with local people’s needs and reality, through regeneration. As one Stonehouse resident told us, “there is empowerment approaches and the delivery of meaningful nowhere that deserves this project more than Stonehouse”. activities that are co-created. During the NLHF Development Stage the CCC Partnership Our project is strategically important now. Post-COVID there explored the heritage connections between our rural towns will be even more urgency to invest project funds in areas of and cities and the common issues associated with social England that are in socially and economically in need (in the deprivation and cultural alienation. We explored the various top 25% in the indices of deprivation). Stonehouse Town and ways our activities and environments could improve people’s specific, targeted communities in Gloucester, will be central health and wellbeing, reduce outward migration, tackle priorities for project investment. The small, down-to-earth, environmental issues and avoid economic stagnation. By community-spirited town of Stonehouse is the closest main authentically and practically connecting our rural towns

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 08 with their waterway heritage we will unlock the potential of builds on existing networks, assets and resources and Stroud, Stonehouse and Gloucester. High profile and locally strengthens heritage linkages. It builds on prior learning and run canal events, workshops and projects will help to create a existing opportunities and addresses the gaps, rather than vibrant canal destination which will support local economic, re-inventing the wheel. In this way CCC will become a catalyst social and cultural regeneration as well as ensuring greater to regeneration, ensuring resilience across the Partnership protection for our ecological heritage. and delivering activities which will be sustainable after the funding period ends. Breaking down barriers to canal project engagement and improving access for more confident and authentically Project lead partners, Stroud District Council (SDC) and the engaged audiences, is a crucial element which is key to Cotswold Canals Trust advocated an approach to Community the success of our project. We spent significant time and Engagement which allowed CCC to maximise the benefits of human resources understanding our existing audiences and existing community action, local relationships and networks. those under-represented, exploring the many ways we can They put forward a local not-for profit organisation with its introduce people to the wide benefits and opportunities roots deep in the community and representing a strong voice that our canal presents. for the people and communities across the canal corridor, across the district and into neighbouring Gloucester. This Bringing in new audiences, supporting their authentic Community Interest Company (CIC), Creative Sustainability participation and achieving measurable outcomes for our 6 (CS) facilitated the research and development stage, target under-represented audiences, is at the heart of CCC, and supporting activity planning and strategic development. this requires skill, resource and locally embedded experience. The success of this research and development process and We have already started to build resilient and cohesive benefits of the action research projects CS established, has partnerships, networks and communities and continue to resulted in this organisation becoming one of the partners for place strong emphasis on partnership work, collaboration and the Delivery Stage. CCC’s community-embedded approach asset-based approaches. We will continue to remain steadfast now provides an exemplar model for heritage projects in terms in our community-led methods, being responsive to local of community engagement models, theory and research, ideas and needs and taking an entrepreneurial and adaptive specifically around inclusion and co-production. approach, rather than being fixed or tokenistic. Our inclusive models ensure that there are all sorts of ways To ensure the success of this collaborative approach, we for different people to get involved, including diversified will recruit an experienced Community Engagement Team, volunteering opportunities, peer-led mentoring, community- which will harness the energy of our people, communities hub development, creative community-led interpretation and local organisations. Our Activity Plan and Action Plan and youth-led action.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 09 Our volunteering, education and inclusion activities will links and a good track record of canal restoration and provide direct learning outcomes for approximately 2-3,000 community engagement. people a year which means that over 8,000 children, young people and under-represented adults will benefit from some With a renewed and democratic governance structure, that form of additional skills, informal learning or accredited allows for multiple delivery partners in addition to over 150 training. With 95% of our consultation respondents telling public, private and social enterprise collaborators, we now have us that they support our restoration project and the even more scope for wider network building, to extend our opportunities it will bring to their lives; we expect that project’s reach far beyond Phase 1B of the canal restoration. around 24,000 people will get actively involved in this highly impactful project across 3 years. NLHF Delivery funding will enable the partners to develop and augment these links, stimulate social and business The delivery of our Activity Plan also includes a wonderfully enterprise and inject key resources into specific target areas. creative portfolio of activities which will complement the Our Management and Maintenance Plan also includes a highly restoration work, reconnecting urban development with cost effective, volunteer-centred, canal management strategy, artistic and cultural values and injecting creativity and which ensures our canal is sustainably run long into the future. distinction into the fabric of our project. Our Interpretation All our work will be delivered in a way which future proofs our Plan includes arts, soundscape, performance art, story- activities well beyond the life of the project, for sustainable, telling, curatorship, textiles and a wide range of creative long term social and economic change. media and industries. The following operational delivery plans (see Plan We will also showcase a new archive citizen history project Summaries in Chapter 7) outline and present CCC’s fantastic and bring original, state-of-the-art, engineering design and activity programme: technology, which, delivered alongside our Conservation A. Interpretation Plan Plan, offers the chance to achieve nationally recognised, ‘Building with Nature’ accreditation. Our comprehensive B. Formal & Informal Heritage Learning Plan wildlife conservation and biodiversity work will allow us C. Volunteer Plan to protect our local wildlife, connect more people with D. Participation & Inclusion Plan nature, as well as piloting new approaches for monitoring E. Community Enterprise & Local Economic ecosystem development. Development Plan F. People & Nature Plan CCC now presents a robust, skilled and resilient project G. Communication & Marketing Plan team which is rooted in our local community, with strong

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 10 Chapter 1: Introduction & Overview 1.1 Our Activity Plan Our Activity Plan is laid out in seven chapters:

Chapter 1: Introduction and overview Chapter 5: Opportunities for People and An introduction to the Cotswold Canals Connected project, Communities providing a project summary, outlining our vision and our strategic We describe in more detail how we have tested our approaches project aims. We present our case for support and explain why the and methodologies across the Development Stage. We offer project is strategically important now. examples of our varied and carefully selected pilot projects to explain how we understood barriers for engagement, tested models Chapter 2: How we created our Activity Plan of working and solidified partnerships and wider community We describe our journey through the development phase. We collaborations. This chapter presents the spectrum of opportunities present our commitment to people and communities, explain how CCC will offer in terms of heritage learning, working with nature, we developed our activity plan, profile our core delivery partners volunteering, community Hub development, local enterprise and and summarise our research model, learning cycles and research creative community-led interpretation. It also describes how we and development process. We also outline the main changes we conceptualised and understand our Spirit of Place. have made to the project since Round 1 of the Development Stage. Chapter 6: Strategic Planning & Delivering Chapter 3: The current situation for our people Outcomes and communities We outline our strategic development process; explain how we We provide the wider context, the project premises and broad developed our over-arching project aims and outcome ambitions demographic patterns in relation to the people and communities and how our activities were grouped to form discrete operational our work will be targeting. We present an overview of the current plans. We describe how our project work aligns to NHLF’s outcomes situation for people living in our project area, describing our existing and how it will be guided by or inform other international, national, cultural and heritage opportunities and assets. regional, district and local strategies, policies and plans. This chapter also describes our project legacy and its national and Chapter 4: Our Project Audiences international significance. We profile and provide more information about our existing and new audiences. We describe how and why people engage Chapter 7: How we will deliver our activities: with our canal waterway and the wider corridor, how we have Our delivery plan summaries tested community engagement activities and highlight barriers This chapter presents our seven delivery plan summaries, including to engagement. key activities, budget summaries and a timeline of project delivery.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 12 which link our heritage and our communities - our railways, 1.2 Cotswold Canals canals, rivers, mills, the Severn estuary wetlands and Connected Project Summary stunning ecological corridor. We will revive and regenerate our communities, build on existing strong relationships and Cotswold Canals Connected (CCC) is an exciting and use an inclusive, empowering and community-led approach. ambitious national waterway restoration project that unlocks a lost section of the Cotswold Canals corridor between We combine ambitious, innovative capital works, award the Rivers Severn and Thames. It brings back to life crucial winning wildlife conservation, practical and local enterprise sections of the canal and associated wildlife corridor, making development, and wide-reaching, creative and inclusive these areas and their related heritage, more accessible for community engagement. Our activities will lead to multiple a broader range of people and communities. outcomes for people, communities and the natural world. Our Theory of Change (see p199) and Table 14 CCC Strategic This timely project is uniquely positioned to augment, Project Aims & Outcomes (see pp.201) describe these stimulate, understand and address a wide range of social and changes, including examples of the kinds of activities the economic issues together, finding the common connections project will deliver to achieve these changes. The CCC Project Vision Restore the historic link between England’s two greatest rivers in the interests of conservation, biodiversity and local quality of life, maximising the widest potential of the canal restoration as a catalyst for social, cultural, economic and environmental regeneration.

CCC now presents five core Strategic Aims that encompass the types of changes we envisage for people and communities. These emerged across the Development Stage as we worked together to develop our Theory of Change... Our 5 Core Strategic Aims: 1. To create a sense of Place Cutting edge innovative design and engineering and arts-based creative community interpretation to enhance and celebrate our cultural and heritage assets, build community ownership and enhance our spirit and sense of place. 2. To build prosperous & connected communities Connecting towns, railways and waterways, restoring our built heritage and implementing a sustainable canal management plan, which creates more local opportunities, engages visitors, develops tourism sustainably and builds prosperous and connected places for economic growth and regeneration.

3. To broaden opportunities to a wider audience and build resilient and cohesive communities Broadening opportunities and inclusivity, reaching new audiences and ensuring that those people and communities most at risk of exclusion are supported to have as many opportunities as possible to participate in our project. 4. To create pathways for heritage learning Improving access to heritage education & learning, enhancing people’s skills and building new pathways for sustainable formal and informal heritage education. 5. To conserve, protect and enhance wildlife Ensuring that the project causes as little disturbance to existing wildlife and habitats as possible and creates new habitats that mitigate the impacts of the restoration, result in an overall net gain for biodiversity and create opportunities for local participation in conservation and nature resource management.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 14 These five Strategic Aims encompass and weave together our work, resulting in both short-term and longer- term changes with regards to our canals built and natural heritage. The most significant of these impactful changes, which CCC hopes to achieve for people and communities, are our golden threads. These are:

A renewed sense and Resilient and cohesive Embedded and creative spirit of place partnerships, networks pathways for heritage Which encourages enjoyment and communities learning and understanding of the natural, Which invest in people, Which engage schools, colleges, historic and cultural heritage of the relationships and grass roots local groups and the wider Cotswolds, reconnecting people organisations, adopt best community, inspire historical to their canal heritage and cultural practice inclusive approaches to enquiry, celebrate archive & assets, providing a national visitor participation and facilitate broad engineering, protect wildlife and destination and bringing social, and meaningful engagement in navigate people into training cultural and economic regeneration heritage restoration and canal and employment to our communities management

Aligning our work with These delivery plans will be used by staff and volunteers to deliver the specific activities (outlined in the CCC Action Plan). NHLF Outcomes They contain the detail of operations delivery, budgets and The CCC Activity Plan will be delivered through the following timelines and will enable us to meet all of NLHF outcomes stand-alone, budgeted delivery plans: for people and communities. All our engagement activities A. Formal and Community Interpretation (Ref:IP) have been planned and will be delivered according to a set of guiding principles.3 This aligns with NLHF document B. Formal and Informal Heritage Learning (Ref:LP) ‘Learning – Good Practice Guide’ which builds in resilience C. Volunteering (Ref:VP) and sustainability, ensuring people and communities have D. Community Enterprise and Local Economic ownership, are empowered and engaged from the start. The Development (Ref:CED) following section provides a brief summary of how CCC will 3. See section 2.4.8 E. Participation and Inclusion (Ref:PIP) meet the NLHF outcomes. More detail on each of these four Guiding Principles to Community F. People and Nature (Ref:PN) sections is provided in Chapter 6. Engagement - p45 G. Communication and Marketing (Ref:CM)

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 15 Meeting all the NLHF Outcomes biodiversity, engage people with the natural world and Cotswold Canal Connected will: improve the management of our natural resources. Through the delivery of large and medium sized environmental Make a difference for Heritage projects, including restoring a relict orchard and providing new (NLHF Outcomes 1-4): waterway and adjacent habitats, CCC’s natural environment We will identify, record, improve manage, interpret & projects will provide opportunities for people to get closer to explain the Cotswold Canals heritage for people and nature and green spaces. These habitat creation and wildlife communities. Our capital works engineering programme, conservation projects will encourage people to develop a archive restoration work and comprehensive wildlife relationship with the natural world, both for their own health biodiversity and natural resource management programme and wellbeing, but also, to ensure the protection and long- will literally bring back our lost cultural heritage. Making our term sustainable management of our wildlife habitats. canal once again navigable by bringing boats and canal life back into the heart of our communities, reconnecting our Make a difference for our Economies, our people with their social, political and economic history. Communities and our Organisations (NLHF Outcomes 13 & 14): Make a difference for People We will boost the local economy, bring economic, social (NLHF Outcomes 5-9 & 11): and cultural regeneration and build local resilience. We will provide new skills, heritage learning, volunteering, Our Community Enterprise and Local Economic Development 4 opportunities for fun and to change attitudes and Plan considers connectivity along the broad corridor, behaviour: Cotswolds Canals Connected will make a real increasing the potential to work together cohesively and build difference to people’s health and wellbeing and the learning opportunities together rather than in competition with one pathways of our target audiences. Our diverse, inclusive another in order to create a canal destination experience range of activities cover all of our thematic areas, offering that attracts visitors and new audiences. One of the outputs fantastic opportunities for improved physical and emotional of this work is the production of a new Sustainable Tourism health, through enjoyable outdoor experiences, as well as Plan for the District. These ambitions are woven into the opportunities for volunteering, skills development and informal Stroud District Local Plan, through Tourism, Wellbeing and and formal learning. Environmental policies and, in order to ensure CCC makes a difference to our local economy our communities and our Make a difference for Wildlife and organisations we will also support the incubation of new and the Environment existing local businesses, involve and channel funds to existing (NLHF Outcomes 1 & 10): organisations and nurture the development of canal adoption 4. Chapter 7 - p228 We will reduce environmental impacts, improve schemes and Community Hubs.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 16 to Phase 1A and anticipation for further positive impacts once 1.2.2 Why Here, Why Now? connectivity to the national waterways is reinstated. Reference 1. To protect our canal and wildlife heritage assets to the following anticipated impacts were made in the 2016 and prevent them from deteriorating further. plan: Increased footfall, local economic impact, a diversified 2. To realise the potential and maximise the benefits town centre, varied accommodation, increased green spaces, of Phase 1A of the restoration by ensuring we have affordable housing stock and social and cultural enterprise a sustainably managed canal which brings vitally catering for a variety of canal users.6 important economic and socio-cultural regeneration, especially for canal-based towns Bringing the Archive back: The archive of the Company of Stroud and Stonehouse. Proprietors of the Stroudwater Navigation (CoPSN), which 3. To create a unique, nationally recognised canal- was established in 1774, covers the history of the Navigation destination linked to our regional waterway from the early eighteenth century to the present day, thereby heritage and cultural assets in Gloucester City. charting the Industrial Revolution. It forms one of the most 4. To unlock the match funding, realise the important canal archives in single ownership in the country. The environmental, health and wellbeing benefits CoPSN is believed to be the oldest continuously existing canal and maintain community engagement and management company in the world. The archive, which CoPSN volunteering momentum and commitment. protects, are physically well cared for, but their cultural value is diminished while they remain inaccessible to the public. 1. Protecting our canal and wildlife heritage assets and preventing them from Protecting and Improving Wildlife Habitats: Disused deteriorating further canal and low-lying habitats between the River Frome and Stroudwater Navigation has been neglected for the canal are at risk from development and the impacts of generations. It hasn’t been properly navigable or modern farming practices if not protected by conservation connected to the rest of the UK waterways network and biodiversity protection. CCC offers a complex cultural since pre-1954. and natural heritage enhancement project with a community engagement strategy at its core. If the project is delayed, Restoring the Canal: The dedicated work of hundreds of this powerful combination and commitment from multiple 5. Stroud Town Neighbourhood 5 volunteers during Phase 1A has restored and opened up partnerships is at risk. Once we start the delivery stage of the Development Plan some sections of the canal, however, to get a narrow boat on project, we can apply for a design stage award to achieve 6. Stroud District Council Local Plan, CCC the water it still requires a crane. The restoration works already Building with Nature Accreditation and then apply for full Supporting Document achieved has completely revitalised some areas. Stroud Town’s accreditation once the project is complete - we would be the Cotswold Canal Connected Impact Neighbourhood plan reflects an extremely positive response first ‘infrastructure’ project in the UK to gain this accreditation. Report 2019 Update

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 17 2. Realising the potential and maximising positive impact not only in terms of physical wellbeing but also the benefits of Phase 1A of the restoration in terms of reducing loneliness, absenteeism and road traffic. by ensuring we have a sustainably managed Commuters walk or cycle to work and more people feel both canal which brings vitally important physically and emotionally healthier. economic and socio-cultural regeneration, especially for canal-based towns Stroud Stimulating Investment: Canal restoration projects bring a and Stonehouse. plethora of economic impacts from housing and land value increases, to a growth in jobs and business turnover from The communities along the canal corridor are increased leisure and tourism. They are seen as a catalyst pivotally placed, primed and ready for regeneration. for economic regeneration, leading in many cases, to new building projects and the rejuvenation of other brownfield Bringing Health and Wellbeing benefits: With often invisible sites. Tourism also has a considerable impact with some canal pockets of deprivation throughout the canal corridor we restorations initiatives generating many direct jobs and a now see food and housing insecurity growing, mental health significant increase in tourist spending issues becoming increasingly common in young people and poor childhood health and high obesity levels rising. The rate of growth in businesses in Stroud District was just These are all issues which feature on all local, regional and 13% over the last 10 years in comparison to 24% growth in the national development agendas and are crucial to inform any same period nationally. This project will stimulate investment investment in large-scale regeneration. and encourage small business development along the canal corridor, especially in the aftermath of COVID-19. Patterns of social demography across our project area show that there are growing numbers of people over 65years. There The Stroud District Local Plan has specific policies supporting are therefore associated issues such as physical impairment, canal restoration, because it is seen as a vital confidence high numbers of cared for people and increased vulnerability building element in encouraging developers to invest. At to loneliness and isolation. least £120 million of private investment in housing is already expected for the whole 16 km of Phase 1, from Saul Junction to There is a wide base of research data and evidence to Brimscombe. Further large sums will be invested in factory and show that national waterway restoration projects provide a office spaces in the eight principal brownfield sites, formerly multitude of health and wellbeing benefits. Many people use wool and engineering Mills. restored canal towpaths for exercise and recreation, to spend time with other people, for leisure and nature-based activities. This increase in physical, leisure and outside activity has

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 18 From the £23 million project investment, private investment 3. Creating a unique nationally recognised of more than 5 times that is predicted to be released. Phase canal-destination linked to our regional 1A of the restoration (8.8 kilometres) costing £20.2 million has waterway heritage and cultural assets in already seen £139 million of housing and employment sites Gloucester City. built alongside the canal in the past 15 years. CCC realises the huge potential and scope for establishing a unique, canal visitor destination. Maximising the impact of canal use: The impact of the restoration of sections of canal and towpath during this When connected the rest of the UK’s waterways, the Cotswold phase, particularly on canal visitor numbers and canal-based Canals will provide a nationally recognised canal-based activity, has been huge. Towpath footfall records at Wallbridge heritage experience. It will be attractive, provide services, in Stroud increased from 38,677 people in 2013 to 90,787 information, transport links and offer a wide range of in 2015, indicating a 234% increase in towpath use in three opportunities on the water, in nature reserves, in mills and years. This is largely attributable to canal restoration works museums and through our existing plethora of community undertaken as part of Phase 1A, which resulted in sections festivals and events. of towpath becoming more accessible as well as increased public awareness of the restoration project. Between 2018 Sustainable Tourism: The tourism supply chain is extensive and 2019, our pedestrian counters, located at various points and economic opportunities are considerable. Managed in a along the towpath, logged 113,612 people. As this is only responsible and proactive way, with a focus on local produce reflective of the time periods when counters were operational. and services CCC can boost the local economy, retain our Numbers extrapolated over a 12-month period, are more likely young people and increase pride and ownership locally. to be between 230,000 and 250,000 people. We predict that by connecting the canal to the rest of the UK’s canal network, CCC is preparing for the development of tourism to secure the return on investment for Phase 1B will be even more local benefit. Developing unique destination experiences considerable. that celebrate local heritage in a connected and coordinated fashion with the community will maximise opportunity for With no Phase 1B there is no sustainable canal: The local benefit whilst identifying our unique sense of place. Cotswold Canals simply cannot operate sustainably without a connection to the national waterways network, bringing in boats and business opportunities into the heart of our rural towns and villages.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 19 4. Unlocking the match funding, realising Maintaining Volunteer and Community Engagement the environmental, health and wellbeing Momentum: Our community engagement and volunteering benefits and maintaining community programme has directly engaged with over 30,0008 people engagement and volunteering momentum since July 2018. Of these people 6,446 were directly engaged and commitment. through consultations, pilot projects, volunteering activities and in meetings and conferences. Unlocking Financial Resources: Four of the Strategic Partners, Stroud District Council, Cotswold Canal Trust, 3,339 people directly communicated their Canal & River Trust and Gloucestershire County Council, have thoughts and ideas through our interactive or committed £5,025,000 in funding plus considerable in-kind online questionnaires, towpath surveys and our value, in addition to the £500,000 committed by CCT and over targeted outreach focus group sessions. £4m of funding which is now already in place. This funding is likely to be lost without NLHF’s support. 1,935 people actively participated in our pilot projects, activities and events. CCC built a good relationship with Network Rail (NR) and Highways England (HE), securing £4 million from HE for 376 people directly volunteered in canal the A38/A419 roundabout crossing project, which started restoration and associated canal heritage education in December 2019. The Network Rail Ocean Bridge activities between January 2018 and August 2019. reconstruction is now a critical time-related cost element. This fully costed project must be undertaken in May 2021 to meet 792 people were engaged with through meetings, NR’s programme. If missed, it could be many years for NR to re- conferences and project visits to other areas for programme, which would jeopardise the complete project. shared learning, information exchange and to research best practice models. Existing Phase 1A Volunteers have also contributed work valued at £1.7 million over the past three years. The skills, 39,749 visitors and local people engaged with CCT experience and commitment of existing volunteers needs at its visitors’ centres, book shop and at outreach rapid deployment to ensure the £3 million worth of volunteer talks and events in schools and communities effort, built into our Business Plan7, is maintained. 7. Section I: Business 95% of respondents support our restoration project and the Plan opportunities it will bring to their lives and communities. We 8. Supporting expect approximately 45% of them to get actively involved in Document Community Engagement and Public the project during the delivery phase. Consultation Numbers

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 20 Maintaining Partnership Momentum: We have harnessed Cotswold Canals Trust members and volunteers are 9 the energy and commitment of over 150 collaborative supportive of further canal restoration and many are 9. Supporting partners/ agencies covering a range of diverse sectors: committed to giving additional financial support. Document Referral Units, Agents and engineering, environment, education, cultural heritage, Social Prescribers scientific, arts, transport, social inclusion, voluntary sector Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council 10. CCC Supporting Document Cotswold community support agencies, rehabilitation centres and capital programmes are currently in favour of supporting Canal Connected Impact Report 2019 small community-based organisations. The CCC project’s core canal restoration: delaying the project will risk this support, Update partners have engaged national and county-wide stakeholders especially given the difficult financial climate for local 11. Supporting successfully securing partnerships with a range of public, authorities, made worse by COVID-19. Riparian landowners document Addendum Note of Implications private and corporate bodies and organisations, such as, GFirst are currently supportive: their continued support is essential of COVID-19 LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership), Great Western Railways if the physical restoration, wildlife ambitions and business 12. Supporting Document Luke Jerram (GWR), ACoRP, Cotswolds Tourism and Newland Homes. opportunities are to be realised. Community Hub

Vital Economic Regeneration Post COVID-19 Innovation The CCC Impact Report, prepared by Stanbec (Oct 2019 update)10 estimated that As well as bringing original, state-of-the-art, the restoration of the canal corridor would contribute to a rise in demand for engineering design and technology, CCC Phase water-based tourism and add £28 million to local land values. They also predict 1B also offers the chance to achieve Building that the Project as a whole will bring significant health & wellbeing benefits and with Nature Accreditation for the conservation add £73.6 million to the local economy. and biodiversity work. It will allow us to trial new approaches for monitoring ecosystem In May 2020, Stanbec carried out further COVID-19 economic impact analysis.11 development, showcase a new archive citizen This indicates that COVID-19 has already had a severe impact on Stroud’s economy, science project and roll out a unique person- demographic composition and labour market. The lockdown measures, introduced centred approach to community engagement. in March 2020, had already led to an 83% rise in claimant count unemployment in Creating Places will showcase a collaborative Stroud, from 1,055 to 1,930 by the end of April 2020. They also point out the overlap flagship interpretation project in partnership with between CCC’s target under-represented audience groups and the segments of internationally recognised artist, Luke Jerram12 who society that are most vulnerable to the adverse health and economic impacts will support us to reconnect urban development created by COVID-19. Most notably, older people, BAME populations, homeless with artistic and cultural values injecting creativity adults and young people. and distinction into all.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 21 Chapter 2: Our Activity Plan 2.1 How we developed our plan CCC’s Activity Plan has evolved over 2019, encapsulating significant learning from phase 1A, as well as three phases of community engagement, delivered between September 2018 and September 2019 and the piloting of a comprehensive body of projects and activities across the Spring and Summer of 2019.

Since October 2018 the partnership has worked closely of a mid-term fundraising strategy for CCT that together, drawing on specialists from within their organisations allows for a sustainable transition from Phase 1B and across their wider networks to undertake specific research of the restoration (CCC) to Phase 2 and development covering all our canal-related work. • Conducted detailed analysis of our audiences, stakeholders and partners to assess their needs, In order to build and strengthen our activity proposals the barriers and wants CCC Partnership also took the following steps during the • Conducted research and mapped all those local/ Development Stage: national and international strategies, policies and • Appointed a Project Architect for the Development frameworks which will inform and guide our work Stage (CCT appointed) and to which CCC outcomes will contribute • Appointed a Project Manager, 2 Volunteer Managers • Conducted detailed analysis of levels and nature of plus an Engineering Manager (SDC appointed) to engagement now to assess gaps and explore oversee the project, develop a volunteer strategy and tensions and opportunities produce a comprehensive canal restoration engineering plan • Conducted research visits to other canal-based projects and CE models in other parts of the country • Appointed Community Engagement Managers to learn from others and share experience (1FTE) a Youth Engagement Officer, Inclusion Officer and a Sustainability Manager (CS appointed) to • Worked with consultants to develop interpretation support the delivery of the CE strategy and manage methodologies, including designing a strategy for the development of the Activity Plan developing community interpretation covering wildlife, archive, history and art-engineering projects • Appointed an Environmental Manager (GWT appointed) to deliver our Working with Nature • Conducted secondary baseline desktop research strategy to provide context and evidence supporting our decision-making • Appointed a Fundraising Manager (CCT appointed) to raise the remaining matched capital funding for the CCC restoration and support the development

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 23 • Consulted directly through online and interactive These workshops and sessions were facilitated by the CE questionnaires, focus groups and working with Managers and Strategic Development Bid team, they helped existing volunteers (6,446 people) and indirectly us consolidate development stage learning and make strategic (through participation in pilot activities or attending decisions about project delivery. These workshops led to the meetings, conferences or delivering presentations co-production of a project Theory of Change and informed all about the project) with a further 4,000 people of our following strategies, policies and plans. • Delivered 38 specific pilot activities involving 1,935 people to test what works, get feedback from The Community Engagement Team conducted continual participants and inform our learning and project development process reviews of development stage activities, recording learning and making recommendations. This team supported learning • Supported volunteering opportunities for 376 people and critical analysis of existing projects and community • Delivered a series of strategic planning workshops engagement approaches, in relation to the restoration, as with key stakeholder partners (21 people) to well as supporting a more in-depth look at the Partnership’s consolidate development stage learning and make existing frameworks, processes and delivery organisations. strategic decisions about project delivery. Workshops covered monitoring and evaluation, marketing and communications, strategic development, Our Monitoring and Evaluation Framework has been designed interpretation and volunteering to complement the national framework recently designed for inland waterways by the Canal & River Trust. CCC has decided • Formed a Strategic Development and Bid Document Development Team to coordinate the to adopt a similar model, modifying it to take account of our preparation and delivery of our Project Plans, project’s specific characteristics and outcome ambitions. Frameworks and Polices The project Delivery Stage bid documentation was managed A Project Management Working Group was formed including by a Strategic Development Bid Team formulated with representatives from each of the project’s partners. This group people from across the Partnership who provided guidance met throughout the development phase – both monthly for and support to all relevant Managers/Authors addressing coordinating relevant project sectors, but also to participate in the required NHLF supporting documentation. The Project specific training, develop best practice models (inclusion, co- Manager, Risk Adviser and Finance Team checked risk, produced evaluation and interpretation) and hold workshops governance and programme budgets. and strategic planning sessions covering M&E, volunteering, interpretation, marketing and communications.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 24 The project’s employed staff have been exceptionally well supported by volunteers working for partners in researching, developing and testing activities. We have also received support and encouragement from wider community partnerships including existing CCT volunteers, local interest groups (boat mobility and local walking groups), schools, conservation and heritage specialists, ecologists, county and city councils, artists, local reporters and journalists, families and canal enthusiasts.

A plethora of local people have contributed to the production of our Activity Plan, by sharing their stories about the canal and the importance of the Cotswold waterways in their lives. We are so grateful to them all for all of their time and contributions.

Case study: COVID-19: Waterways & Wellbeing George’s mum, Hannah has Cystic Fibrosis. She is on the lung transplant list and is extremely vulnerable. During recent months she has had to be completely protected from COVID-19. George’s dad, Jules often takes him to the river, they love being by the water. It’s calm and soothing. “It’s a place we come to get away from the busyness of life. We can chat about stuff Julian and his son, George enjoying and check out the fish.” the River Frome 2.2 Partnership Working

2.2.1 Building a dynamic and robust partnership This Activity Plan builds on the opportunities, partnerships One of CCC’s main strategic aims is to build resilient and and capital works undertaken as part of Phase 1A of the cohesive partnerships, networks and communities. In order restoration. It brings together a highly skilled, dedicated to achieve this, we have made a clear decision to invest in and professional team of practitioners, from both local people, relationships and grass roots organisations. Aside and national canal-based organisations, with masses from the significant capital investment into engineering works, of experience in canal restoration, and also from many CCC will prioritise funding a dynamic and creative local team other organisations and sectors. Our team now includes who will harness the energy of our people, communities and people with skills in archive development, social inclusion, a diverse range of grass roots organisations including: Stroud empowerment approaches to participation, best Valleys Project (SVP), Access Bike, Cotswold Boatmobility, practice models in ecosystem sustainability, fundraising, The Wool & Water Festival, Stroud Valleys Arts (SVA), local community arts, co-produced evaluation, sustainable community-based groups and emerging Community Hubs. tourism and cutting-edge design and engineering. In this way the Project will be a catalyst to regeneration, building on existing assets and resources and strengthening We now present a robust and skilled team, committed to heritage linkages and networks. It is these locally embedded ensuring that CCC becomes a far reaching and multi-layered organisations who will be supported to facilitate broad and project, delivered and sustained through a wide and diverse meaningful engagement in heritage restoration and canal network of complex and inter-connected partnerships. Many management and who will ensure the long terms sustainability of the delivery partner organisations are small/ medium of our aims and outcome ambitions. sized and locally-based. They are already embedded within our community. The funding and opportunity that this project presents will enable these organisations to galvanise and strengthen, improving their specific practice areas and their organisational systems and policy frameworks to build resilience and sustainability into the project thereby ensuring that the benefits are realised long into the future.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 26 2.2.2 Governance & Leadership

CCC is a multi-agency partnership initiative with a governance board which comprises five strategic project partners: Stroud District Council (SDC), Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT), Gloucestershire County Council (GCC), Canal & River Trust (CRT) and Stroud Valleys Canal Company (SVCC).

This strategic governing body comprises the project’s major funders and will be responsible for overall strategic governance and financial accountability. The operational delivery of CCC will be managed through a wider collaborative Delivery Partnership of organisations, which SDC and CCT will jointly lead and manage. All are committed to community-led restoration and regeneration.

Diagram 1. CCC Partners: Governance, roles and accountability

Cotswold Canals Connected (CCC) Project Board Stroud District Council (SDC); Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT); Stroud Valleys Canal Company (SVCC); Gloucestershire County Council (GCC); Canal & River Trust (CRT)

CCC Project Leads Stroud District Council (SDC) Cotswold Canals Connected Strategic Support Team Stroud District Council (SDC) Consultative Group Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT)

Operational Delivery

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 27 Table 1. Governance Partners

Organisation Role Area of focus, skill and contribution to the project Lead name people

Gloucestershire Governance Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) has a mission to improve quality of life for every Mark County and financial community in the County. It pledges to encourage investment, support businesses to Darlow-Joy Council (GCC) accountability thrive and maximise everything the County has to offer so Gloucestershire is a place where Highways people want to live, work and visit. GCC will support CCC by providing strategic oversight Programme and guidance in terms of alignment and adherence to relevant regional and national policy & guidelines or strategic ambitions, specifically relating to health and well-being, sustainable Procurement tourism, destination management and economic regeneration. GCC will also provide specific Manager technical expertise and support the project through its existing links, relationships and networks, particularly in locations where the canal crosses the highway network.

Canal & River Governance Canal & River Trust (CRT) is the leading national waterway body and guardian of 2,000 Robert Trust (CRT) and financial miles of canals, rivers, reservoirs and a wide range of heritage buildings and structures. Eaton accountability Bringing extensive knowledge, skill and resource, this is the only non-CRT owned Regional restoration supported by it. It will contribute a combination of political support, practical Operations experience and strategic policy guidance. CCC is being guided by and aligning with Manager, CRT’s comprehensive nationally recognised evaluation framework and its heritage Wales & apprenticeship scheme, informal and formal education programmes and national South West marketing and communications strategies.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 28 Table 2. Governance & Strategic Delivery Partners

Organisation Role Area of focus, skill and contribution to the project Lead name people

Stroud District Project leadership, Stroud District Council (SDC) brings its accumulated experience and resources to the Dave Council (SDC) management project. SDC provides services to a population of 118,000 people and has already Marshall and financial successfully led the restoration of a 5-mile length of canal between Stonehouse and Project accountability Thrupp. This newly restored section of the canal now brings tremendous benefits to the Director community in terms of leisure, environment, heritage, education, health & wellbeing and the economy. Investment into the canal corridor so far now totals £139 million. Council leadership adds weight and respectability, inspiring confidence amongst outside organisations that the project has huge support and is viable and deliverable. The Council’s continuing support for the project, across the political divide, underlines these benefits and the community’s aspiration to see it through to completion.

Cotswold Joint project- The Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT) is a volunteer-led Charity dedicated to the restoration of the Jim White Canals Trust leadership, managing Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames & Severn Canal which link the Rivers Severn and Chair of (CCT) restoration, Thames. 7,500 members, 5 paid staff, 40 qualified volunteers and over 200 active volunteers Trustees engineering and have been restoring and maintaining these canals since 1972. CCT operate from their own construction maintenance depots, manage a range of shore-based plant and equipment including a programmes fleet of water-based workboats. CCT brings over 35 experienced, professionally qualified and supporting/ volunteers covering a range of engineering and other disciplines including civil, mechanical, managing volunteers structural, bridge, hydraulic, chemical, IT, environmental, financial and electrical.

Stroud Developing Stroud Valleys Canal Company (SVCC) is a not-for-profit company and registered charity John Valleys Canals sustainable canal which was established in 2009 by Stroud District Council (SDC), Gloucestershire County Twydell Company management, Council (GCC), Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT) and The Company of Proprietors of the Chair of (SVCC) maintaining our Stroudwater Navigation (CoPSN). SVCC was set up to manage and maintain the western Trustees waterways and section of the Cotswold Canals It is the Navigation Authority (delete) from Whitminster Lock developing local (a point about 1km east of Saul Junction) through to and including Brimscombe Port, which ownership. is about 4km east of Stroud. SVCC has a 999-year lease on the whole length of Phase 1A.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 29 Table 3. Supporting Operational Delivery Partners

Organisation Role Area of focus, skill and contribution to the project Lead name people

Stroudwater Archive restoration The Stroudwater Navigation Archive Charity was set up in 2010 to promote the nationally Lois Francis Navigation and sharing, significant complete, canal archive (from the earliest items, the 1730 Navigation Act Trustee Archive Charity historical inquiry and and the first Minute Book of 1756 through to modern times). Owned by the Company of (SNAC) heritage learning Proprietors of the Stroudwater Navigation, it is one of the most important canal archives in single ownership in the country.

Gloucestershire Working with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is the largest nature conservation charity in the county, with Anna Tarbet Wildlife Trust nature to improve staff and volunteers working year-round to protect wildlife for the future. Set up in 1961, the Environment (GWT) biodiversity and charity manages and enhances 60 nature reserves throughout the county and runs events Manager connect people and activities so that people of all ages can get closer to wildlife and wild places, wherever with their nature they live. GWT has engaged 3000 school pupils in schools or nature reserves during the year environment. 2018/19 and 12,000 young people have been helped to connect with nature and wildlife.

Creative Community Creative Sustainability (CS) was set up in 2010 to address health, economic and social Anna Sustainability engagement, inequalities in the District, underpinned by core values of inclusion, empowermentand Bonallack (CS) inclusion and sustainability. CS has worked with thousands of people living and working in our community CEO participation and to promote long-term and persistent change in attitudes to inclusion to ensure local people’s Emily using creative media participation in cultural, economic, educational and social opportunities. During the Delivery Pearson and arts for learning Stage CS will be responsible for recruiting and managing five of the new staff positions: Board and interpretation Community Engagement Manager, Destination & Events Co-ordinator, Participation & Director Inclusion Co-ordinator, Education Officer and Activities Officer.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 30 2.3 People, partnerships and local resilience: Our open approach

CCC has adopted an approach which advocates significant and understood through existing relationships and active investment in people, capacity building and community community outreach and projects, we have had the advantage regeneration for long-term local social and economic change of meaningful insight, open communications with the and community resilience. One of our strategic aims is to build community, third sector groups, participants and supportive Prosperous and Connected Communities, ensuring that the networks from the outset. Working and living within the canal economic benefits of the canal restoration are seen and felt corridor plays a central role to our approach, day to day lives locally by everyone. In order to achieve this, a community- and living projects. led approach, delivered through a core platform of locally embedded partners, had been essential. Direct project investment to these core delivery partners is a key part of this. 2.3.1 Embedding Community CCC delivery partners are all rooted in our local community, Engagement into all our work with strong community links and a track record of canal The dedication and commitment from canal volunteers and restoration and/ or community engagement. Three years donors play a significant part in existing and established public of project funding will enable the partners to develop and perception regarding the project. In 2018-19 CCT had 223 augment these links, networks and community hubs, stimulate different active volunteers registered, working a total of 7,934 social and business enterprise and inject key resources into volunteering sessions, recording 41,287 hours (or 6,881 days, specific target areas. All of which will lead to long term social assuming a 6-hour volunteer workday. It currently has around and economic change. 161 active volunteers who are engaged in canal restoration or community engagement work. In addition, Stroud District CCC partners have worked closely together to ensure that Council (SDC) has another 157 active canal restoration meaningful community engagement is part of the fabric volunteers registered. of the project. Taking a bottom up approach increased our understanding and appreciation of our unique canal communities, enabled us to develop an even stronger sense of ownership and appreciate the importance of the longer- term investment in the canal corridor. Embedded, trusted

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 31 These numbers have increased through indirect association All levels of community engagement will be overseen by a via volunteer friends and families who by association have highly experienced, trained and resourced team headed up strong connections and attachments with the canal and by a Community Engagement Manager and Volunteer Manager the restoration process. Despite very good levels of existing and supported by a Destination and Events Co-ordinator, engagement, CCC estimates that we will need to recruit Participation and Inclusion Co-ordinator and Education another 70-100 volunteers into the Delivery Stage to support Officer. The team will also draw in specialised knowledge and the restoration work, as well as broadening outreach and skills from inclusion outreach practitioners, peer mentors and adopting more inclusive approaches in order to maximise the community support workers. In addition, we will draw on an opportunities and benefits of volunteering for a broader range already established network of creative, skilled professionals of people and communities. from a range of fields including artists, photographers, canal story tellers, historians, textile artists, theatre performers, During the Development Phase, supported by Creative canoeists and paddle-boarding teachers, wildlife experts and Sustainability’s Community Engagement Team we worked interpretation specialists. All these practitioners will work in closely together to plan and develop a wide range of partnership with the project’s partners. canal-based heritage and wildlife projects, testing methodologies and piloting specific ideas. All partners were supported to consider activities and approaches which could harness participation and empower local people to get more actively involved. Community engagement processes and methodologies became embedded into all areas of the project.

With clear pathways to involvement, the CE Team will continue to engage people in different areas, at different levels and over periods of time throughout the Delivery Stage. The Partnership has learnt about and started to use inclusive approaches, participated in inclusion training and broadened our monitoring and evaluation tools to include co-created 13 CCT Vice Chair, John Newton evaluation methods . This will ensure that the evaluation of talks to local residents about project outcomes is authentic and meaningful for the project, CCC at our public consultation in Frampton on Severn 13. Methodology the funded partners and for our people and communities. Co-produced Evaluation

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 32 2.4 A creative approach to research and development 2.4.1 Our Research Model Diagram 2. Development Stage Learning Cycle As Phase 1B marks the continuation of an existing canal restoration project, the Canal Partnership and sub-contracted 5 1 partner, Creative Sustainability, began the Development Stage Strategic Assessing from an interesting standpoint. With a track record of delivering Planning the baseline Phase 1A and a huge amount of ongoing volunteer-led Sharing Learning Scoping and mapping the restoration work across the entire Cotswolds Canals network, Developing strategies current situation for there was a huge body of existing work, resources, assets and and producing our people and knowledge to draw on when developing our baseline. operational plans communities audiences We used a Project Cycle Management tool to develop our learning cycle, which included five phases (see diagram 2). Starting from where we are, we assessed the current situation. 4 Our 2 This helped us to understand the breath of heritage assets, Consolditation Community Consultation the scale and scope of the project and the nature and & Review Learning Developing quality of engagement in our waterways by different Analysing our data and Cycle our research people and communities. assessing questions and Opportunities learning about After assessing the baseline, we developed our research for People existing and new questions and started a three-month public outreach and Places audiences consultation phase which involved surveys, questionnaires and interactive public consultations. All the information and 3 learning we gathered from our surveys, focus groups and Piloting our ideas and models meetings then led to the development of a series of pilot Testing our ideas and learning from projects, which we used to test ideas and models. others

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 33 The learning from the whole process: our surveys, pilots and Table 4. Community engagement activities & numbers consultation processes, resulted in the collection of a huge of participants across the Development Stage15 body of information which was then collated, analysed, Engagement Activity No. of digested and interpreted. We reviewed our findings, sharing participants learning both organisationally and as a Partnership and used Public Consultations 955 our learning to development premises and recommendations for activities. These were used to formulate our overarching Focus Group Participants 913 strategies and operational plans. Pilot Projects and workshops 1,935 Tow path survey 200 As part of the learning cycle we used a broad range of research methodologies and approaches: Online questionnaire 1,065 • Community scoping and mapping Online Volunteer survey 206 • Site orientation walks Active Volunteering 376 • Research visits to other areas Meetings and conferences 776 • Public consultations and meetings with Research visits to projects in other areas 20 stakeholders, businesses, potential project partners Total Direct Consultation 6,446 and existing service providers • Interactive and online questionnaires and surveys Table 5. Additional indirect engagement by • Targeted focus group meetings and interviews with CCC partners during the Development Stage people from our main and target audiences Other Indirect Engagement Activities No. of • Pilot projects and activities participants • Development projects and collaborative workshops People using Visitor Centres and CCT 39,749 • Project design and development workshops regular community/ schools talks and outreach, boat trips and average book shop footfall This principle of Project Cycle Management (PCM) will also be used to guide our Evaluation Framework (EF) as we move Tow path footfall recorded at four canal 113,612 14 entry points between April 2018-2019 into the Delivery Stage. 14. Section O Evaluation Framework Facebook outreach 33,330 15. Supporting Document Community Total indirect community outreach 186,691 Engagement and Public Consultation Numbers

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 34 2.4.2 Assessing the Baseline At the beginning of the Development Stage we spent time preparing our baseline. We assessed what we already know and spent time understanding the geography, people, communities and existing assets and resources along Phases 1A and 1B of the canal corridor. Our Conservation Plan16 was assessed and updated and community engagement opportunities for conservation and habitat work and canal restoration work were assessed. We mapped the project area, went on transect walks to assess the restored and non-restored sections of the canal and collated significant amounts of existing baseline information from Phase 1A, as well as collating and reviewing work achieved during the Round One application process.

Our community mapping started by drawing on what we already knew. The existing canal-based activities and volunteer-led canal restoration, Data capture boards at canal entry point, the community groups and Wallbridge in Stroud projects involved and the towns and villages which will be most affected by Phase 1B of the canal restoration. We cross-referenced our community- mapping workshop information with OS maps to review areas of deprivation, community centres, schools, churches, GP surgeries, main canal access points, wildlife areas and maps of the Baseline mapping proposed engineering sub-projects. This gave us a thorough baseline to start the community consultation process. We then took this mapping 16. Section D process out to the wider community. Conservation Plan

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 35 2.4.3 Community Consultation The project’s Community Consultation Phase started in February 2019 with a series of high profile, participatory community consultation events in strategic locations along the Phase 1A and 1B sections of the canal corridor: Stroud, Stonehouse, Frampton-On-Severn, Whitminster and Eastington. In the main canal towns of Stroud and Stonehouse, these were whole weekend events.

The public consultations involved extensive collaboration between all project delivery partners. They were both informative for the public, and also encouraged the canal team to listen to local people, allowing them the time and opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas.

Community Consultation A 2.5x3 meter OS map of the canal and surrounding areas was - Interactive questionnaire during the Canal Trail, May 2019 displayed and we collected a mixture of both quantitative and qualitative data. This participatory mapping process was 31-50 years, 51-65 years, 66+ years). This enabled us to important to create a tangible display of the people, places and understand and profile our audiences giving us a deeper experiences that make up communities along the canal corridor, understanding of the barriers, needs and issues for different identified by members of the communities themselves. people and communities.

2.4.4 Surveys and It helped us understand: Questionnaires • Which groups of people currently engage with the Cotswold Canals and related heritage and how? During the Development Stage we conducted two • What the demographic trends are (e.g. age, comprehensive online questionnaires, a towpath survey gender, background) and what factors play a part? and two Facebook surveys. We also used a participatory, interactive questionnaire to help us to map the demographics • What motivates people to participate in canal activities of canal or associated heritage facility usage. We collected • What barriers people face that stop them from participating data in age categories (0-12 years, 13-18 years, 19-30 years, • What value people place on the canal

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 36 2.4.5 Learning from Others During the consultation phase, between March and May 2019, we also conducted research visits to similar projects and CE models in other parts of the country. We visited: Super Slow Way Arts (Leeds Liverpool Canal) To learn about ways of connecting artists with communities around canal heritage, place making and art for social inclusion/ cultural diversity and demographic identity. We also met some of Super Slow Way’s delivery partners:

In-Situ To explore the ways that art can bring people together.

Mid-Pennine Arts To learn about running a community canal festival using the success model of Burnley Canal Festival.

SAFE Regeneration To share learning about inclusive approaches to canal community centres, business hubs and canal community projects. Explored ‘cultural change management’ and ways to include local people in projects which also involve local authority partners in regeneration and major capital regeneration projects.

Yatton Cycle & Kitchen Hub, Severn Beach To establish model for the canal/station hub

Montgomery Canal’s Aston Reserve wetlands To get ideas and share learning about wildlife habitat creation, biodiversity and wetlands projects for bio-diversity off- setting for developing a model for CCC.

Montgomery Canal’s Aston Reserve wetlands project visit, May 2019 Tewkesbury and Ashchurch railway stations To look at signage and maps.

Community Connect Foundation’s Connecting Communities Project, West Midlands To get advice on resources, training and mentoring to support for under-represented people and communities, incubate business, develop community led initiatives and entrepreneurs; ‘permission to participate’ and ownership of canal and water, community owned and led spaces and hubs such as a boat or community centre.

Ellesmere Port Canal National Waterways Museum To look at different ways of making canal archive accessible to a wider audience and to create a link between the project and their archive department in relation to the Stroudwater Navigation archive material which is stored at Ellesmere.

Gloucestershire’s Tourism Network To network and connect with tourism organisations, stakeholders and entrepreneurs, improving local economic development and including a link to Sharpness and Berkeley Heritage Railway so we map transport connections and experiences that prolong visits. Post- COVID-19, it was also help us align with the counties recovery plans for tourism and visitor economy in a National Waterways Museum prepared and proactive way. Ellesmere Port, Jan 2019

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 38 2.4.6 Piloting Ideas & Models

During the spring and summer of 2019, we developed a series of research questions and designed and delivered 38 pilot projects to test approaches and models, see what works with different audiences and get more feedback from our people and communities. The Pilot Project Phase greatly informed our learning and supported our project development process. We ran orchard days, barge-pulls, ‘Meet the Volunteers’ events, a canal-rail trail, a ‘Nicer-on- the-Water’ boating events, canal photographic exhibitions and piloted a successful primary school canal-curricula development programme.

Barge pulling, a graffiti project and nature activities with school children

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 39 Table 6. Development Stage Research and Development Activities

Development Stage Activity and no. of participants Purpose/ aim of CE activity and what Total no. of Date delivered/ engaged we wanted to learn more about people engaged Partners involved

Public Consultations • Launch development stage • 995 people who Feb-March 2019 Seven high profile public Consultations in Stroud (2 events), • Information about Phase 1A and Phase attended directly Stonehouse (2 events), Eastington, Whitminster, Frampton 1B across the canal corridor responded Partners: on Severn. Involved participatory consultation, community • Find out what local people what and to interactive SNAC/ SDC/CCT/ mapping, feedback processes, information sharing, displays of think and feel about the canal and the questionnaires SVCC/ CS/ GWT maps and plans, conservation representation from GWT and project. or completed interactive questionnaire on canal use. • Capture local people’s views feedback forms

Focus Groups/ meetings • Ensure that our research sample was • 913 people were Feb-August 2019 Consultation outreach interviews and focus group discussions broad with a diverse range of people, reached though were held in the following 18 organisations/ projects and demographics and ages. outreach focus Partners: schools: Stroud Alternative Provision School (SCAPS) (48), • Find out more about those people group meetings or SNAC/ SDC/CCT/ Marah Trust (85), The Door (33), GEM Project (5), Open House under-represented in canal restoration and workshops SVCC/ CS/ GWT (5), Fairshares (1), All Pulling Together (12), Interplay (9), waterway projects Primary Schools (60), Our World Youth Project (6, Access Bike • Start developing collaborative ideas for (8), ReConnect (12), Hub Research group (15), Wildlife watching pilot projects youth (66), Q2 (280), Q1 (155), Thomas Keble School (85), CCCCG survey (28)

Visits to projects in other areas of the UK • Connect artists with communities around • 20 project Feb-May 2019 • Super Slow Way Arts (Leeds Liverpool Canal) (3) canal heritage. managers/ • In-Situ (1) • Place making and art for social inclusion, directors and Partners: • Mid-Pennine Arts - Burnley Canal Festival (2) diversity and identity their staff were CS/ GWT • SAFE Regeneration (1) • Inclusive community canal festivals interviewed • Yatton Cycle and Kitchen Hub in Severn Beach (3) • Learn about community hubs and canal- • Tewkesbury and Ashchurch railway stations side community centres. • Montgomery Canal’s Aston Reserve wetlands (3) • Ideas for wildlife habitat creation • Community Connect Foundation - West Midlands (2) • Advice on resources, training and • Ellesmere Port Canal National Waterways museum (1) mentoring • Hackney canal (4) • Explore canal archive accessibility

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 40 Development (cont.) Purpose (cont.) Total (cont.) Date/Partners (cont.)

38 Pilot Projects were delivered during the • Test visitor experience, public • 1,935 April – September Development Stage: engagement and barriers to participation. people directly 2019 1. Cotswold Canal Trail (700) • Share restoration engineering design and participated in 2. Stories of the Canal (part of canal trail) plans with community 38 pilot projects Partners: 3. Nature trail - wildlife bingo (part of canal trail) • Collect data on current use All project 4. Nicer on the Water (102) • Raise CCC’s profile • 63 people partners and 5. Stonehouse walking festival (71) • Pilot use of interpretation directly including over 6. Miniature Museum (25) • Explore feasibility for annual calendared participated in 60 collaborators 7. Eastington School Project (30) events pilot projects as 8. Stroud Valleys School Projecr (60) • Explore ‘place-making’ part of the Round 9. Twilights Teachers Event (12) • Test archive sharing methodologies One application 10. Beech Green School Project (60) • Test school curriculum and CE 11. Park Junior School Project (60) methodologies for engaging schools 12. Visit a Mill (60) • Understand existing barriers 13. Museum in the Park - canal day (75) • Partnership & collaboration 14. Places and buildings Walk (20) • Measure health and wellbeing benefits 15. Data Analyst Internship (1) • Engage Whitminster, Frampton and 16. History boys project (4) Eastington communities in a conservation 17. Photographic project with SGS photography students (8) project 18. Photographic project with GEM adults (4) • Test opportunities for volunteering, 19. Canal Haikus in primary schools & SCAPS (8) community-led action, accredited training 20. Orchard Day (16) & social enterprise development 21. Bug Bioblitz (40) • Showcase existing restoration work 22. GWT Nature walks (12) • Develop co-produced indicators 23. Sensory garden project (25) 24. Creative Camping at Longley Orchard (20) 25. Meet the Volunteers (70) 26. Ken’s Engineering talks (60) 27. Barge Pull (26) 28. Luke Gerram Flag Ship art-installation planning workshop (25) 29. Access Bike hire (8) 30. SCAPS & Boatmobility canoeing (19) 31. Textile workshops and flag making (29)

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 41 Development cont. Purpose cont. Total cont. Date/Partners cont.

32. Wildlife imprints – printmaking Stroud Brewery (70) 33. Graffiti youth project (24) 34. Archway School Library (10) 35. Stroud Tourism Forum (41) 36. Radio Hub/Now leaving platform 2 (60) 37. While U Wait workshops (45) 38. Station Photography Exhibition Opening Day (35) We also based some of our learning on a series of other pilot activities conducted during Round One of the application process: Are We Allowed Here? (8) Mindful Photograph (10) All-Ages (30) Re-connect (15)

Surveys and questionnaires: • Find out how people currently use the • 2,261 people Feb 2019 – Feb Online general CCC project survey (1065) canal and what they would like to see directly 2020 Tow Path Intercept Survey (200) prioritized as part of CCC. communicated Online Volunteer Survey (206) • Capture people’s thoughts, ideas and their thoughts, Partners: Interactive data capture questionnaire boards (470) concerns ideas and SDC/CCT/CS/ Anonymous Feedback forms from the public consultations • Find out more about existing volunteers concerns through GWT/ SVCC and through CCCCG feedback (91) and barriers to volunteering surveys and Community Hub Interactive Boards (229) questionnaires.

FaceBook outreach • To share information about pilot project • 33,330 people Feb 2019 – Dec CCC used FB to communicate and publicise and share events liked or shared 2019 information about their pilot projects and events • To test social media and our events on FB. communications activities Partners: • To include a diverse range of people in CS/SDC canal activities • To promote CCC branding

Meetings and conferences with stakeholders and partners: • To explore opportunities for collaboration • 474 people Feb 2019 – March CCCCG (28), National Waterway Conference 2019 workshops • Share learning and make strategic participated in 2020 (65) Stonehouse Town Council AGM (54), CCT Fundraising partnerships CCC related

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 42 Development cont. Purpose cont. Total cont. Date/Partners cont. meetings (48), Gloucester Heritage Forum (45), Stroud Town • Find entry points for audiences meetings and Partners: Council Committee meetings (14), CCT Fundraising meetings • Discuss, agree and plan pilot activities conferences All project (48) Change Grow Live (CGL) (2), Gloucester Carnival Arts with external collaborators and • 228 people partners and (5), The Door (4), Great Western Railway Community Rail communities participated including (9), Association of Community Rail Partnerships (2), Railway • Promote CCC locally, regionally and in engineering all the listed Heritage Fund (1), GFirstLEP Visitor economy and tourism nationally meetings stakeholders working group (24), Newland Homes (1), Transport and • Coordinate and align with existing • 74 people Planning Team Gloucester County Council (4), Stroud Valleys projects, plans and strategies participated in Project (2), SDC Health and Wellbeing team (3), Health and • Research local related opportunities environmental Wellbeing Team Glos City Council (2), Stonehouse in Bloom (2), • Coordinate engineering plans, designs meetings Cam and Dursley Transport Group (14), Local Enterprise Forum and equipment (18), Stonehouse Court Hotel (10), Hub Workshop (16), Good • Agree A38 major works and budget on Paper Magazine (2), Stroud Textile Trust (2), Radical Stroud • Negotiate and agree land acquisition (1), All Pulling Together (Stonehouse Community Centre) (8), • Share Phase 1B restoration engineering Festival Forum (29), Gloucestershire Archives (5), Cotswold design and plans Edge and Severn Vale Tourism Network (20), Stroud Brewery • Agree all project nature conservation (2), Studio 18 (1), Public art - Katherine Bryson Merrett (1), assessment activities Youth Strike group (23), Archway Library team (2), Insurance • Coordinate nature pilot projects group (3), Stroud College (SGS) (3), Canal & River Trust (8), • Explore and secure collaboration with SRT Engineering Meetings: • Agree collaborative relationships with CCT AGM (80), Network Rail (12), GCC (8), Highways England (6), other environmental groups Suppliers (12), Landowners (20), ICE Phase 1B talk Gloucester (70), Other misc. meetings (20)

Environmental Meetings: GWT (4), Bonds Mill Paleochannel – surveys with Stroud Wildlife Survey (10), Severn Rivers Trust (SRT) (10), Great crested newt survey (5), Noble chafer survey (5) Misc meetings (40)

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 43 Development cont. Purpose cont. Total cont. Date/Partners cont.

CCT ongoing annual community engagement through • Continue CE momentum and promote • 39,749 members April 2018 to visitors Centre visits, boat trips and existing outreach restoration work of the public have March 2019 activity: • Share Phase 1B restoration engineering been engaged These are the members of the public who currently visit: design and plans throughout the Partners: • Volunteering in canal restoration and canal heritage • Promote wildlife/nature linked to the Development CCT/ local schools associated activities (376) Cotswold Canals Stage through and clubs • CCT Visitors centres and book shop (Saul Junction (13,160), • Continue engagement with children and CCT’s ongoing Bonds Mill, (167) Wallbridge (5,532) young people canal restoration • Brimscomb Port Book Shop footfall (13,500) • Recruit new volunteers and canal heritage • Nature walks (113) • Ensure the benefits of Phase 1A are being work • School visits (30) maximized by the public by providing • Schools and Club talks (166) opportunities for people to get out on the • Presentations by CCT staff and volunteers (1,701) water. • Boat trips: Perseverance (1,630), Endeavour (3,069), Inglesham boat trips (681)

Towpath footfall: • Assess canal tow path use, assess • 113,612 cyclists, April 2018 to Annual towpath footfall (including cyclists, runners and daily changes in use across the year, at certain runners and March 2019 commuters), was recorded at 113,612, at 4 key canal entry locations along the canal corridor (Phases daily commuters points across Phases 1A and B, during the Development Stage. 1 A and B) and during events. used the tow Partners: CCC estimate that total footfall across the full length of Phase • Compare annual footfall against path during the SDC/ CS 1A and B of the canal corridor is likely to be in the region of towpath restoration work to assess development 250,000 people a year, if you consider all the other canal entry increases in use. phase points across the corridor.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 44 2.4.7 Consolidating, 2.4.9 Principles & Approach reviewing & sharing learning to Community Engagement All our engagement activities have been planned and will In the autumn, after the NLHF, Mid-Term Review Creative be delivered according to a set of guiding principles that Sustainability (CS) presented its research findings to shares the key principle of NLHF document ‘Learning - Good the wider partnership in the form of five Research and Practice Guide’, and that build in resilience and sustainability Development Reports that include all the CE learning and to ensure people and communities have ownership, are planned activities for audiences, stakeholders and partners. empowered, are facilitated and connected from the start 17. See Theory of and well in to the future: Change pp.199 These community engagement Research and Development Reports form part of CCC’s wider portfolio of baseline and Development Stage supporting documentation, which Diagram 3. Guiding Principles to Community Engagement includes the Conservation Plan, environmental surveys, All activities are user-led, from planning to delivery and we act as ecology and engineering project designs, pilot project User-led facilitators, mentors and guides, offering expertise, resources and reports and case studies. support when needed

We meet people where they are – in terms of place, time, Asset based competence, confidence, commitment – and work with their asset 2.4.8 Developing our strategy base - skills, resources, ideas, interests, expertise, knowledge & operational plans Everyone can be included and barriers to participation overcome, Between October and January, CS designed and facilitated Inclusive giving everyone a voice and a part in decision making processes two strategic planning workshops to support stakeholders to digest and consolidate learning and start developing the Participation is meaningful, activities are hands-on, opportunities for work and personal development are real world opportunities Delivery Stage project strategy. We worked together to produce Real World that make a difference to the project and to people involved a CCC Theory of Change17 and started categorising our proposed project activities into deliverable operational plans. Potential for continued involvement and/or independent action is Ongoing built into activities and people will be signposted to those potential opportunities and supported to follow them up

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 45 Embedded, trusted and understood through existing and active community outreach has meant that, during the development phase, our community engagement had the advantage of meaningful insight, open communications with community participants and supportive networks from the outset. All our staff and volunteers work and live within the canal corridor, and the canal plays a central role in most of our day-to-day lives and current work and projects.

The Development Stage has allowed us to engage, involve and harness the energy and commitment of the Cotswolds people and communities through a rich and diverse range of creative pilot projects and responses along the canal corridor. Cotswold Canals Connected has now embedded its community engagement strategy into all five strategic delivery areas.

This means that we will endeavour to include everyone (private, public and social sector groups, people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities), through a rich and diverse range of creative projects and responses to canal heritage. It will provide opportunities for people living in the villages and towns in Stroud District and targeted communities in neighbouring Gloucester, to get practically involved in canal restoration, wildlife conservation and to enjoy fun outdoor activities on the water, experiencing the canal in a myriad of different ways.

‘Spirit of Place’ mapping workshop, Stroud Brewery, January 2020 People’s response to public consultations In line with this response, throughout the project communities will be supported to plan, develop and During the consultation we asked people, ‘why it is important participate in community events, celebrations and that the public is involved in consultation processes?’ exhibitions, giving everyone opportunities to showcase what Scribed responses at the public consultations reinforced they have been doing together with family, friends and the our community’s need to be included in a meaningful and wider community as well increasing awareness of their canal participative fashion. They told us: heritage. Communities will be supported to realise their own ideas in relation to their local place and to raise additional funds for projects if needed. Community based festivals, “It is important that the including a new ‘Wool and Water festival’, will enable us people who organise these to celebrate achievements, and a new Canal Carnival will consultations allow the connect Gloucester, Stroud and Stonehouse, creatively linking together our canal and railway heritage with a ‘canal- feedback to potentially rail trail’ and a ‘touring canal boat museum’ showcasing new change their minds about and original archive. things if the results aren’t As part of the project we have also built in opportunities for what they expected.” real time work programmes in the areas of canal restoration, Stroud March 2019, Anon archive, and wildlife conservation which will provide people with placement opportunities for training, volunteering and work experience. This will be delivered in partnership with “If you engage with people South Gloucestershire & Stroud College (SGS), University of early on and take them on the West of England (UWE) and Gloucestershire College. We the journey with you they also hope to be working in partnership with C&RT as part of their established Heritage Apprenticeship Programme will cherish and look after the delivering apprenticeship placements for young people resource thereafter. If it is just studying modules in heritage restoration, conservation provided, or put in everyone and engineering. We also plan to use the services of a full- time graduate Communications Apprentice to support the 18. Section N: Communications and 18 will not respect it or ‘own’ it.” delivery of our Communication and Marketing Plan. Marketing Plan January 2019 Whitminster, Anon

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 47 2.4.10 Deepening engagement, stimulating social action and building a sense of ownership NLHF Development Phase funding has given us the opportunity to carefully assess our work. We have thought carefully about how to ensure that communities have access to the wide range of opportunities that CCC presents over the three-year project timeframe and across the large geographical area.

The Community Engagement process has been designed The Cotswold Canals Connected Consultative Group CCCG, to ensure the principles and process of engagement give formerly the Western Canals Consultative Group, was communities experiences of the highest possible quality established to ensure that the project established a two-way consistently, progressively and maintaining relationships information and consultation feedback system with local with groups and individuals over long periods of time for our canal user groups and the Parish and Town Councils – the impact outcomes to be realised. tier of local government closest to the community. The CCCG was established to: The key elements of the Community Engagement (CE) process are: • Represent the interests of and ensure accountability to local communities along • Cotswold Canals Connected Consultative Group the canal corridor CCCG (formerly the Western Canals Consultative Group and comprising representatives from local • Act as an oversight body to ensure the Parish and Town Councils and key opinion leaders delivery of Community Engagement (CE) objectives and ensure the budget for CE is • Community Engagement Team (CE Manager, committed and ringfenced Volunteer Manager, Participation Co-ordinator, Desination & Events Co-ordinator, Education • Provide a feedback mechanism where the Officer, Activities Officer and CE Mentors) CCCG can make recommendations to partners and monthly meetings, attended by CCC Project • Expert local Practitioners (artists, photographers, Managers, can provide the opportunity for wildlife experts, historians, actors, communications discussion and information exchange specialists)

• Delivery Partnerships

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 48 The Community Engagement Team will bring people and The Levels of Engagement, diagram 3, shows the targets communities into the project through a broad spectrum of we have set for engaging people and communities at different engagement activities which will be delivered across seven levels; from awareness-raising and information to participation engagement plans: Informal and Formal Learning, Inclusion in events, workshops and key projects; to deeper, more in- and Participation, Interpretation, Volunteering, People depth engagement and local action with volunteers, work and Nature, Community Enterprise and Local Economic experience placements and education schemes. Development and Communication and Promotion. (These Plan Summaries are all outlined in Chapter 7). The CE Team will work closely with both external organisations and Awareness: practitioners as well all the project partners to ensure that We will spread our project messages widely and, as a those engaged are supported towards deeper involvement high-profile national project, expect that over 3 million in the project. people will become aware of the restoration and its broader benefits to national waterways heritage conservation. This Diagram 4. CCC Levels of participation and will be achieved through a comprehensive Communications engagement and Marketing Plan19 which will target all our main audiences through a range of communication tools, including profile- Action & People-initiated, shared raising campaigns events and festivals, online interactive

000 decision-making and , website, social media campaigns, creative media such as local 3 Ownership project ownership & national arts interpretation, press, newspaper articles, film, Direct outcomes exhibitions, radio interviews and soundscape. Active leading to changes 000 ,

8 Outcomes in people’s lives Participation Understanding: 000 , Inclusive events, activities Of this broad engagement catchment we expect 750,000

24 and projects people to have deepened their understanding of the Cotswold Canals heritage and see the impact and value of the CCC

000 Understanding , restoration project. This includes significant investment in A deeper understanding of the cotswold

750 canals heritage a Heritage Informal and Formal Learning strategy which will support canal-based learning in schools, online citizen history Awareness and a range of accredited learning opportunities for local and Spreading the message regionally and nationally 19. Section N regional colleges and universities. Communications and 3million Increased community action & ownership community Increased Marketing Plan

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 49 Participation: We will strategically integrate activities, targeting different Over three years we aim to ensure that 24,000 people audiences at different levels, with careful consideration will directly participate in our activities, events and of the intersectionality of our key target audiences. At canal-based projects. Our Communications Strategy will each level of engagement, we will support authentic and reinforce our community engagement work that targets all meaningful participation and work to move participants our main audience groups across the canal corridor and up the engagement ladder, deepening their involvement, throughout Gloucestershire to engage, inspire people’s stimulating social action and building a sense of ownership. participation in a huge range of activities and events. Across For example, a longstanding Cotswold Canals Trust volunteer, the Development Stage 7,000 people participated in CCC currently working on the canal, who has mentoring skills, will through consultations, surveys, pilot projects, events, be encouraged to mentor one or two new volunteers who walks, meetings, conferences and visits. We are confident need additional support to enable their participation. A local that during the Delivery Stage we will harness the direct resident with a love of wildlife, will be engaged in habitat participation of at least 8,000 people a year. surveys, and once engaged, may become part of creating new bat habitats as part of the pillbox project. Direct Learning Outcomes: Of the 24,000 people who get actively involved in the project Our CE and Communications Team will include staff skilled across 3 years, we envisage that our education and inclusion in inclusion, communication and marketing, teaching programmes project will provide direct learning outcomes and education, delivering on-site restoration volunteering for approximately 2-3,000 people a year. This means 8,000 programmes and a wide range of creative ways of engaging children, young people and under-represented adults will a wide range of different people. benefit from some form of additional skills, informal learning or accredited training. A wide range creative mix of activities will help us to deepen people’s connections with their built and natural heritage, Action and Ownership: increasing volunteering and supporting new pathways to Of the 8,000 people who benefit from our education and learning which include a more representative demographic inclusion work we expect that 3,000 of these people will take mix of people (social-economic groups, ages, gender, ethnic additional direct action by signing up to volunteering, taking background, disabilities, urban and rural) to make the canal up a work experience placement or gaining direct employment corridor more vibrant and appealing to everyone. as a result of their participation. They will develop a deeper sense of ownership and social responsibility over the project and its outcomes.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 50 2.5 The main changes since Round One

communities. Our strategic outcome ambitions now also 2.5.1 From Themes align with the Canal & River Trust’s National Evaluation to Strategic Aims Framework ‘domains’. Our 2017 bid proposal was presented under six themes: Heritage Restoration, Sustainability, Archives, Volunteers, 2.5.2 Timing of the A38/A419 Natural Environment and Local Prosperity. These themes had helped us to conceptualise the key areas of impact that roundabout crossing project our project will have on people and communities and they Whilst the scope of our planned canal restoration capital related to the scope, area of knowledge and skills of the engineering projects remain largely unchanged, during the project’s core delivery partners. During the Activity Planning Development Stage, CCT secured a £4million grant from process, we started making broader strategic decisions Highways England towards the costs of rebuilding the about what we wanted the project to achieve, how we Missing Mile. wanted to work with specific groups and how the project should be managed operationally. Our former Themes were The time frame for the implementation of this Highways re-assessed and eventually became our overall strategic England grant requires substantial expenditure before the aims: Working with Nature, Pathways to Heritage Learning, anticipated HF Round 2 decision. For this reason, the A38/A419 Prosperous and Connected Communities, Inclusive and roundabout crossing project has been brought forward. The Cohesive Communities and Creating Places. design and development work, which is a Stage 1 deliverable, has been accelerated and work started in December 2019 with As part of this strategic planning process it became clear that an expected completion date of November 2020. we needed to integrate Health & Wellbeing, Volunteering and Sustainability as outcomes relating to these themes are This roundabout crossing project, which involves the deliverable across the whole project. We recognised that construction of two major road bridges and a new canal each of our delivery programmes all contribute in some channel through the middle of the roundabout, will be a way to strengthening our future sustainability (economic, high cost CCC subproject and advancing it early will provide environmental and community resilience), all involve the a high level of cost certainty and assist in reducing project risk. engagement of large number of volunteers, and all lead to positive Health & Wellbeing outcomes for people and

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 51 2.5.3 Community Hubs We had originally envisaged that our Community Hubs would whilst Fromebridge Mill is a strong heritage asset, it is a be situated at, or within existing institutions and organisations privately owned pub that is not integrated into any particular along the canal corridor – particularly Bonds Mill Visitors community or village and as such is unlikely to work as a Centre, William Morris College and Fromebridge Mill. venue or site for a developing a community enterprise or participatory community venture. Bonds Mills is an attractive visitor centre and asset; however, it is small, adjacent to an industrial area and not connected During the Development Stage the Community Engagement to a specific local community. The CCT lease also only allows Managers researched and explored innovative and leading for weekend use. Although not suitable as a Community models of community social enterprises, community Hub site, the industrial estate is a heritage feature itself and arts projects and Community Canal Hubs. They visited the Gatehouse is part of the WWII Stop Line Green that is a SAFE Regeneration in Liverpool to explore canal-based, significant part of Stonehouse and the region’s history. community-hub models and find ways to incubate small local enterprises and support the participation of local William Morris College, is a Steiner College located on communities in large-scale regeneration and major capital the canal-side in Eastington, has been identified as a projects. These models have informed our approach to potential partner since Phase 1A. When the CCC section of Community Hub development which is linked to Community the restoration gets underway, this partnership will most Economic Development (CED) and forms an integral part certainly evolve and students from the College will benefit of regenerating our communities. The CED process is led from the informal education opportunities, canal-based by people living, working and running businesses in that events and creative interpretation workshops which will area. As an approach, it tackles environmental, social and be delivered as part of the project. However, we realised economic issues as interconnected, and also recognises the that William Morris College is not an appropriate site importance of connections between the local, regional and for developing into a more inclusive community-hub. It national layers of the economy. represents a distinctive ‘community’ in its own right and is unlikely (due to safeguarding concerns) to be a suitable As part of the CCC Project, we will identify emerging Hubs venue/ location for wider community involvement. and potential locations within the 1B corridor and develop a partnership approach to Hub development. Fromebridge Mill is a fantastic heritage site and ideally located adjacent to the missing mile section of the canal and proposed new community orchard site. However,

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 52 Our research and consultation with business specialist, along the canal corridor and mapped them Julie Ellison, also suggested that other locations for geographically, prioritising them across our project Community Hubs would emerge over our 3-year project, themes and places linked with the incubation of local entrepreneurs, existing • We matched community-based groups with and emerging hubs and associated licenses agreed by SVCC each chosen location/theme according to their (See Community-Based Organisations and Community Hubs, strengths, assets and interests and consulted them Chapter 3. P.57). on their preferred approach (history groups, schools, volunteer groups, residential care groups, fishermen, During the project we will also be developing the Station local business). Hubs we incubated during the Development Stage (including youth-led Cycle Hubs (Case Study Community Hubs) and • We matched local expertise to each interpretation providing targeted support to specific communities – such project, developing ideas with identified community- as Stonehouse, to support the development of canal- based groups (i.e. artists, designers, historians, based community businesses, with expertise and policies musicians, stonemasons, writers). (Ref: Prosperous and Connected Communities Research & • We ran an interpretation development pilot projects Development Report). in order to understand the process fully and establish plans for the activity/interpretation plan 2.5.4 Canal Interpretation: a community-led approach 2.5.5 Apprenticeship In order to ensure that our project’s canal-based interpretation allows for the broadest range and scope of creative Programme interpretation as possible and is led by local people from the After researching the cost, capacity and timing of developing community, CCC decided to change our approach to developing an in-house apprenticeship programme, at the beginning our Interpretation Plan. We used the skill and experience of of the Development Stage, we found it would be costly the interpretation specialist who worked on Phase 1A of the and time consuming. We learned about Canal & River canal restoration, as well as working together with all partners Trust’s apprenticeship model, which offer 6 heritage and stakeholders from the outset. Instead of commissioning a apprenticeships in collaboration with Building Craft College consultant to deliver an Interpretation Plan we: in London. CRT offers apprenticeships covering heritage construction, engineering and restoration, using a block- • Collected and managed ideas that the Partners had release model where students spend one week at college about what they would like to see interpreted for every 12 weeks working.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 53 At the start of the Delivery Stage CCC will develop its apprenticeship scheme to potentially offer a range of learning modules for an expected 17 CRT apprentices covering wildlife conservation (as part of the wetlands biodiversity project) heritage construction, engineering and communications and marketing. 2.5.6 Nature Conservation Although there have been some changes in the parcels of land to be used for habitat creation the overall natural environment ambition of the project remains the same; that is to avoid and reduce negative environmental impacts, improve landscape River Frome at connectivity and deliver an overall net gain for biodiversity. Whitminster where the canal and river combine Feedback from the community consultations, discussions with interested local experts and the results of the extensive protected species surveys have allowed the project to identify accreditation the Project will use to verify a net gain for new priority areas. For example, the existing rhine system biodiversity and will show how the Project delivers for both now forms part of the habitat restoration and creation plans the environment and people alike. as it offers an opportunity to mitigate the impacts of canal restoration and provide improved still water habitat that can During the development phase, the Partnership also 20. Building with support a wide range of species from Odonata (dragonflies decided to extend the scope of Phase 1B to include the Nature is a voluntary and damselflies) to amphibians and water vole. stretch of disused Stroudwater Navigation that runs from approach that enables developers to go beyond the Gloucester to Sharpness Canal at Saul Junction to the the statutory minima, The canal and surrounding habitat will form key green/blue original lock to the Severn at Framilode, some 1.4 km (0.875 to create places that deliver for people and infrastructure for Gloucestershire and deliver a wide range miles) away. This will not be restored as working canal, but as wildlife. It includes guidance and good of environmental and quality of life benefits for wildlife and the very beginning of the historic canal joining England’s two practice for high quality local communities. As such the project is working towards greatest rivers, access will be improved and interpretation green infrastructure and includes policy, 20 Design Award Accreditation from Building with Nature in installed to tell its story. Where possible, we will work with planning, design, time for the Stage 2 bid, with full accreditation on delivery the community to improve management of the surviving delivery and long-term management and of the scheme. This is in addition to the Environment Bank channel, preferably as a wetland habitat. maintenance.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 54 Chapter 3: The current situation for our people and communities 3.1 Our place: Geography, Demographics and Context

The CCC restoration project is part of a wider ambition to restore the Cotswold Canals. The capital works component of the project stretches 16kms, from The Ocean (near Stonehouse) to Saul Junction (near Frampton on Severn). The majority of the project investment and direct economic, social and environmental impact will be realised in the communities along this part of the canal corridor. However, CCC also has outcome ambitions to broaden the reach and diversity of people and communities benefiting from the Cotswold Canals waterway heritage and particularly to encourage people from the surrounding urban centres to visit the rural areas. With this aim, the project will also include specifically targeted communities in Gloucester who will be encouraged to participate in the project in a variety of ways, as highlighted more in Chapters 3.1.3, 5.7.2 and 5.7.3.

The Geographical Scope of the Capital Works The restoration work has been divided into over 40 A significant proportion of the scheme is the restoration of engineering sub-projects mainly comprising specific existing features and design solutions have been adopted individual structures or features together with the lengths that embed innovation and sustainability into the delivery. of canal navigation between them. These sub-projects are supported by a number of additional projects, which The Map shown in Figure 1 describes Phase 1B of the canal complete the delivery of the overall canal restoration. restoration, illustrating some of the key features of the The proposed engineering projects have been informed by restoration. It shows the intertwined nature of the canal and the experience gained in delivering Phase 1A. In particular, River Frome and highlights both the missing mile and the design appraisals and delivery strategies have been incredible M5 crossing engineering project. More detail on all developed to deliver the outcomes of safe, fit for purpose the engineering sub-projects can be seen in Bid Document 21. Section E and cost-effective projects. Section E: Engineering Plan.21 Engineering Plan

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 56 Figure 1. Phase 1B Canal Restoration N STRATFORD

Gloucester & Sharpness Saul Junction TEWKSBURY Canal connecting to River Oxford Marina Severn GLOUCESTER Gloucester and Canal stonehouse OXFORD the National Pocketts Orchard and Waterways Lowland Meadow, STROUD Network River Whitminster Thames BRISTOL Kennet & Avon Canal

Crossing NEWBURY BATH under the M5

Bonds Mill Phase 1A: Completed 2018 Lift Bridge, Stonehouse Phase 1B: Scheduled completion 2024 A38 To Sharpness, the River Severn and the Bristol Channel M5

Stroudwater A419 Navigation & River Frome combine near Whitminster Lock Missing Mile

The Ocean, Stonehouse New reedbeds River Frome and scrapes

Pike Lock, Eastington 3.1.2 Geography and Environment The corridor of the River Frome and Stroudwater Navigation Our Conservation Plan22 prepared at the beginning of the is pivotal for wildlife. It runs from the Cotswolds Area of development stage supports our understanding of why Outstanding Natural Beauty into the Severn Vale, and our natural and built heritage is valued and by whom. It includes significant national and international wildlife highlights the local and national significance and the threats designations ranging from Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and opportunities it faces. It also sets out the framework Special Areas of Conservation, to a Ramsar Site and Special of policies that will be used to make decisions about how Protection Area. Stroud District, the heart of the project area, to look after the heritage whilst ensuring it continues to be includes 42 conservation areas across a wide variety of used, enjoyed and made accessible, including a thorough towns and villages. consideration of wildlife and biodiversity enhancements.

Figure 2. Local Wildlife Sites within 2km CCC’s Conservation Plan covers and goes beyond the of the canal (Ref: Conservation Plan - p161) physical restoration of the canal, through to thorough consideration of wildlife and biodiversity enhancements and the conservation and digitisation of the archive of the Company of Proprietors of the Stroudwater Navigation.

The Stroudwater Navigation runs through the Frome Valley and connects the Severn Vale, an internationally important area for wildlife, with the Stroud Valleys and the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to the east. Importantly, the canal route is located within a Key Wildlife Site (KWS) area (now more commonly referred to as a Local Wildlife Site (LWS)), including the River Frome Mainstream & Tributaries, and connects to the internationally designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar site in the upper Severn Estuary. A successful Project will provide additional linkages within the LWS and to the upper Severn protected habitats, 22. Section D important wetlands and bird areas. Conservation Plan

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 58 people were self-esteem, healthy body image and mental 3.1.3 Urban Centres health. Food and housing insecurity has become more Stroud Town, Stonehouse Town and Gloucester City are prevalent, mental health issues are increasingly common the three urban centres which characterise our project and poor childhood health and high obesity levels23 are area. They all boast prosperous elements, with embedded being reported across all these urban centres. local traditions, such as a strong textile heritage, waterways museums, a corridor of restored and derelict mills along the Stroud Valleys, canal-based cultural heritage, poetry, 3.1.4 Demography art and farmers markets. and Population Stroud and Stonehouse are both towns adjacent to the canal A Local Overview corridor, whereas Gloucester is the nearest City, some 8 miles When compared to the national statistics in England, away from Stroudwater Navigation. Gloucester is, however, an Gloucestershire has a lower proportion of 0-19-year olds and important canal heritage centre, with comparatively high levels 20-64-year olds, and a higher proportion of people aged 65+. At of poverty and deprivation and a BAME community who are district level this varies. Gloucester has the highest proportion largely under-represented in canal and waterway engagement. of children and young people, exceeding the county and national figure. Most counties in England and Wales have Our Project will support links and connections between above average proportions of older people aged 65 and over, these urban centres in a variety of ways - through targeted and this age band is growing, reflective of an aging population. engagement, public events, community Hub development, station adoption, a Community Rail Partnership (CRP) and By 2039 the number of people aged 65+ will have increased by reconnecting the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal with by 66.6% in Gloucestershire.24 This will have implications on Stroudwater Navigation. health, caring, risk of isolation and housing. Gloucestershire’s ageing population will have financial and resource Deprivation implications, as this is the age at which adult care and other As in many rural UK towns, Stroud and Stonehouse also service support are most likely to be required. include, often invisible, areas of deprivation. 13 areas of Gloucestershire now fall into the top 10% of the most It will also have some benefits, as a result of the positive 23. Sport England, Active Lives Survey deprived in England. Gloucestershire County Council’s 2017 contribution older people make to society. Nationally, older 2018/19 survey of community Health and Wellbeing needs indicated people make up much of the formal volunteer workforce, 24. CCC Supporting the top priority for health and wellbeing was access to local delivering many services to other residents and they also Document Cotswold Canal Connected Impact leisure services. The top issues for children and young provide most informal, unpaid care to other older people. Report 2019 Update

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 59 How this relates to our primary damaging than well-known risk factors such as obesity and research data physical inactivity and are predictive of suicide in older This national data was also reflected in our own consultation. people who are at greater risk of cognitive decline, have a research data. We found that those people most actively 64% increased chance of developing clinical dementia and a engaged or interested in canal restoration activities, were higher likelihood of suffering depression.26 over 50 years old. 64% of our public consultation attendees were over 50 years, with 30% being over 66 years. Our current 41% of CCT volunteers who completed the CCC Volunteer volunteering base is also heavily weighted towards the over Survey in 2019 told us that one of their main reasons for 50s. 60% of our current volunteers, who responded to our volunteering on the canal project was that they ‘were retired volunteer survey, were over 66.25 and wanted to keep active and busy’. Alan Beard aged 75, a Wallbridge Visitor Centre Volunteer told us: Chart 1. Ages of people who attended our public consultations “I have an interest in history and geography Under 12 7% but found it difficult in retirement to use my 13-18 8% skills and meet with like-minded people. 19-30 5% I joined The Cotswold Canals Trust as a 31-50 16% Volunteer in 1995 to help in the Visitor 51-65 34% Centre at Wallbridge. I love it here, I meet other volunteers and get to talk to visitors Over 66 30% about the history of the canals and how important the restoration is going to be for the local community. Volunteering for the Canal has been really important for my Loneliness, isolated and risk of depression, especially health and wellbeing, I love how we are all 25. Supporting Document Volunteer amongst retired older males, has been identified as one of connected (volunteers) regardless of what Survey Results 2019 the key issues CCC will contribute towards reducing through 26. James et al, we get up to in support of the restoration, 2011/ Holwerda et targeted volunteer restoration opportunities. Research al, 2012/ Cacioppo et indicates that loneliness and social isolation are harmful to I especially like the social meetups... when al, 2006/ Green et al, 1992/O’Connell et al, our health. Loneliness and low social interaction are more they are in the pub!” 2004 CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 60 3.2 Under-represented people and communities: poverty and deprivation, unemployment, BAME & LGBTQ+

CCC is particularly committed to engaging and including people During the Development Stage we explored the from those groups in the locality who are currently under- intersectionality of people who had two or more of these represented and suffer from social exclusion, discrimination characteristics (BAME and LGBTQ+), assessing their barriers and the effects of poverty. As part of our inclusion work, during to engagement and understanding the additional effects of the Development Stage, we learnt more about factors relating poverty and deprivation.27 to inequality, exclusion and dis-engagement. We explored different ways of removing barriers for under-represented We also looked at areas of deprivation based on the English people, especially those with one or more of the Equality Act’s Indices of Deprivation to establish which geographical areas nine protected characteristics. People and communities with would be our focus in terms of the engagement of under- particular characteristics are now protected by the UK’s existing represented people and communities. The Cotswold Canals equality legislation. These are called ‘protected characteristics’. Connected Project runs through areas ranging between 20% The Act has extended some protections to characteristics that and 40% most deprived in England. were not previously covered, and also strengthens particular aspects of equality law. 3.2.1 Poverty & Deprivation The nine characteristics are: Stonehouse has been identified by CCC as a key target • Age community. It is currently disconnected from the canal by • Disability • Gender reassignment a busy main road (A419), is the closest town within Phase 1B of the canal restoration and has the highest deprivation 27. See Chapter 4.4.4 • Marriage/ civil partnership for more information • Pregnancy and maternity index along this stretch of the canal corridor. Stonehouse on barriers for under- represented people • Race also has local pockets of much higher deprivation than the - p111 28 • Religion or belief indices suggest in specific ‘super output’ areas. Oldens in 28. CCC Supporting Stonehouse represents the most deprived area along the canal Document Cotswold • Sex Canal Connected Impact • Sexual orientation corridor at among the top 30% most deprived. Data from 2011 Report 2019 Update

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 61 census and 201629 indicates that Stonehouse is third most deprived in the Stroud District, after Cam West and Dursley: • 8.5% of residents are disabled • 19.3% of residents’ day to day activities are limited by long-term conditions • Healthy life expectancy for males in Stonehouse is 63 against 66 in Gloucestershire • Healthy life expectancy for females in Stonehouse is 64 against 68 in Gloucestershire • Deaths by heart and circulatory disease is 17% higher than expected and for stroke it is 37% higher • 12% higher incidence of obesity than expected for adults • Hip and knee replacements are 20% higher then expected

• 13% of children are living in poverty Vandalism in play area in Park • 22% higher incidence of obesity than expected House Estate, Stonehouse for five year olds free school meals entitlement and homelessness, tell us • 23% over 16 have no qualifications that our communities are seeing a general rise in poverty • 16% of all residents have maximum of one GCSE and deprivation. The Marah Trust Centre Manager, Michael or equivalent Athienites, reported a 30% rise in people using their Stroud- • For every job available 2.75 people on JSA apply based drop-in centre over the past two years. Marah provide • 56% households are classified with at least one a hot meal and access to multi-agency support for homeless deprivation dimension people, unemployed people, people with mental health • 41% are described as having ‘hard pressed living’ problems and addiction issues. against UK average 17.3% 29. Local Insight Profile All districts across Gloucestershire have seen an increase in the for Stonehouse/ GCC Population Profile 2019 In all of our communities there are, however, identifiable estimated number of unemployed claimants. pre-COVID-19, 30. Inform pockets of poverty and deprivation. Across the board the unemployment rate in Stroud was 2.3% compared with Gloucestershire, The Economy of 30 poverty indicators such as: increases in food bank use, 3.7% in Gloucester, 3.3% regionally and 4.1% nationally. Gloucestershire 2017

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 62 In the 2017 Gloucestershire County Council survey of community health and wellbeing needs, the top priority was access to local leisure services. The top issues for children and young people were self-esteem, healthy body image and mental health.

The most recent (complete) School Census (October 2017), Youth unemployment indicates that, of the 86,667 children attending Primary and and out migration Secondary schools in Gloucestershire, 28,565 or 33%, receive Youth unemployment and out migration is also a major free meals. This is well above the UK national average of 22%.33 concern across Gloucestershire.31 The county loses 400 more people than it attracts every year and the youth unemployment Stroud District Council manages its own housing stock of rate in Stroud is comparatively very high at 5.3% compared with 5,187 rented dwellings. Of the 48,570 households in the district 3.1% nationally. Gloucestershire is also one of the counties 13.1% (6,362 households) live in social housing. 15.7% of all with the highest secondary school exclusion rates in the UK,32 households are living in fuel poverty; this is higher than the 31. GFirstLEP Youth and funding cuts to schools and children’s services have made overall figure for Gloucestershire (13.7%) and the South West Survey:2019 / glos2050 it harder to provide early intervention. (15.2%). Over 10% (1,900) of children in Stroud live within low 32. DofE:Permanent and income families, 15.9% of children are classified as obese, fixed Period Exclusions 2017 to 2018: July 2019 Those most disadvantaged are now living on extremely low binge drinking rates are 22% of the population, compared 33. DofE:Schools, pupils incomes and ever-increasing pockets of poverty are emerging with 20% nationally and 25.7% of people smoke compared and their characteristics: Jan 2019 as people become trapped in cycles of debt and dependency. to 22.2% across the UK. The rate of alcohol-specific hospital 34. Public Health Anxiety and stress are impacting on people’s everyday health stays among those under 18 is worse than the average for England: Stroud Local Authority Health Profile 34 and on family relationships, leading to increasing problems of England at 13 stays per year. 2018 family breakdown, addiction, loneliness and social isolation.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 63 Gloucester also stands out for having a greater proportion Sport England data estimates suggest that in 2018 there of people in lower socio-economic groups, having younger were approximately 11,750 people aged 18+ living with a populations compared to the other districts and having a learning disability in Gloucestershire equating to 2.3% of the more ethnically diverse population. adult population. Of this group, about 2,400 are estimated to have moderate or severe learning disabilities. With regards People living in deprived areas of Gloucester have lower to children, 3,346 school pupils in Gloucestershire (3.6% healthy life expectancy (HLE) than the England average. of school pupils) were known to have a learning disability Annual health costs of physical inactivity across the County is in 2014. Of these children, 2,753 had a moderate learning 35. Active Gloucestershire 2019 estimated at over £8.5m. Active Gloucestershire’s recent study disability and 593 had a severe learning disability. Impact Report reports that 21% of adults in Gloucestershire are inactive and a third don’t do enough to benefit their health. Gloucester City has the least active people in the county and the percentage of inactive young people in Stroud is continuing to rise. 33% of people living in deprived areas are inactive.35

Around 16.8% of the population of Stroud District report having a long-term limiting health problem or disability (national average 17.6%) county average is 16.7%. The commonest disabling conditions are diabetes, mental health and learning disabilities. Disabled people, or those suffering from mental health problems or chronic, long-term health problems in the project region are less likely to be in a job, do well academically or participate in sport. “Creative Camping is close to my heart. Before going I was a shy, non-confident person who was too scared to talk to new people... but I made it to the top of the Brecon Beacons, canoed on the River Wye, cooked food and did things to make you go ‘Wow!’. I learnt that, just like everyone else, I am special.” Breaking down barriers for disabled and non-disabled teens - Creative Sustainability’s camping trip July 2019 near The River Severn Jodan Masson, Creative Camping 2017

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 64 Ethnic groups continue to experience discrimination and 3.2.2 Black Asian and inequality in education, employment, housing, pay and living Minority Ethnic (BAME) standards, health, and the criminal justice system. populations The 2011 Census showed differences in outcomes for The populations across the project area are becoming people from BAME communities in a number of areas in increasingly diverse. The number of people classed as “White Gloucestershire: Other”, which includes migrants from Europe, increased by 105.9% since 2011, driven largely by people coming to the • BAME people aged 65 and over, were more likely area from Eastern European countries. It is likely that the than people from other ethnic backgrounds to have a long-term limiting illness and to be in poor health; future growth of ethnic populations across all counties will be increasingly accounted for by natural growth from within the • BAME people were more likely than other ethnic domestic population. groups to live in social housing; • People from all non-White British groups were Stroud District has a comparatively small Black Asian and more likely to be living in a household without access Minority Ethnic (BAME) population. According to figures to a car or van; from the 2011 Census: 2.3% of the population of the Canal • Amongst people aged 25-34, people from Black Restoration Corridor and 2.1% of the population of Stroud and Minority ethnic were more likely to be District identified themselves as belonging to a black, Asian unemployed than people from White British backgrounds. or minority ethnic group.36 Gloucester’s BAME population, however, was significantly higher at 11% and had increased by • Amongst people aged 25-34, people from BAME are 70% since 2001. Barton and Tredworth ward in Gloucester is less likely to have level 4 qualifications (a degree or 36. This includes all higher) than White British people; respondents who the most ethnically diverse ward with 41.4% of its population identified themselves as ‘Mixed multiple ethnic 37 • Amongst people aged 16-24, people from BAME, from a Black and Minority Ethnic group. groups’, ‘Asian/Asian mixed multiple, White Irish backgrounds were all British’, ‘Black/African/ more likely than people from White British Caribbean/Black British’ According to data from English Heritage, 84% of South West and ‘Other ethnic group’ backgrounds to have no qualifications. adults have visited a heritage site in the past 12 months but only 37. Gloucestershire • People from Black African/Caribbean/Black County Council 76% of people from the area’s lower socio-economic groups, Population Profile 2019 British, ‘other’ White, mixed/multiple, and ‘other’ and only 61% of the area’s BAME community have done so. 38. Healing a Divided ethnic backgrounds were less likely than White Britain: the need for a British people to be in in higher managerial, comprehensive race A recent report by the Equality and Human Rights equality strategy (2016) administrative and professional occupations than Equality and Human Commission38, found that people from Black and Minority White British people. Rights Commission

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 65 3.2.3 Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ+) communities The LBGTQ+ community is particularly vulnerable to being • 2% of respondents had undergone conversion or under-represented and marginalised from their communities. reparative therapy in an attempt to ‘cure’ them of They are more likely to suffer from isolation, loneliness and being LGBT, and a further 5% had been offered it. poor mental health. In July 2017, the government launched • 24% of respondents had accessed mental health a nationwide LGBT survey. In July 2018, the government services in the 12 months preceding the survey. launched a nationwide LGBT survey39 which asked LGBT and intersex people for their views on public services and about The Government has published a comprehensive LGBT their experiences more generally living as a LGBT person in Action Plan that sets out what steps the government will take the UK. The survey received over 108,000 valid responses, in response to the 2018 survey findings. making it the largest national survey to date of LGBT people anywhere in the world. The findings indicated: Gloucestershire’s Gay and Lesbian • LGBT respondents are less satisfied with their life Community than the general UK population (rating satisfaction Gloucestershire’s Gay and Lesbian Community organisation 6.5 on average out of 10 compared with 7.7). was one of the first LGBTQ+ community groups, having been Trans respondents had particularly low scores in existence since the 1970s. Like Gay-Glos it was linked to The (around 5.4 out of 10). Campaign for Homosexual Equality (Gay-Glos was affiliated • More than two thirds of LGBT respondents said to the National Friend network). In more recent times other they avoid holding hands with a same-sex partner groups have been formed to support different parts of the for fear of a negative reaction from others. LGBTQ+ community. Gay Girls of Gloucestershire is a group for lesbian, bisexual and transgender women, while GlosCats • At least two in five respondents had experienced supports all members of the trans community. LGBTQ+ people an incident because they were LGBT, such as of faith have also found or formed groups for support - the verbal harassment or physical violence, in the 12 39. National LGBT months preceding the government’s 2018 survey. Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement is just one example. Survey 2018 However, more than nine in ten of the most serious incidents went unreported, often because respondents thought ‘it happens all the time’.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 66 For LGBTQ+ residents unable to join groups but in need Mark grew up in Gloucestershire and went to school in Stroud of support, organisations like EACH (Educational Action in the 1970s. He describes realising he was gay in his teens: Challenging Homophobia) offer telephone and online support for individuals dealing with homophobic or “I was a small skinny kid at the best of times transphobic bullying, and particularly for young LGBTQ+ which didn’t help, so I was subject to bullying people. Both Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire have also had youth groups, in the past. and that kind of thing anyway. And realising when I was 14 or 15 that I was attracted Before the invention of the internet information about to men, I realised pretty quickly that this groups and events was only available in print, through wasn’t something I wanted to broadcast. weekly newspaper the Pink Paper and magazines like Gay Times. Now, with new possibilities for meeting people, It was something to hide... all the terms of making friends and finding out about events and activities, abuse - poof, queer, etcetera - and I thought, individuals and groups are increasingly networking online. you know, this was definitely dangerous... something I had to keep to myself.” Gloucestershire Archives: LGBTQ+ project Gloucestershire Archives, known as the Heritage Hub, is In 2017, Cambridge University conducted a body of research currently running a new project which is designed explore the for Stonewall, which found that nearly half of LGBTQ+ histories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (as young people are still bullied at school simply for being who well as anyone who identifies with this group but doesn’t use they are. In April and June 2019, Stonewall commissioned these labels) in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. researchers at BritainThinks to conduct in-depth qualitative research with 30 LGBT young people not in education, During this project they have been exploring material in training or work. This study, ‘SHUT OUT The experiences their existing collections, as well as capturing new stories of LGBT young people not in education, training or work’, and memories from across Gloucestershire from this recently published in February 2020, uncovers the profound 40 community. impact that LGBT-specific factors (including family rejection 40. Gloucester Heritage and anti-LGBT bullying), on top of wider challenges (such as Hub LGBTQ History limited career support, caring responsibilities and managing Exhibition 41. Shut Out: The disabilities), can have on LGBT young people’s mental experience of LGBTQ health and their engagement with education, training and young people not in education training or 41 employment – and how these can limit their life chances. work, Stonewall 2020

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 67 3.2.4 Targeting under- represented people and communities demographically In order for us to ensure the participation of under- represented people and communities, particularly those marginalised by poverty or those with one or more of the nine Equality Act protected characteristics, we will actively target specific people and locations within Stroud Stonehouse and Gloucester. Our Participation and Inclusion Plan includes the following target communities and entry points:

Stonehouse Flags at Wallbridge in Stroud, Wool Stonehouse is our key target community and we will & Water Festival September 2019 42. Key Gloucester-based actively engage those people living in park Estate and partners include: Change Bridgend. We will work particularly closely with the All Grow Live CGL (support Gloucester people suffering from Pulling Together community centre, the Town and Parish In Gloucester we will be targeting residents living in two of addiction), Going the Councils, Stonehouse Community Centres, local care the most deprived communities: Matson and Robinswood Extra Mile GEM (GEM navigators support homes, The Beeches and Stonehouse in Bloom. as well as Barton and Tredworth wards where over 40% of unemployed people back into training or the population are BAME. employment) Fairshares (inclusive community- Stroud based time-banking In Stroud we will actively engage with people living in the Our entry-point in terms of engaging Gloucester audiences for vulnerable people communities of: Cashes Green, Ebley, Farm Hill & Pagan Hill, includes, Redwell and Phoenix Community Centres, Widden, with dementia, mental health problems or Uplands and in Nouncells Cross and Mason Road. We will work St. Peters and Kingsholm Primary Schools, located in the long-term health issues) and Gloucester Action collaboratively with the Parish Councils and local community central Docks area close to the G&S canal and railway station for Refugees and Asylum centres as well as the following referral agencies and projects: and through referrals and links from GCC Health & Wellbeing Seekers (Garras), Glos Heritage Hub LGBTQ GEM, CGL, Nelson House, SCAPS, P3, Marah Trust, Stroud and Planning Departments, The Gloucester Heritage Forum project and EACH. A Valleys Project, Open House, Ark House, CYPS, Park House, and organisations Gloucester-based which work closely with national education action organisation for LGBTQ The Shrubberies, Apperley Centre and Fairshares. vulnerable groups, LGBTQ and BAME communities.42 communities. .

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 68 3.3 Education, Training, Employment and Enterprise

3.3.1 Education & Training There are 10 schools situated within the project area, Educational outcomes are generally in line with or better covering a distance range of 11.4 miles / 9.07 sq. miles, than the rest of England, however, there are people and stretching across 5 miles of Phase 1B. This includes: five communities with significant attainment gaps, such as stage funded infant, junior or primary schools, 1 state funded those with special educational needs, children from poorer secondary school, 2 special schools and 2 independent households, those for which English is an additional schools. Together, they provide teaching to 2,330 pupils. language and those from black and minority ethnic groups. These will be priority groups which our educational There are however, 11 primary schools, 5 secondary schools, programmes will target during the project. 1 college and 5 special schools within a mile or so either side of Stroudwater Navigation, and a further 29 primary and 34 CCC will be partnering with 5 Universities and 2 Colleges secondary schools, 2 special schools, and 4 Further Education during the project, offering placements covering a range of colleges across Stroud District for whom the Cotswolds Canals courses and academic specialisms. University partnerships are their nearest canal waterway. This represents 26,34043 include the Royal Agricultural University, UWE, Bristol, primary and secondary pupils in Stroud District that CCC will Bath and Gloucestershire Universities where CCC will offer target as part of our Heritage Learning Programme. study areas for Master’s students, such as Cultural Heritage, Archaeology & Heritage, Historic Environment Management. Gloucestershire has a particularly high rate of permanent and CCC’s Partnership with the Stroud Campus of South fixed school exclusions and a 11% higher than the national Gloucestershire and Stroud College and Gloucester College ‘free school meal rate’. This year, 33% of children are entitled will include the development of canal-based conservation to free school meals, compared to 22% nationally. and environmental studies and creative projects within 43. ONS 2017 Mid-Year the Art department. Population estimates

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 69 3.3.2 Employment and Enterprise There are approximately 15,000 employers across the Organisations in Stroud are marginally more likely to be project area (not including Gloucester), supporting a well- micro organisations employing 9 people or fewer (86.2% qualified and highly skilled employed workforce with a vs 84.7%), and marginally less likely to be medium to large higher than average proportion of professional occupations organisations employing 50 staff or more (2.1% vs 3.0%) than at national level. The report also highlighted the aging population and The CCC Impact Report, Peter Brett: 2019, commissioned tendency for young educated adults to move out of the during the Development Phase identified 6,695 organisations area. In 2016, the Rural Services Network Economic Profile in Stroud District (from 2018 data), which employ at least for Stroud predicted that by 2039, only 52% of the one person. This compared to 5,826 in 2010, which represents population of predominantly rural areas will be of working a 13% increase in eight years. This is a significantly lower age (61% for predominantly urban). rate of increase than the national average which saw a 24% increase in new employment-based organisations across News of the imminent restoration and connection to national the same period. waterways has been met with considerable support and enthusiasm generally during the Development Stage from The top three sectors for employment of full-time workers the business community. Existing industrial units, businesses in Stroud in 2016 were Manufacturing with 27.5% of full- and entrepreneurs are starting to prepare or develop business time employees employed, and both Construction and adaptions in anticipation of the changes the project will bring. Health with 9.2%. Examples of those working in anticipation include Newland Homes, Stonehouse Court Hotel, Gloucester Narrow Boat

Organisations in Stroud are more likely to be sole traders Hire, local BnB owners and Stroud Brewery. The Emerging 44. Supporting (3% more than national average) or Partnerships (9% vs 6%), Hubs & Enterprise Map44 also identifies business hubs and Document Mapping Hubs and Enterprise and less likely to be registered companies (67% vs 74%). preparations made in anticipation of the restoration. Opportunities This reflects our local research on Spirit of Place, which highlighted our diverse and colourful array of independent small businesses such as cafés, arts studios, local craft shops and theatres. Many of which link creative ideas with community action, inclusion and co-operation.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 70 Many of the people and communities who are involved 3.3.3 Community-based with existing groups, clubs and societies became integral organisations and local hubs to the development of CCC’s work on Community Hub As part of our community mapping process we developed development which will support local entrepreneurs, a comprehensive picture of all the active community community led activities and events in convenient, centres, drop-ins, local service provider agencies, doctors’ accessible and attractive spaces. surgeries, churches and community projects. We undertook outreach meetings, focus group discussion and information CCC now recognises ‘Community hubs’, as “buildings sharing sessions across the corridor, in order to find out (or parts of buildings) that are multi-purpose, open and more about our ‘place’, identify key entry points for the accessible to the local community, and that provide services project and start learning more about what people think that the local community need”. They also have community- and feel about the project. led governance structures, where formal decisions about running and managing the building, are taken by people who This led to the identification of over 400 community projects come mainly from within the community itself. and groups which meet in halls, churches and community centres across the project area. Among others these include: angling clubs, youth football, adult football, rugby clubs, tennis, sailing, canoeing, snooker, bowls, bell ringing, horse- riding, theatre groups, history groups, walking groups, environmental groups, art groups, Guides, Brownies, Scouts, Woodcraft Folk, bands, W.I, social clubs, toddler groups, gymnastics clubs, cricket clubs and paddle-boarding groups.

During Round One of the HLF application process we identified the need for more public facilities, more human activity and a greater sense of community ownership along the canal corridor. We knew that people wanted more access and to feel the canal was a safer and more welcoming place. During the Development Stage we therefore spent time learning more about community adopted spaces and exploring how the creation of community hubs can increase connectivity and ownership, whilst also supporting local enterprise.

Youth-led Access Bike Hub 3.4 Our Existing Cultural & Heritage Assets During the Development Stage we explored our existing cultural assets in order understand the potential opportunities for these assets to be restored, revitalised and showcased as part of this project. The following heritage centres, local artisans, creative practitioners and local environmental organisations will be priority cultural assets which CCC will partner with or involve in the Delivery Stage. The specific opportunities we have highlighted and will be building on as part of CCC are covered in more detail in Chapter 5.

incorporating Stonehouse’s rich seam of canal heritage sites. 3.4.1 The Museum in the However, few walks and talks are based on canal heritage, Park and Stroud Textiles Trust despite the fact that many groups are deeply passionate Our local community museum, ‘Museum in the Park’, has an about sharing canal knowledge, history and ephemera. There active and creative programme of history, arts and crafts with is also a need to give the online community opportunities to over 62,000 visits last year (2018/19). Collections tell the story share their passion more widely. of the Stroud Valleys and the wider district from the earliest settlers through to the present day. They host exhibitions There is an active group of Mill enthusiasts operating under for local artists including the printmakers and bookmaker’s the Stroud Textile Trust (STT), with a programme of open mills cooperative, both closely associated with Stroud Textiles Trust. throughout the year. In the last year there were 1,350 visitors and 4 school visits to 3 Mills. There are open days at four Mills The Museum in the Park currently exhibits a small canal and weaving sheds and a high-quality quarterly magazine, heritage collection of place-relevant artefacts, however, ‘Warp and Weft’, produced by the STT. A core team provide there are limited resources and capacity to support informal dyeing, weaving and spinning demonstrations for a donation. learning in their setting and the Museum has underdeveloped connections with canal interest groups and stakeholders. There are great connections and collaborations taking place between STT and The Museum in the Park and as part of There are a number of local history groups and groups of this Project, we plan to engage more people with these canal enthusiasts connecting through social media, with community-led events and establish better connections walks and talks programmes curated by community groups between the Stroud Textile Trust, Cotswold Canals Trust, in Stonehouse, Nailsworth and Stroud. The Stonehouse Stroudwater Navigation Archive Charity or other local interest Walking Festival began in 2019 with daily guided walks groups. See Chapter 5.4.2 for more information.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 72 21 year-old Isabella learns about local weave patterns and has a go using a traditional loom at Gigg Mill as part of the Open Mills weekend May 2019 In terms of informal learning about the built environment, 3.4.2 Visitors Centres and CCT has also facilitated a range of different activities Canal Heritage Hubs such as technical open days, including a hydro open day We have a number of heritage hubs which currently at Dudbridge Upper Lock, as well as a series of public support informal heritage learning opportunities: talks by engineers. With miles of canal planned without public amenities there is now a need to connect these • Gloucestershire Heritage Hub is the host for the heritage centres as well as developing community Hubs Stroudwater Navigation Archive and is able to at key locations and intervals, identified as Brimscombe, support the project with state-of-the-art archive facilities, training and learning support Stonehouse, Eastington, Whitminster and Frampton. During the Development Stage over 1,800 people have benefited • Bond’s Mill and Gatehouse is a WW2 listed from CCT’s specific canal restoration and canal-related structure for fixed and mobile interpretation outreach educational talks and community engagement. focused on 20th century history and its deep connection with it. See Case Study: Bond’s Mill Towpath footfall along restored stretches the corridor Restoration between April 2018 and April 2019 has been recorded at 113,612 people at four entry points. This was a sample- • Cotswold Canals Trust Visitor Centres at derived figure and can be extrapolated to around 250,000 Wallbridge, Stroud and Saul Junction, with canal side buildings and a carpark at Saul, with potential users per year across the full length of Phase 1A. for developing an Activity Centre, hosting canal festivals, interpretive and educational events Alongside this wealth of existing local resource and skilled and experienced people, many of whom are longstanding, Since Phase 1A of the canal restoration, between April 2018 committed volunteers, we have also drawn in and and April 2019, CCT and SDC have recorded 18,859 canal established links from further afield. There are some visitors to CCT Visitor Centres and 5,380 people have been inspiring models for heritage learning in other areas of out on their canal trip boats. the country, including the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port, with latest interactive technology and “I love making my own clothes to sell and it’s hands-on exhibitions; the Canal and River Trust’s Explorers useful extra income whilst at university. It was resource which provides excellent online educational resources and the offer of free school visits; as well as so interesting learning about my local textile the Unlocking the Severn waterway project with whom heritage at Gigg Mill. I loved Peter’s talk and knowledge on a range of areas is already being shared. had a go using a traditional weaving loom.” Isabella, Open Mills weekend visitor, May 2019

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 74 3.4.3 Stroudwater Navigation Archive Charity (SNAC) SNAC volunteers were formerly working at the Gloucestershire The small current team has been summarising and Archives, summarising and photographing minute books. photographing the documents systematically and For the Development Phase of the current project, there was consideration has been given to collating information for a need to take a wider view of the huge number and variety a website portal. This website has started to engage some of documents in the whole archive and to consider how the students and archive researchers and will present a great information they contain could best be presented to a wide opportunity during the Delivery Stage, to make the archive range of potential users. more accessible through digitalised stories and interactive citizens history projects. There are also now some identified SNAC’s small volunteer team has begun to type summaries, heritage sites along the canal with historical features and adding images and providing tabulated extracts of key opportunities to describe canal life, for which SNAC has documents, and listing the more specialised documents associated archive material bundles, and they have written for which there are clear descriptions in the existing short stories which have been published in the Trow, CCT’s Gloucestershire Archives catalogue. Volunteers can go to the quarterly newsletter. Gloucestershire Archives twice a week and receive training in how to handle the archive and guidance on how to Two University of Gloucestershire undergraduates have used summarise documents. the archive to extend their research skills and their papers join those of other academics, but no school has accessed Given the sheer scale of the task, technical obstacles and the resources held there. limited access to devices a different approach is needed if we are to make the archive available to a wider audience. SNAC’s ambitions during the Delivery Stage are to: • Make the archive accessible to a wide audience • Increase numbers of volunteers and engage with a younger volunteer stream • Facilitate more people to engage with their heritage through the archive

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 75 3.4.4 Stroud Valleys Canal 3.4.5 Railways & Waterways Company (SVCC) The relationship between the canal and railway is embedded in local psyche with competition between them beginning Stroud Valleys Canal Company is the registered charity that as far back as 1836. It was in 1836 when the railway line was set up in 2009 to look after the western section of the between Swindon and Cheltenham was proposed with Cotswold Canals. instant opposition from the canal companies. Great Western Railways (GWR) has been in Stroud since 1845, running British Waterways was not in a position to manage the from Gloucester to Swindon and the Midland Railway ran Cotswold Canals and so SVCC was established in 2009. between Stonehouse and Nailsworth and was extended to SVCC is a Registered Charity set up by the leading players Stroud in 1882. The demise of the canal and its progressive of Phase 1A of the Cotswold Canals restoration, including: abandonment from 1927 has since been attributed to the Stroud District Council (SDC), Gloucestershire County Council railway, with the transportation of wool and cloth switching (GCC), the Cotswold Canal Trust (CCT) and the Company of from water transport to this modern and efficient mode of Proprietors of the Stroudwater Navigation (CoPSN). SVCC transport - rail. Today their connection is more consolidated was incorporated as a charity in 2009 and has steadily built through their shared heritage history, complementing one up expertise, good governance and can be expected to be an another in a contemporary and fashionable way. efficient and credible navigation authority. It controls most of the canal from a point about 1km east of Saul Junction Community Rail Partnerships are grass roots movements through to and including Brimscombe Port, which is about facilitated and supported by the rail industry including train 4km east of Stroud. operating companies and the Department for Transport. There are currently 71 Community Rail Partnerships in the UK SVCC is responsible for issuing mooring licenses and angling and they are underpinned by the Department for Transport’s permits and owns the freehold on the whole length of Phase development strategy. ACoRP is the membership body for 1A. It will also be responsible for the on-going management these community rail partnerships and represent over 1000 and maintenance of the Cotswold Canal and in this capacity station adoption groups. 45. Section F have played the lead role in writing the Management and Management and Maintenance Plan.45 Maintenance Plan

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 76 There are four pillars that define community rail which and Gloucester stations. As part of CCC we will continue to link to the work heritage objectives and our work build on these relationships through connecting people, connecting communities along the canal corridor. places and local assets to create a rich and exciting visitor experience that maximises the links between canal and • Providing a voice for the community railway heritage. – raising awareness of the local rail network and initiative to encourage people to travel Working with three Station Adoption • Promoting sustainable, healthy & accessible travel – multi-modal journeys, last mile provision, Groups at Stroud, Stonehouse and cycling & walking links Gloucester, Creative Sustainability • Bringing communities together, supporting is currently working with GWR, diversity & inclusion – looking at groups ACoRP and Network Rail to support disenfranchised by rail, people with hidden disabilities, dementia friendly railways etc canal destination management by establishing a Community Rail • Supporting social and economic development Partnership that will harness the social, – making better use of stations as community spaces environmental and economic benefits of the canal restoration. The movement links community interest groups to their railway stations and lines through place focused opportunities that celebrate local place and heritage. Working with community rail along the canal corridor, CCC will link our rail and canal heritage to human and geographical connectivity along the corridor stimulating prosperity and connectivity for the local community.

CCC has started to link water and rail to enhance the visitor experience and the sustainability and connectivity of the canal corridor. During the Development Stage we developed a relationship with Great Western Railways (GWR) and ACoRP, and are currently establishing a CRP for Stroud, Stonehouse

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 77 Community banners in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Hackney, made by Deb Hoy and local residents. 3.4.6 Local Community Arts NHLF project supporting disadvantaged communities in London and Cultural Heritage Resources Stroud and Gloucester have a plethora of community arts- based projects, schemes and large-scale installations, many of which celebrate our community’s rich cultural heritage. As part of CCC’s development we explored how we could learn from, build on, incorporate and bring together some of these creative arts organisations, platforms and projects as part of our three-year project.

Our existing resource base of creative and cultural arts include canal restoration volunteers, archivists, historians, poets, painters, performers, sound engineers, sculptors, textile artists, puppeteers, film makers, photographers, story tellers, ecologists and nature lovers. Many of these local practitioners were involved in our pilot projects and CCC now has an excellent directory of skills, knowledge, understanding and confidences that we can draw upon to deliver the range of interpretation models. Because we have worked with them have long-term economic, environmental and social impact, all during the Development Stage, we know they work well developing communication and social networks within with community groups and share our Project’s core values of a community; improving social cohesion and developing inclusion, empowerment and co-production. resources within a community. Most importantly carnival can be an expression of the identity of a place, describe local The key cultural assets which will inform our project and heritage, capture the spirit of place. which CCC will enhance and celebrate are as follows: The core group, led by Artshape, will help us to Gloucester Carnival collaborate around the existing Gloucester Carnival, for We met with the Gloucester Carnival steering group to find out the development of a Stroudwater canal-based carnival how they created a cultural and community focus for the city – experience (Float My Boat), in collaboration with Gloucester bringing communities together through art, dance and music Carnival Group and Stroud Valleys Artspace, which would workshops over many months during the year. Carnivals can precede Gloucester Carnival.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 78 Percy Seagrave listens to canal stories at Stroud Station Droogdok and Resound Radio Community Hub Our early encounters with interviewing local people and recording their thoughts, ideas and feelings about the canal, inspired us to look for professional sound engineers to support us to capture and share people’s voices. This manifested as the ‘Radio Hut’, a start-up project run by local sound engineers and artists Droogdok and Resound Radio.

We commissioned Droogdok and Resound Radio to collect voices from the community, about their childhood on the canal, about work in the mills and feelings about the canal, past and present. Their resultant piece ‘While you Wait’ was held over two days in the Stroud Railway Station Community Hub, Platform 2, drawing more than 60 people to sit and listen to stories of the canal told by community voices. A ‘1950s living room’ installation and soundscape invited people to reflect on our canal heritage. We found that not only do people love to tell their story, but people of all ages enjoyed sitting and listening to local voices and stories in an atmospheric place.

Local people enjoy listening to stories of the canal at Stroud’s Community adopted Station Hub Poets, story tellers and actors to be done’, (There’s work to be done), is a funny, touching We worked with a number of actors, storytellers and poets tribute to current and future volunteers. It achieved great to bring the canal alive, both to find out what capacity public interest, especially by canal projects and enthusiasts and skill already exists and to develop ideas for trails and all over the UK. exploratory days: Platform 2 Tales from the Towpath Local historian and actor, Stuart Butler, adopts a Is a historical fiction story collection by local writer Fiona wonderfully creative half-actor, half-guide approach. He was Eadie. Fiona is also an amazing storyteller and enthralled commissioned to take a role in the Platform 2 performance children and adults on the Canal Trail, conjuring lives and to an audience of 50, with his patchwork of local history, times in situ, lending to the magical realism themes of voices from the past and vibrant story telling. Stuart has since her stories, bringing characters alive where they lived and designed a walk-through time and created a new walk for CCC worked on the canal itself. from Wallbridge to Stonehouse and is incorporating his town- based history walks, Radical Stroud, into a canal focused tour. Dave the Navvy Is an Irish navvy contracted to the canal construction, who shared his woes and exhausting work with whoever would listen to him. Dave shares his Navigator song, a traditional work song from the late 18th century, and encourages audiences to join in. The actor John Basset has developed two other canal characters – landowner and mill worker and can be commissioned to develop any character.

There’s work to be done Jonny Fluffypunk reading his canal poetry Jonny Fluffypunk had been involved in the Wool and Water Stroud Railway Station Community Hub, Platform 2 ‘While you Wait’ Project Festival Platform 2 performance and his poem, ‘There’s work

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 80 Nature-based environmental One of these, Wild for Nature, is a nationally innovative organisations project aiming to help women with multiple and complex Both prior to and during the Development Stage we have needs, whose disadvantage means that accessing nature gained a sophisticated understanding about how people get is difficult. It uses the restorative benefits of working involved with canal related nature-based activities and what with wildlife to support people create a better future for the benefits of doing so are. themselves and their families. The courses improve wellbeing and relationships and help people to access other support Both GWT and Creative Sustainability drew on significant and courses, including volunteering opportunities and other prior experience to explore the specific requirements of local organisations and projects such as CCC. We will work CCC’s project development as well as drawing on the skills with them to enable us to deliver mixed group courses over and experience of the Stroud Valleys Project SVP, who the next two years. will be a collaborative partner during the Delivery Stage. They are particularly experienced and skilled in involving Stroud Valleys Project under-represented people and communities in nature and Stroud Valleys Project (SVP) aims to protect and enhance conservation activities. the local environment by working with local communities to embrace sustainable development and biodiversity, and 12,000 young people have been helped by GWT to experience so make Stroud and its surrounding area a better, healthier wildlife in the year 2018/19. In addition, they have engaged place in which to live for both present and future generations. 3000 school pupils in schools or nature reserves during the year 2018/19. Originally founded in 1988 to help protect the industrial heritage of Stroud and its five valleys, Stroud Valleys Project Projects delivered by GWT prior and current include a vast has an excellent and well-established reputation for working portfolio of training, leisure and community activities in with a wide range of local community groups and thousands both formal and informal nature-based learning and of local volunteers: helping, inspiring and training them to wildlife conservation. They run both formal and informal discover and nurture the wildlife and green spaces on their education programmes and online resources and provide doorsteps. It is very committed to opening up opportunities accredited courses in a wide range of conservation activities. for much wider groups of people to become involved in They run courses and events that are specifically targeting environmental improvement, reaching out to young and old, health and wellbeing outcomes through their Brighter as well as to those previously cut off from such activities by Futures programme. disadvantage or disability.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 81 It has objectives to improve local awareness of As part of the CCC project the partnership with Stroud Valleys environmental and biodiversity issues and engage as many Project will continue with a part-time Environmental Officer people as possible in the work of sustainable development. being based at SVP for the duration of the Delivery Stage During Phase 1A, SVP led an exemplary project at Capel’s Mill. who will be responsible for delivering much of the practical At this location a new canal section had to be built because on-site conservation activities with local volunteers. SVP’s the original canal line was lost when the Stroud bypass was knowledge and skill, in both environmental conversation and built in the 1980s. The new 330m length under and east of ecology, coupled with an empowering approach to volunteer the railway viaduct was opened to the public in May 2013. engagement and support, is a crucial part of guaranteeing the long-term sustainability of the conservation work and In 2014, SVP turned the adjoining land into a wildlife and ongoing management and maintenance of the natural people corridor, while volunteers worked on the new heritage along the canal corridor. towpath. Volunteers (including from the Rotary Club and local schools) engaged in the planting of over 500 native trees, development of a wildflower meadow, construction of a pond and installation of bat and bird boxes. They recorded more than 80 botanical species, as well as pollinators, birds, bats, reptiles, small mammals and invertebrates and a thriving community of freshwater invertebrates. Now there are interpretation boards to welcome and inform visitors about the wildlife and history of the area and benches and picnic tables (made by CCT from reused timber) allowing people to stop for a while on their way through to Stroud.

A maintenance contract between Stroud District Council (SDC) and SVP allows the site to continue to be managed by the community for the community. This is usually done by volunteers on Thursday mornings, including a group with a connection to the site who have continued since 2014.

Wildlife workshops and events take place at Capel’s Mill Richard Lewis from throughout the year, including scything workshops, willow Stroud Valleys Project conducts a wetlands work, bug hunting, pond dipping and bat walks. habitat survey with local residents and volunteers

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 82 3.5 Our Existing Volunteers During the Development Stage we spent time learning about the different volunteer work being delivered by the project partners. We have calculated that we currently have 350 active volunteers already involved in canal restoration or canal-related activities across the Partnership.

The Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT) is local canal restoration (such as volunteers with Stroud Textiles Trust or Stroud charity, run almost entirely on volunteer power. With Valleys Project) who will engage in the project and benefit volunteers comprising 97% of their organisations workforce, greatly from the implementation of CCC’s volunteer they have built up a database of over 700 volunteers, who strategy and plan. have been involved in restoring and maintaining these canals since 1972. By August 2019, CCT reported that is To date the significant base of canal project volunteers has 223 volunteers registered and of these, 161 are actively has successfully: volunteering, either out on the canal (99 people) or in the • Rejuvenated large stretches of the canal from ruin CCT Book Shop and Visitor Centres (62 people). to a working navigation • Maintained the extant canal over many decades, In recent years Stroud District Council has also developed its ready for its planned restoration own canal volunteer restoration team which now includes approximately 363 volunteers, with 157 actively volunteering. • Preserved and made more accessible the invaluable archives of The Company of Proprietors This includes regular weekly volunteers as well as the various of the Stroudwater Navigation (CoPSN) teams of corporate volunteers who participate in restoration work across the year. SDC has employed a full time Volunteer • Run education programmes with schools and Manager and Volunteer Assistant who co-ordinate volunteer colleges canal-restoration workdays along the canal corridor. • Provided talks on the heritage of the Cotswold Canals There are approximately a further 32 volunteers who have • Run programmes of walks on the ecology and the and are directly engaged in the CCC through Stroudwater industrial heritage of the canal Navigation Archive Charity (SNAC), Stroud Valleys • Provided visitor centres where visitors learn Canal Company (SVCC), Creative Sustainability (CS) & about all aspects of the canal and the unique Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT), as well as broad base industrial archaeology of the canal corridor – past, of external volunteers who are not directly project partners, present and future.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 83 Who are our volunteers?

CCT and SDC have worked with a diverse range of over 700 volunteers over the past three years. These volunteers include people from a diverse range of communities and backgrounds. Whilst the practical restoration work has been carried out largely by male volunteers, there are female volunteer amongst the outdoor construction and restoration teams. The volunteer teams have also had success engaging and supporting underrepresented people such as addicts in recovery programmes and disabled people or those with long term physical or mental health issues. They have also recruited teams of college students studying construction courses and corporate teams who volunteer on specific projects as part of team building and meeting their corporate social responsibility ambitions.

A team of volunteers restoring and repairing the canal path during Phase 1A effects of addiction and disabled people. Initially these 3.5.1 Cotswold Canals Trust groups worked on vegetation management, but gradually Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT) volunteers undertake many moved on to more specialist roles such as towpath rebuilding. different roles. These include the fixed workshop site and Since 2013 these volunteers have improved over 9.5km of the mobile teams of volunteers from the Western Depot towpath into a multi-user trail and rebuilt 3 heritage locks at Eastington and, on a slightly smaller scale, the Eastern (Bowbridge, Griffin Mill and Wallbridge Lower). Their ‘armoury’ Depot at Alex Farm, near Cricklade. CCT has public facing of specialised equipment has also grown over 10 years to teams at three Visitor Centres at Saul Junction, Bond’s Mill include their own workboat Flea, permitting access to the and Wallbridge, and a team of volunteers also run a thriving canal banks and structures from the water. second-hand bookshop at Brimscombe Port. Trip Boats are operated by volunteers on behalf of CCT’s Trading Company Young male CCT volunteers put up new signage opposite at Saul Junction, Ebley Wharf, and Lechlade. CCT also has St.Cyrs Church at the Ocean several geographically dispersed work parties of volunteers near Stonehouse covering the Summit Level, Siddington to Cerney Wick, and east of the A419. Volunteers also fulfil administrative roles such as the Trust’s Board of Directors (Trust Council), work in the CCT Office, a Fundraising Team, editing the Trust’s magazine (The Trow), and photography.

3.5.2 Stroud District Council In order to compliment and add-value to CCT’s volunteering restoration workdays on Mondays and Wednesdays, Stroud District Council set up additional volunteering work parties on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the recruitment of a Volunteer Manager and Volunteer Assistant. The aim was both to broaden the project’s reach, by recruiting new people and reaching out to new audiences, and also to ensure that the momentum of the canal restoration continued post Phase 1A. Over the past six years, SDC has steadily diversified the profile of its volunteers to include young people, people with complex needs, long-term unemployed adults, people suffering the 3.5.3 Stroud Valleys 3.5.5 Waterway Canal Company Recovery Group Stroud Valleys Canal Company (SVCC), as the owning and The canal restoration partnership has long enjoyed an operating body for the Cotswold Canals, has developed roles excellent relationship with the Waterway Recovery Group and recruited volunteers for a small number of specialist (WRG) of The Inland Waterways Association. This national tasks. These include Lengthspersons, still known by their organisation of canal restoration volunteers is organised into historic title, ‘Lengthsmen’, who are responsible for patrolling regional groups, who generally commit one weekend per an allotted length of canal, acting as the ‘eyes and ears’ of month to different canal societies. They also organise week- SVCC, and litter picking, reporting dog fouling, and general long working holidays promoted as Canal Camps. These inspection of the canal assets. Lock Keepers have also been Canal Camps occur over Christmas / New Year, Easter, and recruited to carry out much the same function in the vicinity the summer holidays. Over the past decade, the Partnership of each lock, but also acting in pairs to maintain the lock and has hosted 5 to 10 weekend visits and 4 to 6 Canal Camps surrounds, and to check its function. SVCC also funds new every year for the WRG volunteers. The WRGies, as they are and replacement maintenance equipment for the volunteers, known, have a vast wealth of experience gained over the including dredgers, excavators and work boats. years and from working with other canal societies, so the local CCT and SDC volunteers are able to benefit from their expertise and advice. They are particularly adept at lock 3.5.4 Stroudwater and bridge restoration, together with creating and lining Navigation Archives Charity new canal channels. They also increase the diversity of our The small team of around 20 volunteers of SNAC has been volunteer base, as the Canal Camps are marketed within working in the Gloucestershire Archives to make the records European universities, and also give exemption form the of the canal’s building and operation accessible. They also Gold level of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme. Having run heritage talks and walks, have devised and run education a ready supply of ongoing projects, and also their own programmes with Primary and Secondary Schools and local volunteer accommodation at Brimscombe Port, near Stroud, Colleges. This programme will be extended to take in those there have been some opportunities for joint WRG-CCT schools and establishments near to the projected works, volunteer weekends and Canal Camps, which have greatly including the new catchment of Gloucester. benefited our existing volunteers. We have also hosted national WRG training events.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 86 3.5.6 Corporate volunteers As profile of the Project grew throughout the Development Stage, the Partnership has had significant success in attracting groups of corporate volunteers who spend a day or so rebuilding towpaths or clearing vegetation. Some organisations, such as Nationwide, Sainsbury’s and Severn Trent Water, have returned on many occasions and have now adopted CCC as their annual charity work project. CCC has supported corporate volunteer groups from: HSBC, GE Aviation, NFU Mutual, Ecclesiastical Assurance, Network Rail, Highways England, the Canal & River Trust (CRT), Ecotricity, and other staff teams from Stroud District Council. Tasks have varied from simple vegetation management to towpath rebuilding, and Nationwide staff team was involved in erecting steel formwork and pouring concrete for a retaining wall. 3.5.7 A Volunteer-led Management Team CCC has a multi-partnership management team with a good balance of employed staff, consultants and management volunteers. Managing expectations, creating an integrated and cohesive team and ensuring that we have all the pre-requisite skills and experience for project delivery, has been a challenging and gradual process. This process in itself has helped us learn a significant amount about volunteer management through recognising, negotiating and appreciating differing attitudes, expectations and Corporate volunteers clearing fallen trees to re-open access routes along the canal sectors of expertise.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 87 Chapter 4: Our Project Audiences 4.1 Existing Audiences A wide range of people and communities already engage with • Local people and local communities along the the Stroudwater Navigation and its network of valleys, mills, canal corridor to encourage outdoors & active for rivers and textile heritage. During the consultation phase of health and wellbeing (dog walkers, cyclists, runners) our development process we spent time talking to different • Older people groups who currently use or participate in canal or associated • Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic BAME – mainly heritage facilities. We wanted to find out where and how visiting from Gloucester, Bristol or Cheltenham people currently engage with the Cotswold Canals and related • Disadvantaged young people - in care, asylum heritage. We mapped the trends in demographics (e.g. age, seekers and refugees gender, background), found out what motivates people and • LGBTQ+ adults and young people (Gloucester learned about the barriers preventing their engagement. Heritage Hub) During the Development Stage we discovered that some of • Children and young people in primary and these audiences engaged more than others, and for some we secondary schools identified clear and specific barriers that were affecting their meaningful participation. We talked to: • Young people 16-24 years developing skills and career paths • Families with young children – for learning, outdoor • Disabled people fun and community cohesion • Marginalised adults - ex-offenders, people living • Technical specialists collaborating and learning with addiction, with long-term illness, isolated from our work – Ecologists, environmental scientists, • National Lottery ticket buyers fish & reptile experts, engineers, historians, archivists and artists • Boaters and canal day-trippers seeking unique destinations and experiences • Heritage, history and canal enthusiasts both living near and visiting the canal, Cotswold landscapes, history and archive • Nature lovers both local residents and those visiting the canals and nature sites to discover, enjoy and participate in wildlife conservation.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 89 4.2 Identifying our Target Audience Groups

In order to target and test activities with these audiences Diagram 5: CCC’s main target audience groups during the pilot project phase we spent time categorising our audiences and identifying the people and groups we would need to target with more focused inclusion and participation work. 1. Schools, Colleges and Universities We categorised our audiences into four main groups to Children, young people and university students that we will be working with across effectively target delivery of project activities, ensure that a the project. broader range of people and communities are involved in canal heritage projects and remove barriers for those most under-represented. We spent time assessing how these 4. Visitors, 2. People audience types are currently engaging with canal restoration Tourists and Living Adjacent and local heritage, particularly to understand which people Lottery Players to the Canal in these groups were engaging less than others and the Audiences who live Everyone who lives in reasons why (see Table 7 for more detailed information on across the whole Target the rural villages and under-represented people). District and towns in Stroud District Gloucestershire audience closest to the canal and generally as well as for whom the impact Girl shows us her boat visitors and Lottery drawing at the Canal groups of the canal restoration Trail, May 2019 players from other will be most significant parts of the UK. and including our existing volunteers.

3. Under-represented People 6 sub-categories of people from under-represented groups living along the canal corridor, across the wider district and in targeted communities in Gloucester for whom there are currently barriers to meaningful engagement.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 90 Table 7. Activities and Outcomes for our Main Audiences Audience Group Target Activities Expected Outcomes

1. Schools, Colleges Project activities will be designed to engage children, young • A broader range of children, young people and and Universities people and their schools and learning environments both university students are engaged in training, work This group includes formally through linking to STEM subjects in the curricula and placements and internships the children, young informally through a range of settings. They include: • Children, young people and university students people and university • Primary school canal curricula have improved skills, knowledge and understanding students that we • Volunteering, training, internships and work experience placements of their local heritage will be working with • Duke of Edinburgh placements • Our canal heritage is better explained and across the project • Youth-led enterprise interpreted • Accredited college study programmes • Citizen history projects • Canal interpretation work with young people and schools covering photography, graffiti, art, sculpture, poetry and performance art

2. People living Project activities will be designed to attract and get the local • A broader range of people and communities engage adjacent to the canal canal community more actively involved in canal restoration, with and learn more about their local canal heritage This group includes wildlife conservation, community Hub development and water- • Community regeneration, development and local everyone who lives based action. These activities include: resilience for canal-based towns and villages in the rural villages • Exhibition 42 Canal Side Temporary Interpretation • Greater knowledge and understanding of the state of and towns in Stroud • Tree, shrub and hedgerow planting wildlife and the environment in the canal/river corridor District closest to the • Orchard projects and the construction of wildlife habitats • More engagement by people and communities with canal and for whom • Boating trips and other water-based activities nature leading to improved health and wellbeing the impact of the • Canal trials, walks and heritage events and opportunities (Wool • Greater community ownership and stewardship of canal restoration will & Water Festival, walking festivals, canal carnival) the canal corridor be most significant. • Community hub development and local business incubation • Improved health and wellbeing for people and It also includes the and capacity building communities through their involvement in canal local people who will • Canal interpretation covering photography, graffiti, art, sculpture, restoration, creative interpretation and re-connection be targeted by the poetry and performance art with their local heritage and sense of place restoration volunteer • Volunteering opportunities • A more diverse range of people enjoy participation teams in community-based events and activities that lead to greater community cohesion, physical and mental health and well-being

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 91 Audience (cont.) Target Activities (cont.) Expected Outcomes (cont.)

3. Under- Project activities for these groups will focus on empowerment, • New skills, confidences and qualifications for represented people life-skills development and social integration. They are designed a larger and more diverse range of new people This group includes a to give people useful skills and knowledge for employability, and communities, who have overcome complex further 6 sub-categories engage them outdoors in nature, reduce loneliness and isolation barriers to participation, by providing a wide range of people from under- and improve self-esteem and confidence. of formal and informal canal heritage activities and represented groups opportunities living along the canal The programme includes focused support for people with • Improved self-esteem, self-agency and raised corridor, across the multiple barriers to participation, including 1:1 mentoring and expectations by a larger and diverse range of new wider district and in support to co-produce a personal plan or pathway according to people and communities who improve their mental targeted communities their interests and outcome ambitions. These activities include: and physical well-being, through meaningful in Gloucester. • Mentored volunteering, training and work placements in canal participation in a wide range of safe and supported These are: restoration, wildlife conservation, events, Hubs or small business canal activities 1. Disadvantaged enterprises • Increased wellbeing, community ownership, children and young • Accessible boat trips, canoeing, paddle-boarding and water- connection and belonging, by a larger and diverse people (age 0 to 24) based activities range of new people and communities, who develop 2. Vulnerable adults 3. Specific age • Canal-based canal and textile workshops targeted at specific community, economic, creative and place-based groups who are under-represented groups as part of the annual Wool & Water connections with their local canal built, wildlife and under-represented Festival social heritage (teenagers, young • Peer Mentoring support for 60 individuals each year • More resilient and sustainable community adults and those • Mentored support to participates in canal interpretation networks, collaborations and partnerships working people over 66. work covering photography, graffiti, art, sculpture, poetry and closely together in sharing learning and resources 4. People and communities living in performance art to provide activities and opportunities for canal our key target areas communities (rural areas and areas where there is high levels of deprivation). 5. Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic BAME 6. People with young children living across the canal corridor See 4.4.4 below and our Underrepresented Groups Profile Table for more detail on the specific barriers for these people

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 92 Audience (cont.) Target Activities (cont.) Expected Outcomes (cont.)

4. Visitors, tourists Project activities for this group are designed to connect • A sustainably managed canal corridor which and lottery players communities through our canal and railways and bring new attracts new and supports existing business and This group include people to the Cotswold Canals, as it links to the rest of the UK’s enterprise our audiences canal network and becomes a new national visitor destination. • Community regeneration, development and local who live across the These activities will also raise the profile of the Project and resilience for canal-based towns and villages whole District and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The kinds of activities • Reduced youth unemployment, out migration and Gloucestershire specifically aimed at attracting these people include: entrenched worklessness across the project area and generally. It includes • A Canal-Rail Trail targeted communities in Gloucester targeted people and • Float my Boat canal carnival • Enhanced well-being for people and communities communities from • Accessible boat trips, canoeing, paddle-boarding and water- through improving their employment opportunities, Gloucester City as well based activities their lives and livelihoods as visitors and lottery • Heritage days at Stroud’s Museum in the Park • Over 3 Million people will become aware of the players from other • Community-led canal-based fetes and celebrations Cotswold Canals restoration and its broader benefits parts of the UK • Canal trails, local canal walks, talks and exhibitions to national waterways heritage conservation • Canal-based exhibitions, workshops and events as part of the through a wide reaching, focused and diverse annual Wool & Water Festival communications strategy • Public Archive Events at Gloucester Archives (Glos Heritage Hub) • The Cotswold Canals becomes a canal visitor • Flagship canal interpretation project involving a leading destination and continues to be promoted through a national artist range of established and sustainable communication • 10 exclusive canal-based events designed to thank lottery and marketing channels and strategies which involve players for their support all delivery partners • Trip down an empty lock or guided tour under the M5 and ‘Missing Mile’

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 93 Our volunteer activities and recruitment strategy has now 4.2.1 Targeting specific been designed to ensure the engagement of 5 specific audiences for volunteer audience groups. These audiences were chosen to ensure recruitment that CCC engages those groups underrepresented, as well as those who will significantly add value to the restoration Our project has a large geographical reach and these audience process and those who we currently work well with, such as groups include a wide range of different types of people. As part older males, for whom we know there are significant health of delivering our Volunteer Plan, we hope to offer opportunities and wellbeing benefits and canal enthusiasts or retired engineers who continue to bring knowledge, skills and for volunteering to as many people as possible, as well as 46. Section M targeting our recruitment in order to add value by bringing in expertise to the restoration. Volunteer Plan people with specific useful skills and knowledge. We spent significant time during the Development Stage understanding CCT Volunteer, Graham Hobbs with the book he wrote about the Stroud Valleys. our audiences, their intersectionality’s and their motivations for He also wrote books about Sapperton participation and volunteering. We tailored specific activities Tunnel and Brimscombe Port and bodies of project work to specific groups of people. CCC’s Volunteer Plan46 includes a range of bespoke volunteering roles that allow the project partners to work with new audiences. It offers a variety of opportunities for volunteers, designed to respond strategically to the motivations of the project audiences and reduce barriers to their involvement.

“I supported the successful completion of the Dudbridge Hydro Scheme. It helped me learn new skills and obtain paid employment with a local green energy company.”

“I loved excavating the upper off side paddle system of Wallbridge Lower Lock, having my non-expert observation valued, taking part in the discussions on solutions and being part of its rebuild to a functional sluice.” Survey feedback from existing volunteers, December 2019

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 94 Our volunteer target audiences are: 3. Older men We have a good track record of engaging males over 60. Many 1. Underrepresented People are retired and want to continue using their skills or being Six identified sub-groups (see table 7- p91). Of these part of a productive team. Our research also indicates a link under-represented audiences, the CCC Volunteer Plan will between volunteering and reducing loneliness - particularly specifically focus on encouraging more practical outdoor for older males who are vulnerable to depression and volunteering opportunities for local disabled people and isolation post retirement. Many of our existing volunteers those with mental health issues. bring huge amounts of capacity, skills, knowledge and experience to the restoration. As part of the Delivery Stage we 2. Women will continue to attract and recruit more of these people. We plan to encourage more women to volunteer and to gain more meaningful volunteering experiencing by removing barriers to their engagement, improving attitudes 4. Nature lovers and technical towards women’s participation, building confidence and specialists Pre-existing groups, such as local history societies and improving communication. civic societies, already drive and facilitate the participation of these people, who will provide a resource base of skill and local knowledge which we hope to draw on through encouraging their volunteering. Activities which will appeal to this group include: archive and historical research, exhibition planning and guides, the Roadshow, education projects, habitat surveys and creation projects, wildlife conservation work, local orchards and ecology work. 5. Young people aged 16-24 In order to support the pathway from volunteering through to further education, skills development and employment, CCC will particularly involve young people through our Formal and Informal Learning Plan. CCC will establish a Youth Volunteer Group and provide specific activities which are fun, interesting as well as being educational in order to deliver employability skills. Volunteers building a disabled access route on the towpath CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 95 near Bowbridge 4.3 Who, how and why do people use our canal waterways? Waterways can have significant positive impacts on society. They are linked with increased exercise and improved mental health and physical activity. Our recently revised Economic Impact Assessment highlights the link between the presence of waterways, and community engagement, broadening opportunities and inclusivity; community safety, education; skills & lifelong learning; economic growth; regeneration and development.

It also presented some interesting findings indicating that, across England as a whole, and within our project 4.3.1 Engagement with area specifically, young people and people from BAME National Waterways communities are significantly less likely to use waterway infrastructure than other population groups. The report also The 2017 results of CRT’s National Waterways Engagement showed that 18-30 year olds account for a significantly lower Monitoring (WEM) surveys indicate that the age profile of share of the population in Stroud than across the UK as a adult visitors to national waterways is between 45–64 year whole, highlighting the issue of outmigration. There are also olds. (This represents 20.5% of adult visitors to waterways proportionately more children excluded from school, and compared to the UK adult population of 15% in this age more people under the age of 18 admitted to hospital due to group). Results country-wide appear to show that usage alcohol abuse in Stroud than across the rest of the UK. generally reflects the demography of the area.

These specific groups are particularly likely to be under- How does that compare with the Stroudwater represented audiences in heritage projects and the findings Navigation? of the Economic Impact Assessment (2019 revision) Our online and interactive questionnaires provided useful recommended that CCC deliver specific engagement information about exactly who and how people use, access activities which will help include and retain these and interact with the canal corridor. We wanted to find out individuals in the local community. what their motivations are, whether they get out on the water and about their relationship with the wildlife, creativity, learning and local history. 3,314 people shared

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 96 their thoughts, comments and ideas through focus group meetings, interviews, surveys and questionnaires. 4.3.2 Who and how do In order to learn more about our existing audiences we: people use our canal?

Designed and Conducted: Using the engagement processes listed above we reached a • Interactive Data Capture activities at public suitably wide cross section of the community including young consultations, events, pilot projects and outreach people, families, older volunteers, disabled people and those sessions - 955 respondents with mental health issues or from deprived families. This • Audiences Online Survey Monkey - 1,065 quantitative and qualitative data gives us a good understanding respondents of current engagement with the canal by highlighting people’s • Current users Towpath Survey to assess changes motivations, concerns and barriers. All of which have enabled us in use and attitude since Phase 1A of the canal to develop a programme of appropriately targeted activities for restoration - 200 respondents the Delivery Stage of the Project. • Online and paper survey for existing and former canal-based volunteers - 206 respondents We found that 60% of online questionnaire respondents • Focus groups and one-to-one interviews – 913 were aged over 50 years old and no one under 12 years old respondents completed the online questionnaires. This compares with • Recorded conversations for a Radio Show with national demographic patterns regarding public consultation. visitors to the pilot canal/rail trail In the canal project’s former 2015 survey, 50% of online • Consultations with teachers, children and young respondents were over 60 years and the majority were over people - some of whom already use the canal in their 41 years. Therefore, in order to make sure we captured the learning activities and held two focus groups. (4 opinions, needs and ideas from younger people, families primary schools, 1 secondary school, 1 college, Stroud Cotswold Alternative Provision School with young children and people from under-represented (SCAPS) and the Access Bike project) people and communities, we conducted a series of outreach meetings, activity workshops and focus group discussions at Reviewed and Analysed: community centres, schools and drop-in centres. • CRT national waterways study • Phase 1A audience and consultation data findings “I love the canal and the hard work so far • Data to profile regular user groups from project is paying off. It gives my kids and I healthy partners and collaborators SNAC, Stroud Textile exercise, access to nature and stops us Trust, Museum in the Park using the car all the time!”

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 97 Qualitative data was added to the thematic analysis of Chart 3. Respondents by Age Group using people’s barriers and motivations to go to the canal. interactive data capture boards at community We collected case studies from a wide range of different consultations people during the pilot projects. We particularly engaged Under 12 13% interactively with far more children and young people to gain a good understanding of their current engagement with the 13-18 12% canal, the barriers, issues, ideas and concerns. 19-30 12% 31-50 18% Chart 2. Respondents by Age Group to online survey 51-65 24% Under 12 0% Over 66 21% 13-18 1% 19-30 6% 31-50 33% 51-65 38% Tow Path Survey Results Over 66 22% The results from our towpath intercept surveys revealed that the average age of the user is 38 years old, with the oldest average age of 42 years being found in Ryeford and Eastington and the youngest average of 34 years old being found in Ebley. Figure 3. Ages of People using the towpath “The canal is such a great creative and 60 cultural opportunity for Stroud. Can’t wait for it to be completed. That really is a good 40 alternative route to places people want 20 to go: where the main road is not a nice N umber of people 0 place to walk, the canal is a much more 0-12 13-18 19-30 31-50 51-65 66+ attractive option” age group (years) CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 98 Key Learning:

• The 0-12 age group is least likely to be on the Chart 4. How people use the canal canal, and we assume that this age group would be Watching wildlife 17% there with family. Therefore, young families need to be a focus audience. Time with others 14% Leisure 17% • The 13 to 18 age group has low usage and therefore we need to understand how to facilitate On the water 5% this group to use the canal. Getting from A to B 14% Learning 3% • The 19 to 30 age group are low users of the canal and coupled with the drain of this age group from Being creative 4% the area, we need to explore how the canal Exercise 21% restoration makes the area a better place to live for this age group. Work 2% Anything else 3% • The over 66 age group is not using the canal as much as their younger counterparts, so we need to understand what the barriers are and how to The main reasons people gave for using the canal corridor make it a more accessible place for older people. were to ‘exercise’ (21%) to ‘watch wildlife’ (17%), for ‘leisure’ (17%) and to ‘get from A to B’ (14%). In all the combined research, across all ages, just 5% of current canal use is water- “As someone who lives in based. This is not surprising given that Stroudwater Navigation Frampton-on-Severn & works in remains dis-connected from the wider canal network, although large stretches have been restored to navigable Stroud, if the canal & towpath waterway as part of Phase 1A. were completed, I could commute by bike easier & more often.” At the community consultations in February/March 2019, we found that 92% of people reported that they had never been out on the water along the canal. In September 2019, 67.6% of the online questionnaire respondents reported to

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 99 have never been out on the water along the canal between Chart 5. Reported water activity from questionnaires and Chalford and Eastington. Whilst this indicates an overall surveys between March 2018 and September 2019 fairly low level of water-based activity it also indicates that there may have been an increase in water activities on the Never been on the water 66% canal during CCC’s Development Stage due to the investment Canoeing 6% in community engagement across this 18-month period. In August 2019, CCC’s Nicer on the Water pilot project at Ryeford Kayaking 6% in Stonehouse resulted in over 100 people getting out on the Stand up paddle boarding 5% canal in boats, canoes and paddleboards. Boatmobility 2% “I have come from Bristol to visit family Learning 3% in the area. We heard about the ongoing Being creative 4% plans to restore this section of the canal and wanted to come and walk along the towpath. It’s great to see how much has been achieved”. Canal visitor interviewed during the Pilot Project Canal Trial, May 2019 boat, which runs on Saturdays and bank holidays between April and September from Ebley and is also available for The impact of Phase 1A has been widely noticeable and private hire throughout the year. Other comments included has led to an increase in water-based activity, with the the wide range of canal-based volunteering opportunities establishment of a new paddle-boarding club, a new offered by CCT and SDC on work boats, as well as the annual canoe-club based at Capels Mill and a significant increase charity raft race which is becoming more popular every year. in CCT canal-boat trips between Wallbridge and Ebley Mill and Cotswold Boatmobility trips from Ryeford. The significant investment made by SDC and CCT in practical canal maintenance work alongside community engagement activities over the past two years has resulted in pockets of thriving canal-based water and tow-path activity which are attracting a more and more diverse range of people. The most commonly reported water-based activity was CCT’s trip

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 100 4.3.3 Current trends in towpath use

Pedestrian counters at Wallbridge in Stroud, recorded Table 8. Canal visitors, towpath use and boat trip towpath footfall of 38,677 people in 2013, 74,026 in 2014 participants since Phase 1A of the restoration and 90,787 in 2015. A 134% increase, largely attributable April 2018 – April 2019 to Phase 1A work on improving accessibility and increased Visitors Centre or outreach activity No. of public awareness of this restoration project. people Wallbridge Visitors Centre 5.532 The current annual towpath footfall between Stroud and Stonehouse has recently been calculated between 115,594 Saul Visitors Centre 13,160 47 48 and 133,590 per year. The Towpath Intercept Survey Bonds Mill Visitors Centre 167 recorded 366 users in one day recorded at 4 towpath locations Nature walks 113 along Phase 1A. Of these there were 162 walkers, 129 cyclists, 38 dog walkers, 5 pushchair users and 32 runners. School outreach by CCT staff 30 School and Club visits to CCT by children 166 Between April 2018 and April 2019, CCT and SDC recorded Community outreach presentations by CCT 1,701 47. Supporting 18,859 visitors to CCT Visitor Centres and 5,380 people on their Document Community Towpath Counters numbers 113,612 Engagement and Public canal trip boats. Additionally, over 1,800 people participated Consultation Numbers/ in canal-related outreach engagement. Pedestrian counters Perseverance trip boat 1,630 Supporting Document Towpath Intercept placed along the canal at certain entry points during the Endeavour trip boat 3,069 Survey Results and same period, recorded towpath footfall numbers of 113,612 Analysis Inglesham trip boat 681 48. Supporting people. SDC estimates that, projected over a 12-month period Document Towpath Total individuals 139,861 Intercept Survey Results and taking into account data on seasonal fluctuations, this and Analysis annualises as about 250,000 people. This means that there has been an estimated 193% increase in towpath use in the five years between 2013 and 2018.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 101 Its Outcomes Report presents a significant body of research 4.3.4 Why do people engage findings associated with health and wellbeing impacts in in our canal waterways? relation to waterways building local identity, value and connections. Their report cites research published by the The National Perspective British Academy in March 2017 which revealed many people In 2016 the Canal & Rivers Trust (CRT) engaged Cardiff feel they are ‘becoming a country of anonymity’ and that ‘there University’s Sustainable Places Research Institute (PLACE) to is a strong loss of sense of belonging’. undertake in-depth research into use of, and engagement with, our national waterways. CCC has compared the findings from The local picture this national research with our own primary data which sought Our own primary data also supports this national picture. to understand the motivations and barriers to community use 95% of respondents (`N=3,124) who attended our public and to identify opportunities for furthering community use of and outreach consultations supported the canal restoration and engagement with our Cotswold Canals waterways. project and believed that the canal waterway, along with the River Frome are essential parts of our communities. A key conclusion from the CRT Waterways & Wellbeing First Outcomes Report, ‘Building the Evidence Base’49, is that the Also 49% of people we interviewed during our consultation single most significant reason that people do not visit canal outreach, felt that they would visit the canal more if there waterways is that they have not got a history or habit of doing were specific festivals or events tailored to them and if they so: the people least likely to go to a canal are people who live were supported to do so through existing networks and further away, do not already go to a canal and people from the organisations. Health and wellbeing outcomes were identified, lowest socio-economic groups. both before and during the Development Stage. People reported that being in nature, spending time along the canal 49% of people we interviewed during our consultation outreach, and participating in fun, heritage education, water-based or felt that they would visit the canal more if there were specific nature-based activities improved their sense of wellbeing, festivals or events tailored to them and if they were supported to helped keep them healthy and connected them with family, do so through existing networks and organisations. friends and their communities. We have built these initiatives into our 1B delivery Action Plan which support the social 49. CRT Waterways & Wellbeing First The National Waterway Engagement Monitor (WEM) benefits of green spaces and align with the findings and Outcomes Report, developed by CRT indicates that 70% of adults believe ‘Building the Evidence recommendations presented in the NLHF funded 2019 Base’ waterways are an important part of local communities. This Space to Thrive report and recommendations.50 50. Space to Thrive increases to 72% for those who live within 1.6 kilometres (1 mile), and 84% of those who visit regularly.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 102 Waterways and the importance of Place 619 written feedback comments were collected at community CRT’s community survey results also indicated that the quality consultations, focus groups, online and towpath surveys. of place matters greatly to people and that many people are These were categorised into two categories: those in proud of what makes their place special. They found that support of the canal restoration project and those opposed there was a greater sense of community belonging amongst to the restoration project. The sample size of 619 people waterway users who were more likely to trust their neighbours, represents 27% of the total number of people (2295) who believe waterways are places where people stop and say hello directly communicated their thoughts and ideas through our to each other, feel safer around water and see waterways as a interactive or online questionnaires. way of bringing people from different backgrounds together.51 Table 9. Surveys & questionnaires This also reflected our own research findings relating to how people engender Spirit of Place the canal corridor. Source In support Opposed Consultations comments forms 55 5 Online survey: Any other 250 21 Public response to the canal comments restoration project Overall public response to the restoration has been Online survey: What would 162 3 overwhelmingly positive and the momentum exists to realise encourage you to go to the canal more? the huge potential of a connected canal corridor. Of those who attended our public or outreach consultations and who gave Towpath survey: Any other 84 1 us written feedback, 95% of their comments indicated that comments they felt positive and excited about the next phase of the canal Data books: Any other comments 34 4 restoration project. Comments related to the opportunities Total 585 34 which it will bring directly to their lives and communities and included improvements to the built and natural environment, benefits for wildlife and benefits to the local economies of their “The canal is such a great creative and towns and villages. Local residents from the Stonehouse Town cultural opportunity for Stroud. Can’t wait community, which is the main centre adjacent to Phase 1B, for it to be completed.” particularly stressed the significance of the restoration project in relation to economic regeneration. “Love the canal and the hard work so far 51. CRT Waterways is paying off. It gives my kids and I healthy & Wellbeing First exercise, access to nature and stops us Outcomes Report, ‘Building the Evidence using the car all the time!” Base’ pp.96-97 CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 103 “Such a brilliant facility, which promotes healthy living, which we thoroughly enjoy. I have seen all sorts of groups young and old enjoying the canal.”

Stroud Canoe Club at Capels Mill 4.4 Barriers to Canal Engagement The CRT Waterways & Wellbeing First Outcomes Report, ‘Building the Evidence Base’ indicates that, nationally across the UK’s canal and river waterways, there are some barriers specific to certain demographic groups in terms of visiting the waterways and that some kinds of people are likely to experience more constraints.

Individual barriers which people raised in CRT’s Nationally the most significant barriers to people visiting national and localised surveys was categorised waterway across all age groups are hygiene factors, into four areas: perceived and actual personal safety and water safety. Many of the issues highlighted are common to other public open 1. Waterway perceptions & understanding; spaces, and outdoor recreation in general. However, specific to the nature of waterway environments is a strong sense 2. Waterway space & environment; that the presence of water heightens the degree of risk, and 3. Personal situation; and compounds other safety concerns such as fear of attack. 4. Other, for example, weather, dogs etc. The local picture Their findings tell us that negative perceptions of waterways CCC primary data into barriers to canal use/ engagement are mainly related to the perceived threat to personal safety. similarly mirrored this national picture. With perception, 52. CRT Waterways These are prevalent across a wide range of people and, safety, negotiating multi-user space and our audiences’’ & Wellbeing First ‘those without direct personal experience of waterways often personal situation being the main issues raised during Outcomes Report, ‘Building the Evidence imagine them to be less appealing than they find them to be consultations and pilot activities. Base’ pp.105 once introduced to them.’52

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 105 Table 10: Reported barriers to using the canal and towpath from public consultations 2018/19

Barrier Percent Example comments

Facilities on the 21.9 • Lack of toilets and car park canal • Lack of cafes, pubs or other refreshment places • Lack of seating and picnic areas

Condition 21.3 • Hard to get bikes up/down steps and steep slopes of towpath/ • No access for disabled people – some parts are not wide enough for 2 people accessibility • Mud and puddles – poor towpath maintenance

Cycling/multiuse 20.2 • Some places not wide enough for walkers, cyclists and dogs • Startled by silent bike riders approaching from behind – fix old cycle path to divert cyclists

Dog poo/litter 12.3 • Dog mess is unpleasant and disappointing • Lack of litter bins as lots of rubbish is dropped

Safety concerns 10.7 • As a young female I do not feel safe on the canals • Late night drinkers and drug use in the park by the canal • No lighting in the evenings – wouldn’t expect it but it makes using the canal in winter months tricky

Signage/access to 6.7 • I would go to the canal more if there was better public transport to get there the canal • Dangerous route along the Perry Way to the canal

Signage along the 3.4 • Lack of signage along the canal – I’d like maps showing cycling and walking routes canal with toilets and refreshment places marked

Lack of Information 3.4 • Lack of information about boat trips and other events happening along the canal

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 106 • Pilot projects with targeted groups of people 4.4.1 Understanding the currently not visiting or engaging in canal-based barriers and identifying target activities to test engagement approaches and tackle audiences for more focused some of the barriers engagement • Outreach interviews with the general public in Stroud and Stonehouse We had already undertaken some research and pilot studies with different groups within our community, as part of We identified the following key research questions54 to help Phase 1A and Round One of the bid development process53, guide our understanding of the barriers and find out how to however, to further investigate potential barriers, identify address them: which of our audiences require focussed engagement, and test ways that CCC can tackle these barriers, we undertook: 1. What are the gaps in our community network and which local organisations can connect us with our • Targeted consultation with groups who do target audiences? not normally attend or participate in public consultations at community centres, schools and 2. What are the barriers to engagement for different drop-in centres people and communities?

• Consultation with teachers in schools which are 3. What can we put in place that creates long-term not currently using the canal in their learning meaningful engagement for more people? activities

Having understood the full spectrum of existing audiences, 53. Pilot Project Are • Research visits and interviews with staff from we needed to understand more about the people We Allowed Here and local, regional and national projects/ organisations Pilot Project ReConnect and communities across the canal corridor as well as Group with project features which compare to Cotswold communities in Gloucester, to find out about those not 54. For more Canals Connected information see yet fully engaged, agree our geographical focus and entry our Research and points and understand more about barriers to access Development Report • Review of existing audiences against the nine Inclusive and Cohesive protected characteristics and poverty indicators to and participation. Communities assess intersectionality and potential multiple barriers to engagement

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 107 One of our key findings in terms of heritage education and • Proportionately more children in Stroud excluded learning, related to the sporadic and low-level engagement from school, and more people under the age of 18 from schools across the corridor. Only a few select schools admitted to hospital due to alcohol abuse in than organised canal-based activities or trips, and most don’t go across the rest of the UK to the canal unless there is a specific link between the school • 18-30-year olds account for a significantly lower and CCT or another canal-related organisation. There are no share of the population in Stroud than across specific canal-based curricula programmes in schools and the UK as a whole and across Gloucestershire there a lack of knowledge by teachers/head teachers about local is significant outmigration of young people canal heritage. Outdoor learning varies widely from school to school. As part of our research around heritage learning The report indicates that these audiences should be targeting we therefore explored the specific barriers for primary with specific support to ensure that they gain the benefits they schools and ran a series of pilot activities in order to test the are entitled to and specifically recommends that CCC deliver feasibility of developing and implementing a canal-based specific engagement activities that will help retain 18-30-year curriculum which can be embedded into schools’ annual olds in the local community. schemes of work covering a range of STEM subjects.

The CCC Impact Report, Peter Brett: 2019, along with CRT Waterways & Wellbeing First Outcomes Report, ‘Building 4.4.2 Learning more about the Evidence Base’, highlight the link between the presence volunteers of waterways, and community engagement, broadening During the Development Stage we spent time finding more opportunities and inclusivity; community safety, education; about existing and potential new volunteers. We wanted skills & lifelong learning; economic growth; regeneration to understand what works and what needs improving or and development. It highlights that our national waterways developing. Through interaction with a wide range of different can have significant positive impacts on society, linked to people during public consultations, focus groups and pilot increased exercise, improved mental health and physical projects we found out what the barriers to volunteering activity. Three key findings of this report informed our target are for different groups, and tested different approaches to audience identification: encourage more people to get involved in the restoration project. The following research questions were used to guide 55. Section M Volunteer 55 • Across England young people and people from this research process. Plan BAME communities are significantly less likely to use waterway infrastructure than other population groups

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 108 1. How can we build existing and potential volunteer 90% of existing volunteers said that they were either ‘happy’ management and team leaders’ capacity to manage or ‘very happy’, in their volunteering roles. The feedback we an increasing and more diverse volunteer workforce? have had from all volunteers has been mainly positive with many comments and case studies from CCT volunteers who 2. How do we retain existing volunteers and have been involved in and benefited from participation in ensure they are supported, safe and benefiting from their volunteering experience? the canal restoration for many years. The two top reasons for volunteering, identified by existing volunteers were: ‘enjoy 3. How do we increase numbers of potential new working within a team’ and ‘am retired and want to keep busy’. volunteers overall with a focus on all target The next most popular reasons for volunteering related to audiences? practical outside work and using their skills and experience to 56. Supporting Document Volunteer help the wider community. Survey Results 2019 4. How do we improve the volunteering offer so that we increase participation and broaden our CCT Bookshop Volunteers, volunteer workforce? Alan and Anna Watts

5. What inclusive training programmes, internships, apprenticeships and work placements are needed and how can they be sustained?

6. What is needed to make volunteering for the project safer and fairer for a wider and more vulnerable audience?

The demographic profile of our existing volunteers is largely retired males over 60 years and is mainly associate with canal- site based restoration work, visitor centres and engineering experts. 79% of our Volunteer Survey respondents were men and 60% of respondents were over 60 years.56

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 109 When we asked our existing volunteers what their most enjoyable experiences were out on the canal, we received hundreds of wonderful responses, here are a just a few:

“Having been a volunteer over 20 years, the restoration has grown “Starting and finishing the from a glimmer of hope to actual Bowbridge wheelchair/mobility opening up of large stretches of the scooter/ bike towpath access canal. I now want to see it linked ramps project and seeing them through to the main network. finished and used.” That would be very rewarding.”

“Training Volunteers to operate the Trip Boats, plus managing the Trip Boats at past Saul Canal Festivals.”

“Building and working with big machines “Pulling together on what (hydro, piling barge) in teams to achieve what is a mammoth project. The could never be done on my own.” sense of achievement and ‘job well done’ when the team accomplishes a task “Volunteering in the and we can move on.” bookshop, meeting lots of people... some I had not seen for years!!” The need to feel relaxed and comfortable was expressed by women who are participating in physical work which they may find challenging. They told us that they wanted to be able to learn skills without feeling patronised or feeling inadequate. Child-care issues and the need for more children friendly activities, such as Pilot Project Orchard Day, wildlife surveys and other manageable activities to be scheduled during holidays and on Sundays, was also raised by women with young children. 4.4.4 Barriers for under-represented people and communities To target those people and communities who have the most barriers to their participation in projects of this type and scale, we went out to meet them at community centres and projects where they are most accessible. We took smaller versions of the data collection boards in books to the groups CCT Volunteer Shelley Anderson joins a team to extend the and sat down with people to have a chat about the project. towpath in Phase 1A Qualitative data was added to the thematic analysis of people’s 4.4.3 Barriers for Existing barriers and motivations to go to the canal. Quantitative data was also collected about how often people go to the canal and Volunteers what they do there was added to our dataset. We established The main barriers and challenges for existing volunteers, where community groups and organisations were based and especially women, related to issues around communication visited organisations and community groups where we have and attitudes. Lack of toilet and changing facilities and the established relationships – through partnership projects, need more fixed site and mobile welfare units was also raised referrals and activities provision. as a concern by outside volunteers, especially moving into Phase 1B which is routed through more rural areas and will include the creation of completely new canal infrastructure.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 111 Table 11. Collaborating with other services and agencies to engage under-represented audiences

Organisation Service and Audience Engagement activities

Stroud Alternative Alternative Provision school for children unable to cope or • Interactive questionnaire Provision School excluded from mainstream education • Boatmobility canal canoeing trip • Film and classroom canal-based poetry sessions Marah Trust Drop-in Centre for homeless people and people suffering addiction • Interactive questionnaire • Meet-the-volunteers event supported participation

The Door Youth Project for young people vulnerable to exclusion, drug abuse, • Interactive questionnaire self-harm and offending

GEM Navigation scheme to support unemployed people back into • Mentored participation in events training or employment • Canal photography interpretation project

Open House Supported housing for disadvantaged Young People • Interactive questionnaire Fairshares Time-banking is a two-way volunteering system which works with • Participation in Sensory garden project young people and people with Dementia

All Pulling Together A Community Centre based in Stonehouse • Interactive questionnaire

Interplay An intergenerational play group bringing parents with young • Interactive questionnaire children together with older people • Participation in Sensory garden project Primary schools Primary school-aged children and their teachers • Interactive questionnaire • Canal Curricula Pilot activities Our World Youth-led environmental group • Interactive questionnaire Access Bike Youth-led, canal-based bike project • Interactive questionnaire • Canal Bike Hub research and pilot activities ReConnect Befriending project for stroke-effected people • Canal nature walk and painting • Sensory garden project

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 112 As we progressed through the Development Stage, we Our six target audiences from began to identify groups of people with multiple barriers to under-represented groups: engagement, who we had not yet engaged with. These were: 1. Disadvantaged children and young people • Children and young people excluded (age 0-24) from education • Disabled children and young people • Women in crisis • Children excluded from education • Adults recovering from long-term addiction • Asylum seekers and refugees • Older people living in care home settings 2. Vulnerable adults • LGBTQ+ communities • Adults suffering with, or recovering from, drug • BAME communities and alcohol addiction • Refugees and Asylum Seekers • Disabled adults • Long-term unemployed adults, homeless or These specific under-represented people, along with our in sheltered accommodation already recognised under-represented groups (see six • People with long term illness or recovering target groups below), became the focus of some targeted from long term illness and obesity inclusion and participation work which helped us properly • People living with the effects of poverty understand the complex barriers many of these people face • People living with loneliness to heritage project participation. The findings of this research • LGBTQ+ adults are presented in CCC’s Inclusive and Cohesive Communities Research and Development Report57, which also provides the 3. Target age groups premises and rationale for our six priority target audiences. • Teenagers age 13 to 18 These six audiences will require more focussed and supported • Young adults age 19 to 30 engagement to ensure their participation during the Delivery • Older people age 66+ 57. Supporting Document Research and Stage. The supporting document, ‘Underrepresented Groups Development Report Profile Table’,58 includes a comprehensive profile of these Inclusive and Cohesive 4. People and community groups living Communities audiences, outlining the issues they face the kinds of activities in target areas 58. Supporting we have designed to engage them and the outcomes we • Rural areas Document Under Represented Groups expect this to achieve. • Areas of deprivation Profile Table

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 113 5. Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) • Asylum seekers and refugees expressed a lack • People living in urban BAME communities of ownership in their local place. Boys from in Gloucester Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS) came on a Creating Camping trip • BAME communities living in the canal corridor and told us that they don’t spend time in the with multiple barriers to participation countryside because they didn’t know how to get • Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Gloucester there or what they could do.

6. People with young children living in • Vulnerable adults had negative perceptions of the canal corridor volunteering, seeing it as a waste of time when • Parents with multiple barriers to participation you had no money, and unable to make the link • Young parents between volunteering as a way to navigate back into work or training. Some felt it was just a way for projects to get ‘something from them for nothing’. The following issues were raised at various times across the Development Stage by people from these target groups or by • Vulnerable adults told us that they wouldn’t be those practitioners who work closely with them: able to afford canal activities and they had no idea that there was anything going on that they could join in with for free. Many also had negative perceptions • Children and young people attending the Stroud of the canal environment as not safe, run-down and and Cotswold Alternative Provision School (these a place where addicts go and bad things happen. are children unable to cope in mainstream education), told us that that they’d never been to the canal and didn’t know how to get there. Whilst these opinions were captured from sample of those we 59. CCC Inclusion met and talked to, many of these responses were repeated and Participation • Practitioners working with children excluded again and again throughout the Development Stage. Policy outlines our approach to inclusion from education told us many of these children have and our collaborative low expectations of self to develop hobbies, interests During the delivery of our pilot projects, we had many informal partnership with Active Impact, who have or purpose, leading to poor physical and mental conversations with people from these under-represented developed a ‘best health. practice’ model which groups and found that, misconception, fear, anxiety and low understands that most self-esteem were at the root of most of people’s barriers to people are disabled by • Children with various behavioral and emotional barriers, constraints canal-project engagement. We also found that, creating a challenges expressed a strong fear of getting out and attitudes in society, warm, inclusive59 environment resulted in positive engagement rather than their on the water due to insecurity, low self-esteem, fear specific impairment or of participating and fear of embarrassment or getting and in changed attitudes and behaviour. difference. it wrong and looking stupid.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 114 Working in partnership with support Example 1: Children and young people excluded agencies and local community from mainstream education representatives One of our key findings in relation to under-represented people, was the high numbers of children and young people Our welcoming, inclusive and well publicised local public excluded from mainstream education. The Department of consultations gave us the current profile we needed and Education’s figures (presented in CCC’s Economic Impact to gain the attention of organisational leaders we didn’t Assessment – Oct 2019 revision) show that school pupils in yet know well. We met with a number of organisations to Gloucestershire are more likely to experience a permanent establish how to work together, understand the potential exclusion from school, compared to the national average. outcomes for participants and establish expectations of Practitioners working with young people (The Door Youth high-quality provision. Project, Open House supporting living and Access Bike), all reported concerns about the high numbers of children and We sought to gain a better understanding of small local young people who are not in education, employment or pockets of deprivation, such as Eastington, Frampton and training (NEETS). Whitminster, for which there is no set data. This was achieved by our welcoming, inclusive and well publicised local public Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) is currently also consultations and meetings with organisations we didn’t yet investigating the much higher than average number of children know well. This gave us a current profile and the opportunity being home educated, many of whom are identified as young to establish how to work together, understand the potential carers, children kept at home due to rural poverty and bullying outcomes for participants and establish expectations of high- at school. CCC will be keeping abreast of developments and quality provision. In line with this we held two meetings for the are part of the GCC steering group looking at how to tackle this Cotswold Canals Connected Consultative Group (CCCCG) and issue in Gloucestershire. set up a hard copy and online questionnaire for the 14 local councillors representing their local place.60 We have used this In order to explore the specific barriers to engagement effecting children excluded from education and find ways to support data to inform a number of our delivery plan decisions and the 60. Supporting CCCCG continues to meet regularly, providing a two-way flow their involvement, we worked with teachers and children/ Document CCCCG young people from Stroud Cotswold Alternative Provision Data and Supporting of learning across the District. Document CCCCG School (SCAPS). Questionnaire

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 115 Pilot Project: SCAPS Sensory and On The Water Eight children and young people who are currently unable to remain in mainstream education, along with three of their teachers from Stroud Alternative Provision School SCAPS, were supported to get out on the canal at Ryeford Locks in Boat Mobility’s specially designed accessible canoes. Back in the classroom we showed them a slide show of photos of Stroudwater Navigation and facilitated a simple interpretation workshop, to find out more about what they thought and felt about the canal. The children worked together with their teachers to produce poetry about the canal. These ‘haikus’ were later included in a fantastic photographic exhibition of canal photos which were taken by Stroud College students and Going the Extra Mile (GEM) clients. The exhibition was sponsored by GWR, and the photos were displayed for six months at Stroud and Stonehouse train stations. “What a fantastic afternoon! Both Students and staff were buzzing when they came back.” Lisa Carter, Deputy Head, Stroud & Cotswold Alternative Provision School

Children from Stroud & Cotswold Alternative Provision School (SCAPS) out on the water at Ryeford Lock Example 2. Vulnerable adults Stroud District has a high prevalence of people affected by CCC Project Partners have been working with adults with a drug and alcohol addiction with a long-established drug range of barriers to participation throughout the project’s rehabilitation centre in Brimscombe. Nelson House is one of Phase 1A and with Creative Sustainability, since 2010. four residential houses in Stroud, offering treatment for drug See Case Study CCT Volunteer Philip. and alcohol addiction to over 40 people. We met with Nelson Trust who told us about the importance of practical outdoor Vulnerable adults and children are now often considered volunteering activities for clients. together in best practice safeguarding policy and procedure. Across the partnership CCC has worked hard to include and We met with charity P3 (People Potential Possibilities), support vulnerable adults and disabled individuals, especially working with people in crisis to support them to become on the canal and towpath restoration, in the bookshop and at more independent. Their four outreach Navigators enable the CCT Visitor’s Centres. vulnerable people to budget, access financial support, improve living skills, access specialist services to deal with Vulnerable adult Harley was isolated at home with his elderly debt, cope with mental ill health, gain access to education parents and unable to access education, or other meaningful and employment and get support for addiction issues. activity. Harley was introduced to the Canal Project by a friend P3 Service Co-ordinator, Matt Livall told us: and given appropriate work for his abilities including barrow work, brick work, trimming and mowing. He is supported one- “Providing community opportunities and to-one by a CCT volunteer with previous experience working groups benefits the wider community greatly, with vulnerable adults. They get on like a house on fire and it aids in reducing social isolation and give Harley works on the canal two days a week. people a sense of belonging. The people we work alongside are generally very vulnerable Having identified the gaps in terms of current engagement, we turned our focus to how to support the inclusion of adults and suffer with ill health; both mentally and with complex needs such as those recovering from drug and physically, providing opportunities for these alcohol addiction, the long term unemployed, and those people to get involved or join community vulnerable to homelessness or in sheltered accommodation. groups will benefit them a lot, providing opportunities to learn new skills or gain experience could lead to more employment opportunities in the future also.”

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 117 Case Study: In Recovery: the important role of volunteering Former-addict and Nelson Trust client, Rick started volunteering locally after he left treatment back in 2005. In 2010, as part of his recovery process, he volunteered with CCT on the canal restoration project, clearing and re-building sections of the canal path. Rick told us, “voluntary work on the canal and in other places was an essential part of my rehabilitation process. It re-integrated me into the community, helped me make local connections and most importantly, gave me a sense of value and self-worth. The volunteer work I have done over the years, including Marah, has led me back into employment, further education and now a career in Counselling.” In 2016 Rick graduated with a Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy and he now works as a college lecturer. Towpath restoration between Thrupp and Brimscombe Chapter 5: Opportunities for People and Communities 5.1 Pilot Projects: Testing our approaches and models With our clearer picture of the geography, demography, environment and existing users/ non- users, the CCC CE team designed and implemented a comprehensive programme of 38 pilot projects to test approaches and models with our existing and identified new target audiences.

Many of our pilot activities emerged from existing projects We also designed our pilot activities in such a way as to allow and built on current structures and relationships wherever us to test a range of methodologies, approaches and project possible. Therefore, we added value to work which we ideas within a series of categories, combining a number of started during Phase 1A, taking some of these ideas forward different but connected canal-based experiences together. into discrete pilot projects to test their potential reach, viability for up-scaling and sustainability. We also tested Table 12 below lists all the development stage pilot projects, out some completely new ideas, such as a new community the audience groups they engaged, and the purpose/ aims orchard in Whitminster and exploring community canal of the activities. Our pilots have been grouped under the adoption schemes to stimulate heritage ownership and following key types of activity: support longer-term canal management. After a visit to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal we also explored the idea of • Events, Visitor Experiences, Festivals developing large-scale art-based interpretation as a form of and Creative Arts social inclusion and demographic identity creation. • Heritage Learning • People and Nature • Community adoption and heritage tourism • Canal restoration and volunteering • Community interpretation • Inclusion and participation

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 120 Table 12. Our Pilot Projects, the audiences they targeted, and the aims of the pilots Heritage Learning Pilot Projects:

Pilot Projects Projects TargetTarget audiences audiences Purpose/aimsPurpose/aims of pilot of pilot Date/ Project partners delivery areas

1. Miniature Museum • Children and young • Test archive sharing methodologies with young April, May, Formal and 2. Stories of the Canal people & targeting people June 2019 Informal 3. Eastington, Beeches Green & disadvantaged children & • Test education research questions and CE Heritage Park Junior School Projects young people (SCAPS) methodologies for engaging schools Partners: Learning 4. Twilights Teachers Event • Teachers and schools • Understand existing canal-based learning and SNAC/ sec 5. Visit a Mill • Colleges and tutors barriers for teachers schools Inclusion and 6. Museum in the Park Canal Day Participation Families with their children • Understand how children and young people 7. Places and buildings Walk are currently engaging with archive, Mills and 8. Data Analyst Internship local canal heritage 9. History boys 10. Photographic project with • Pilot working in partnership with Mills and the SGS and GEM participants Museum in the Park 11. Canal Haikus in primary schools 12. Archway School Library

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 121 Events, Visitor Experiences, Festivals and Creative Arts Pilot Projects: Pilot Projects Projects TargetTarget audiences audiences Purpose/aimsPurpose/aims of pilot of pilot Date/ Project partners delivery areas

1. Cotswold Canal Trail • People living adjacent to • Increase knowledge and understanding of the Canal trail Community 2. Nicer on the Water the canal project 4th-6th May Enterprise 3. Wool & Water Festival • Families with children • Test visitor experience, public engagement 2019, Wool and Local workshops • Gloucester communities participation barriers & Water Economic 4. While you Wait - Radio Hut • Visitors from other areas • Collect data on current use festival Development 5. Stonehouse walking festival • Existing canal users • Raise CCC’s profile 1st – 16th • Under-represented • Pilot use of interpretation Sept 2019 Community people • Project launch of Phase 1B Interpretation • Explore feasibility for annual events Partners: • Explore participation of under-represented SNAC/ SDC/ Inclusion and group CCT/ SDC/ Participation • Explore ‘place-making’ and creating a visitor SVCC destination

People and Nature Pilot Projects: Pilot Projects Projects TargetTarget audiences audiences Purpose/aimsPurpose/aims of pilot of pilot Date/ Project partners delivery areas

1. Orchard Day • People Living Adjacent to • Measure health and wellbeing benefits of Orchard People and 2. Bug Bioblitz the canal being outside together tree Nature 3. Nature trail - wildlife bingo • Visitors • Engage the Whitminster, Frampton and planting 4. GWT Nature walks • Under-represented Eastington community in a conservation project 23rd March Inclusion and 5. Sensory garden project people - target ages • Test opportunities for volunteering and 2019 Participation 6. Stonehouse walking festival • Families with young community-led action 7. Creative Camping at Longney children • Test opportunities for volunteering and Partners: Orchard • Disabled young people accredited training through a mixture of GWT/CS/ 8. Wildlife Imprints • Older people and people structured and tailored work programmes, SVP with long term health issues mentoring and buddy schemes as well as one-off • Whitminster residents volunteering days

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 122 Community adoption and heritage tourism pilot projects: Pilot Projects Projects TargetTarget audiences audiences Purpose/aimsPurpose/aims of pilot of pilot Date/ Project partners delivery areas

1. Station Hub – adoption • People Living Adjacent to • Social enterprise development April 26th Community 2. Station exhibitions the canal • Sustainable tourism Enterprise 3. Stroud tourism forum • Visitors – Gloucester • Destination creation Partners: and Local 4. Community rail partnership • Under-represented people • Stroud and Stonehouse economic regeneration GWR/ Economic 5. While you Wait – Radio Hub – disadvantaged adults and • Collaborative approaches SCAPS/ Development young people • Involving underrepresented adults and SGS primary • College students College students schools/ Inclusion and SGS/ SVCC Participation

Canal restoration and volunteering pilot projects: Pilot Projects Projects TargetTarget audiences audiences Purpose/aimsPurpose/aims of pilot of pilot Date/ Project partners delivery areas

1. Meet the Volunteers • People Living Adjacent to • Test CCT/SDC volunteer-led public engagement March/May Restoration 2. Project Architect’s the canal re: volunteering recruitment 2019 Volunteering Engineering Talks • Existing canal users • Engage people, specifically under-represented 3. Barge Pull • Visitors walking along the groups, more deeply. Nicer on the Inclusion and 4. Nicer on the Water tow path • Involve special interest groups and canal Water Participation • Underrepresented people enthusiasts. Aug 2019 – disadvantaged adults • Showcase existing restoration work. • Existing Volunteers • Empower and support existing volunteers Partners: Older people • Conduct research into why people do and don’t SDC/ CCT/ volunteer GWT/ SVCC • Raise the profile of the project across the community

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 123 Community interpretation pilot projects: Pilot Projects Projects TargetTarget audiences audiences Purpose/aimsPurpose/aims of pilot of pilot Date/ Project partners delivery areas

1. Textile workshops and flag • People living adjacent to • To engage people using arts and creative media Wool and Community making the canal • Support the participation of underrepresented Water Interpretation 2. While you Wait – Radio Hub • Families with children groups festival 3. Station Photographic • Gloucester communities • Build collaboration between creative arts- 1st – 16th Exhibitions in Stroud and • Visitors from other areas based organisations in the area September Stonehouse stations • Existing canal users • Test the use of different media 2019. 4. School canal-based poetry • Under-represented people • Explore canal signage - disabled access, (haikus) cycling, leisure facilities. Partners: 5. Luke Jerram Flag Ship art- • Explore ideas for formal interpretation for Look again installation planning workshop wildlife and heritage information GWR 6. Canal storytelling (during SCAPS canal trail and Museum Canal SDC/CCT Day) 7. Natural plant-based dye art – Museum in the Park

Inclusion and participation pilot projects for under-represented people: Pilot Projects Projects TargetTarget audiences audiences Purpose/aimsPurpose/aims of pilot of pilot Date/ Project partners delivery areas

1. Access Bike hire • Underrepresented • Deepen our understanding of the barriers for Aug-Sept Access Canal: 2. Cotswold Boatmobility audiences under-represented people and communities 2019 Engaging 3. Textile workshops and flag • Develop co-produced monitoring indicators under- making Partners: represented 4. Graffiti youth project GWR people 5. Are We Allowed Here? SCAPS 6. Mindful Photography SDC/CCT 7. Station exhibition Cotswold 8. All-Ages Boatmobility 9. Re-connect SVCC

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 124 exhibition on Stroud and Stonehouse railway station 5.1.1 Connecting platforms, between April and November 2019. Communities Piloting collaborative work on canal photographic The pilot project involved the participation of six young interpretation, station adoption modelling and a people currently studying photography at South public canal trial event. Gloucestershire & Stroud College (SGS), as well as three men currently being supported by GEM (Going the Extra Our Approach Mile a Big Lottery and ESF funded programme supporting In order to test a range of ideas and approaches across a vulnerable adults into employment or training). It was also scheme of work we ran a series of different connected pilot enhanced by poems, about their experiences, from the eight activities and events. One piece of work which we named, Stroud & Cotswold Alternative Provision School children Photographer James Kriszyk who worked with ‘Connecting Communities’, wove together a series of pilot we had supported to go canoeing on the canal with local two GEM participants activities designed to explore ‘community adoption’, ‘place- community project, Boatmobility. taking canal photos for the station exhibitions making’, ‘canal interpretation’, ‘visitor destination creation, and building canal/rail links between Stonehouse, Stroud and Gloucester. This series of projects also involved the participation of under-represented audiences and presented the opportunity to explore the benefits of multi-agency collaborative working. They involved strong collaboration between local train stations, a rail operator and partnership, community groups, colleges, schools and photographers.

Working together During the Development Stage, Creative Sustainability adopted rooms at Stroud and Stonehouse train stations to develop a community-led tourist hub and information point which will continue to link the canal and railway heritage together throughout the Delivery Stage. The Hub was launched with a photographic exhibition, connecting canal and railway heritage. Space for 24 frames and sponsorship was provided by Great Western Railways (GWR) and the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) with a permanent

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 125 The Benefits of Station Adoption 5.1.2 The Canal-Rail Trail This pilot project was a really positive example of successful, supported participation between different vulnerable Following this successful project CCC organised a weekend 61 groups, community adoption and the benefits it can bring to canal-rail trail between Stroud and Stonehouse Stations communities throughout the process when working in a which involved the participation of over 500 people on the 4th co-creative and collaborative fashion. & 5th May 2019. This project brought people together from Stroud, Stonehouse and Gloucester through a mapped trail of Station Adoption is a national initiative supported by GWR events and activities that celebrated canal and rail heritage, and ACoRP, which support over 1000 stations adoptees along the canal corridor between Stroud and Stonehouse. nationwide. They encourage communities to get involved with their stations in creative and practical ways. It brings The project demonstrated the potential to draw the broader people together, creates pride and ownership in stations and canal community together onto the canal through active and increases community cohesion. In September 2019, the Canal adventurous canal experiences. It also attracted the Gloucester & River Trust, having heard about the station hub initiative community, with many families with young children in Stroud, plan to develop the equivalent station adoption participating, demonstrating the potential to further draw the schemes around the rest of the UK, linking the railways to the Gloucester community to the Stroudwater Navigation so they canal network in locations where rail and waterways coincide can spend more time in nature in an active healthy way. around community hubs. The Station Hub, located in station rooms at Stroud Station, ACORP’s Operations Manager Paul Webster and Researcher was used as the Canal Tourist Hub throughout the weekend Rob Lowson attended the event. Paul will be producing a case and provided a convenient gateway to the canal. The Hub study of the Stroud and Stonehouse Connected initiative, was visited by over 500 people who collected trail maps and identifying the links to the project, community cohesion, welcome packs as part of the event. 70% of the visitors were sustainable transport and local economic development. recorded as arriving from within Stroud District specifically and 49% travelled by train, mainly visiting the canal trail ‘I am really impressed and excited by this from Stroud, Stonehouse or Gloucester. The event collaborative project. It illustrates the demonstrated that experiential trails are highly attractive and a good way to increase community engagement, raise power of communities working together visitor numbers and produce positive economic impacts. empowering and engaging local people The Station Hub was a strategic location for welcoming in an inclusive creative way.” visitors, providing access to the town and the canal and 61. Pilot Project Canal ACORP’s Operations Manager Paul Webster supporting sustainable transport links. Trail

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 126 Creative Sustainability is exploring the potential to include Gloucester in a station adoption program and to establish a Community Rail partnership between the three stations. The Canal Rail Trail, extended to the three stations, will further engage the broad canal community. Community Hubs at Stroud, Stonehouse and Gloucester stations will be beneficial assets to the CCC project creating community spaces along the canal corridor which increase connectivity to the canal and canal towns whilst also creating fertile ground for new local enterprise. Through our consultations, focus groups, pilots and online surveys, people identified the need for public facilities, human activity and “sticky places” in order to be able to access, feel safe and welcome on the canal corridor. Community Hubs could support local entrepreneurs, community led activities and events in convenient, accessible and attractive spaces.

Opportunities for people and communities: Canal-Rail Trail An extended Canal Rail Trail will establish a unique destination experience along the broad corridor attracting locals and tourists and contributing to increased local economic development. Local businesses situated along the pilot trail reported increased sales and footfall throughout the weekend: The Stonehouse Court Hotel reported an increase of £500 worth of sales, and The Canal Trip Boat reporting a total of 118 adults and 77 children on 23 trips with a revenue potential of £821 and Kitsch Café, located at Ebley Mill reported a Stopping to write canal postcards 30% increase in its Sunday trading. on the Canal Trail

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 127 5.2 Developing Community Hubs Through our consultations, focus groups, pilots and online surveys we learnt about the various barriers to using the canal. Many people identified the need for public facilities, human activity and “sticky places” in order to be able to access, feel safe and welcome on the canal corridor. Creating community spaces along the canal corridor would increase connectivity to the canal and canal towns whilst supporting local enterprise opportunities.

Community Hubs could support local entrepreneurs, The key issues relating to Hubs identified community led activities and events in convenient, accessible during the Development Stage were: and attractive spaces. We researched the canal hub concept at public consultations asking the public if they liked the idea • Inadequate Community Hubs or social gateways leading people from the canal to the town and what they would want to see in a Canal Hub. Our Canal Hub data capture boards were responded to by 333 members • Limited signage and communications from towns of the public with 20% requesting a community focused space, and stations to the canal 20% wanted improved links to transport or active travel and • A desire for community activities that bring 27% requested a tourism hub or visitors centre.62 people together along the canal corridor • A need to improve local economic development opportunities to retain young people and provide employment opportunities • Unidentified sense of place and unique selling points for Stonehouse • Limited transport linking the canal corridor with 62. Supporting Document Community other locations Hub Data Analysis

Hannah McDonnell finds out what people think about CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 128 the new Station Hub Cheapside near Wallbridge in Stroud

5.2.1 Hubs for improving local services and facilities The lack of services and utilities along with fear and safety were considered the main barriers to canal-use for existing users. During the towpath survey 21.9% of respondents said improving availability of toilets, car parks, cafes, pubs, signage and places to sit and socialise together would make the canal environment more accessible and inclusive. Much of this would be resolved through the development of a range of canal-based Community Hubs.

Community Hubs could house toilets, be accessible, provide focal points, increase the movement of people and so reduce fear and isolation, provide signage, information and welcome points.63

Our research and surveys showed that prioritising local community needs is essential to ensure maximum benefits to our people and communities. Some local people expressed concerns that visitors and moorings would have a higher priority when planning for the restoration, than local residents’ own communities. In Stroud, for example, the architects at Newland Homes’ Frampton and Whitminster residents expressed fear that have planned development for 47 canal side properties at the restoration of the wilder areas (Missing Miles and Cheapside. This design has allocated one of the units for the 63. Research and Whitminster/ River Frome adjoining sections), would result development of a community Hub and these plans carefully Development Report in ‘over-tourism’ and the gentrification of these wild areas. consider the location of the proposed visitor moorings and Prosperous and Connected Communities Conversations with SVCC identified the potential need to the construction of a public square with signage that invites and Case Study de-market Frampton and focus on other villages where the visitors and residents to walk or cycle from the canal to Stroud Community Hubs 64. Case Study Along 64 development of Hubs would be more appropriate. Town accessing Hubs and facilities along the towpath. the Stroudwater

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 129 Diagram 6. Hub Analysis Developing Opportunities for people Health & Sustainability Community Hubs Wellbeing Local Community Hubs along the canal corridor Livable Economic were researched to identity the need and stations Development themes the community wanted to prioritise. Dementia Food & friendly towns Environment Community Catering The proposal was tested at four public consultations & stations and one key stakeholder workshop with 239 6.1% 20.1% contributors. Data collected revealed the the Hub themes Sustainable Transport and Tourism were validated in 48.8% of the publics responses. Safe & quiet Community spaces Access Café Cohesion The themes Art, Environment and Accessibility 3.9% 14.4% were frequently presented by the community. Community Hub The aspiration for improved links between Stroud Outward Transport and Stonehouse communities were supported. journeys Cycling & Links The potential to link the stations through a Art Integrated community rail partnership and links through 8.7% Transport Cotswold Canals Connected running between the 19.7% Welcome Tourism Cycle two towns and parallel to the railway is evident. return Hire 27.1% Themes supporting community cohesion held a dominant thread in public responses to the Telling the local Maps opportunity. Considering the findings we consider story community involvement key to driving this n Destination development forward. Commitment to taking a Stakeholder Signage priority themes Management participatory and responsive approach will help Promote & idenified Inspire embed the aim to deliver community benefit n Public responses throughout the life cycle of this project. analysed 5.2.2 Improving Health & Wellbeing Connecting our canal communities through dynamic inclusive activities that celebrate connectivity and benefits, along the broad corridor, will contribute to creating cohesive communities and an improved sense of belonging and wellbeing. Our approach is aligned with the Stroud District Council’s (SDC) Plan to improve health and wellbeing locally65 and Gloucestershire County Council’s (GCC) ‘Looking to the Future 2019-2022 Strategy’, which stipulates commitments to health and wellbeing, prioritising activities that promote mental wellbeing, reduce social isolation and encourage healthy lifestyles.

In a 2017 GCC’s survey of community health and wellbeing needs, the top priority for health and wellbeing was access to local leisure services. Our programme will encourage and facilitate access to the canal by all sorts of people. People will be encouraged to spend active leisure time along the canal Boatmobility trip with disabled people from Ryeford to the Ocean corridor providing an on the doorstep solution to inactivity and social isolation through access to transport links, tracks, CCC will offer a wide range of outdoor learning, leisure and fun trails, activities and connectivity. activities for people across the Cotswolds which will encourage healthier lifestyles and more active communities. This also Accordingly, CCC also aligns with SDC’s Priorities for aligns with recommendations outlined in the Space to Thrive Health and Wellbeing from their Health and Wellbeing Report66. We have already seen the benefits of restoring Plan 2019: sections of the canal path which has led to a substantial increase in use for commuting to and from work. A connected Priority 1: network of walks and annual canal trails, as well as natural 65. Stroud District Supporting Healthy Lifestyles trails, community orchard projects and creative arts projects Council Health and Wellbeing Plan 2019-2021 will lead to health and wellbeing benefits for thousands of Priority 2: 66. Space to Thrive Developing Stronger Communities people in and around the Cotswolds. Report 2019

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 131 5.2.3 Our Learning Visit From Research to Action: Nicer on the Water to the Community Connect Our research visit to the Community Connect Foundation Foundation in Birmingham in Birmingham inspired us to test the same idea locally in We visited Johur Uddin, the CEO of the Community Connect Stonehouse. We developed a pilot project: ‘Nicer on The 67 Foundation and Bashir Ahmed, the Development and Water’ to see how we could connect our communities along Engagement Manager from the Canal and River Trust in the corridor, increase confidence in getting active out on the Birmingham. They showed us their community centre where water and support local Ryeford residents to design, develop they have supported more than 5,000 people with a particular and manage their own canal-based community event. focus on supporting health, wellbeing and business livelihoods for Bangladeshi women through the spaces and resources In February 2019, we met with Colin, Jean, Jan and Keith, who they provide. Over 11 years they have developed a Community are members of the Ryeford canal community and volunteer Hub as a safe place for people to visit, learn, be supported with accessible boating group, Costwold Boatmobility. They and connect. We discussed how and why they had developed had lots of ideas about the Nicer on the Water event about the canal-based festival Nowka Bais – Living Waterways boating, music, stall holders and logistics, and were confident Award 2018. Recognising the barriers to accessing waterways, that they could run the event, with some support. Four local the festival was created to bring people closer to the water, bands played music next to the canal and on the canal trip increase their confidence, sense of ownership and their health boat. This created a lovely, fun atmosphere and encouraged and wellbeing. Now considered a leading national event people to stop on their way past along the towpath. There was celebrating Bangladeshi heritage and culture over 20,000 warm community feeling with so many people coming along people came from across the country in 2017. Bashir told us: and getting involved. The atmosphere was very indicative of Stonehouse, exemplifying the research work we later did “Our research tells us that time spent by the water can help around Spirit of Place. us all to lead happier and healthier lives but sadly many people don’t currently use the waterways on their doorstep. Lots of people were surprised to find out that it was the first That’s why Nowka Bais has become so important because time that Nicer on the Water had happened and that they it attracts thousands of people to the waterside who may would definitely come back next year. It was the first time that lots of people had been out on the water along the canal, and never have visited their local canal before. The real beauty 67. Pilot Project Nicer of this project is that it then encourages them to have a go they were surprised that it was free and so easy. on the Water for themselves and they can then start to feel the health and wellbeing benefits that our waterways offer.”

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 132 Boatmobillity ran accessible boat trips as part of the Nicer on the Water pilot event Pilot Project: Nicer on the Water

Project Highlights: • Raised the profile of community business Cotswold Boatmobility, including fundraising more than £1000 to fund a Canalside toilet for Cotswold Boatmobility users • Stroud Canoe Club recruited new members and explored a new section of the canal, away from where they usually meet at Capel’s Mill • Cotswold Canals Trust trip boat Perseverance took 164 out on the canal, more people than ever before on a Saturday • Supported vulnerable adult, Craig did his first catering work experience that has led to two more work experience opportunities and then a paid role in a local café • The number of people who came to the event was just about right to give everyone the chance to get out on the water. • SHIPS community group met with 280 from the local community Case Study: 5.2.4 Social and economic Canal Based Work Experience benefits of Hubs Net Gains for People: National examples of Hubs Existing national examples show how supporting community- led canal-based projects whether Hubs, community enterprises, cafés or volunteer-led heritage centres, can not only pay off, but ‘pay it forward’ too, galvanising the local economy.

The London School of Economic68 undertook an economic analysis of community capacity building using three interventions: time banking, community navigators and befriending. All three were found to deliver a net economic benefit when costs and value were calculated. For example, time banking had an estimated net value of £667 per person per year, extending to £1,312 if improvements in quality of life were included in the analysis.

The Community Economic Development Craig lives in supported housing and is being assisted by (CED approach) the GEM project who are helping him get back into work As part of our community engagement strategy we will or training. As part of ‘Nicer on the Water’, Craig joined a adopt an approach which builds on the key elements of team of two other people to run the barbeque. Community Economic Development (CED)69, which describes a process of development within a specific geographical area. “It was good to learn how to work 68. Building Community The approach views environmental, social and economic Capacity:Making an in a team with people I didn’t know issues as interconnected, and recognises the importance economic case PSSRU Discussion Paper 2772 before. This experience meant I of the relationship between the local, regional and national 69. Community layers of the economy. It is asset-led, building on the Economic was confident to get some catering Development:Lessons knowledge, experience and resources which already exist from two years’ action work at a music festival and later in that community, to identify and maximise the economic research, Department for Communities and on I got some work serving food in opportunities available. Local Government 2017 a Cafe in Stroud.” CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 134 To positively transform the ability of people and communities to flourish there are a number of starting points which we Hollingwood Hub, Chesterfield Canal started to consider as part of developing our Prosperous and Hollingwood Hub stands alongside a lock on a five-mile Connected Communities strategy which will be delivered restored length of the Chesterfield Canal, showcasing as part of CCC’s Community Enterprise and Local Economic the restoration to all walkers and cyclists who stop Development Plan (see plan summary in Chapter 7 - p229). here. Formerly a lock house, it was converted in 2010/11 These are: thanks to a government grant of £385,00 under the • Building people’s capacity to cope well Community Assests Programme and now boasts a • Building the community’s capacity to function coffee shop, a meeting and education room, a play and well as a community picnic area, showers and toilets. It also serves as an archive and office base for the Chesterfield Canal Trust. • Increasing the community’s power to make things happen With many local facilities closed due to financial cuts, the Hub has filled a much-needed gap in the area. Its The Hollingwood Hub site is owned by Derbyshire County flexible space lends itself to a wide variety of different Council, who supervised the renovation and construction, uses. The meeting room is used by schools, crèches and it is run by the Chesterfield Canal Trust. It is conveniently and playgroups. It is available from early morning until located on the Chesterfield Canal towpath (which also forms late evening so social events, training courses and night part of the Trans Pennine Trail), attracting some 55,000 walkers school classes are also easily accommodated. and 30,000 cyclists each year, as well as anglers and canoeists. Many of them call at the Hub for coffee, for information about the canal or for volunteering opportunities. Meanwhile, the Community Canal Adoption garden is being developed by local volunteers and school Wassifa Inspire based in Birmingham adopted stretches children. Benches, picnic tables and cycle racks have already of the canal building gardens and hubs to inspire and made this an inviting area for all. build connectivity. “We had an old sailboat, which we used to create a graffiti display – it was this that inspired “Within days of opening, local us to consider another waterfront space.” Read more in 70. Supporting teenagers were employed and being our Prosperous and Connected Communities Research Document Research 70 and Development trained in the coffee shop. Within and Development Report. Report Prosperous and months, the three-year target for Connected Communities visitor numbers had been met.” Robin Stonebridge, Chair of the Chesterfield Canal Trust

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 135 community to support them. The approach will encourage and 5.2.5 Supporting local stimulate local economic development and local supply chain entrepreneurs for business use by increasing economic linkages and minimising leakages and Hub development from the local economy. To harness the economic benefits of CCC locally we need to CCC Opportunities for Community Enterprise support and include local people from the outset. During Hub development: the Development Stage we looked at how to best support local entrepreneurs to prepare for the opportunities ahead. 1. Access Bike SVCC have offered between 5 - 10 licenses specifically for We explored the potential to develop a bike hire scheme local entrepreneurs and to support the development of five along the canal working with Stonehouse Court Hotel, Community Enterprise Hubs along the corridor. GWR stations and Stroud Brewery

73 We consulted with a number of existing canal-based business 2. SUP Stroud Paddle boarding There is already a Paddleboarding Hub at the Black Shed, owners, explored ways to bring them together to create there is potentially the scope to establish another at the interlinked visitor experiences that support the local economy Brimscombe end of the canal and engage visitors. We then developed some pilots to celebrate, map and connect canal experiences.71 The pilots 3. Canoe build and hire enterprise encouraged a partnership approach that celebrated the There is scope to set up a canoe hire service along the canal variety and diversity of the corridor within an immersive canal corridor with local entrepreneurs which could be identified experience. A broad corridor approach was taken in the Canal through Julie Ellison’s outreach and mentoring programme Trail pilot testing the potential to develop better connections 4. Stonehouse Court Hotel along the corridor and a broad corridor experience. There is scope to development further our partnership with 71. Supporting CCC (and later SVCC) to embeds the canal trail and link Document Canal Trail, We also consulted with Julie Ellison from ‘Make It Thrive’ with an Access Bike Hire Scheme for local young people Supporting Document CCC Impact Report 2019 who provides business support for local entrepreneurs and Update and Pilot Project specialises in social enterprise.72 Julie recommended a 5. Maps and icons Nicer on the Water business development programme using a Local Economic Develop CCC branding with the design of maps and icons 72. Supporting to develop more canal maps for visitors and improve Document Make It Forum model over the 3 years of the project delivery. The Thrive. opportunities to connect the corridor, increase visitor programme would engage and stimulate local innovators 73. Case Study Fraser and local engagement Withy to develop realistic business plans in preparation for the connectivity to national waterways whilst encouraging the

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 136 5.3 Opportunities for People and Nature

The Working with Nature Programme’s core focus is on towpath. It is important that these necessary improvements conservation, protection and enhancement of the natural are designed in sympathy with the canal built heritage and environment for wildlife. As part of achieving these aims, we do not detract from their character, distinctiveness or overly will implement a huge number of practical opportunities for disrupt the ecological corridor which is already being widely people and communities to create greater environmental used and appreciated by local communities. The CCT and SDC awareness, provide opportunities for eco-education and towpath teams have considerable design and construction ensure robust and sustainable resource management long experience, with focus on these aspects from Phase 1A. It is into the future. These are presented in the People and worth noting that in Phase 1A, the towpath is 2m wide where Nature Delivery Plan (see Chapter 7 pp. 228). possible and can be used by people with mechanical aids (e.g. mobility scooters). There have been challenges with narrow Balancing Restoration, Access and paths under bridges and/or steps but in most cases, this has Impact on Nature been addressed by creating ramps e.g. around Bowbridge lock Very little of the Phase 1B canal corridor currently meets via Bowbridge Lock Road and Eagle Mill Close. accessibility standards and will therefore to be upgraded as part of the restoration. This upgrading, whilst providing an Restoration will inevitably bring increased visitor numbers opportunity for improved and more inclusive access for a and associated pressures. The new infrastructure – improved more diverse social demography, will also have to take into access, car parking and additional leisure facilities such as consideration the wildlife areas adjacent to the River Frome, picnic areas – could erode the landscape value in a number which the local community strongly value. of ways, changing not only the canal-side character but also the ‘sense of place’ it engenders, unless an appropriate Our baseline research and community engagement/ balance is achieved. Sensitivity is critical to avoiding damaging consultation identified competing demands on the alterations and this will be addressed through on-going and canal’s footpath network between different types of robust community engagement across the duration of CCC. users such as: cyclists, walkers, parents, elderly people, disabled people and anglers. In addition to the widespread community consultation process, CCC has also developed Conservation Appraisals at the sub- Increased public access to the canals also brings new project level that have been created to manage competing 74. See Section D requirements for safe use such as non-slip surfacing and aspirations and financial andhuman resource restrictions.74 Conservation Plan the addition of railings around weirs or at entrances to the

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 137 Community Consultation and Feedback “It’s very good just to sit on the Two of our key research questions were: benches and listen and watch • What wildlife and conservation engagement the wildlife” activities planned for the project can local people get involved in as volunteers or take community ownership over? GWT told us that “A priority area for • What measures would make people more likely Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is to to spend time outdoors and improve their health help young children enjoy being and wellbeing? outside so they will feel at ease in

Our baseline data for nature-based learning showed that: nature, and ready to learn about • 32% of people at community consultations told wildlife.” us that they go to the canal to watch wildlife • 50% people said they would like more We found that for watching wildlife there is a great downturn in events along the canal to learn about wildlife the 13-18 and 19-31 age groups, followed by a lesser downturn (online questionnaire) in families with children under 12 years old.75 • 12% people said they would like more guided walks along the canal to learn about wildlife Piloting nature-based community (online questionnaire) engagement As part of our wider nature-based engagement programmes People told us: we ran two nature-based pilot projects, delivered as part of Creative Sustainability’s Wild Lives project banner. This helped “I go to the canal to see the beautiful 75. See Research and us learn more about current nature/ wildlife engagement Development Report wildlife, away from the traffic” Working with Nature, and inform decisions about target audiences. Focus group Figure 3. Watching discussions with people aged 10-18 years from Stroud and Wildlife showing the percentage of “I love walking along the canal seeing Cotswold Alternative Provisions School (SCAPS), The Door and respondents watching Thomas Keble (TK) School indicated that on average just 8% wildlife by age range all the wildlife – there’s loads of (2019 community wildlife to be seen” of young people reported watching wildlife along the canal. consultations) pp.17

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 138 Chart 6: Percentage of young people who We found that: reported watching wildlife on the canal • People like a range of activities and engaging 100 directly with expert’s depth of knowledge 90 • School holiday events attract families 80 70 • 3 hours is the right length of time for an event 60 50 for families with young children 40 30 • People want clear information about location, 20 access, range of activities and quality of the experts people % of young 10 0 • People want to move between activities at their TK school SCAPS The Door own pace, to revisit things they liked focus groups • Young children and adults really enjoy a printed aid to exploring wildlife (identification charts, To help understand the level of interest in wildlife-based wildlife bingo cards) - they don’t want phone-based events we designed a nature activity day, (see Pilot Project Bug apps Bioblitz)76 that would inspire and engage children and families • Hands-on activities are best! with nature, developing their understanding of the canal corridor entirely interactively. The pilot project for the restoration of an existing relict orchard The day provided children and families the opportunity to: gave us the opportunity to understand if there was an appetite to connect with nature and the land. • Explore a wide range of animals (large and small) along the canal As part of our Community Pilot Project Orchard Day77 • Learn about field signs when out in nature we found that: • Inspire children and their families to take part • People and communities wanted to engage in in wider canal-based opportunities that support local land-based projects better health and well-being, life-long learning • People want practical ways to participate and 76. Pilot Project Bug and active citizenship enjoy producing food Bioblitz 77. More detail can be • Find out about barriers to use in that section of • Communities need Hubs for local events found in Pilot Project canal and what would encourage children and and activities Orchard Day families to use it more in the future

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 139 pond creation and hedgerow, orchard and tree work. Built 5.3.1 Opportunities for habitat creation projects include pillbox conversions for bats, people and nature activities construction of bird and bat boxes, otter holts and kingfisher for the Delivery Stage banks, insect hotels and creating hibernacula for reptiles/ amphibians. A key element of the success of our Working with Nature strategy will be engaging people and communities in the natural Accredited training opportunities we have identified for environment and wildlife conservation opportunities created the Delivery Stage include: by the canal-river corridor. We will coordinate a broad range of activities for a variety of interests ranging from spending time • Learning how to identify protected species in nature for health and well-being to building wildlife habitats and habitats – botanical identification courses, bird identification courses, protected species and/or being involved in species or other environmental identification and conservation, non-native monitoring. Much of our people and nature activities will involve species identification collaborative working with local community groups, orchard groups, SVP, GWT and other agencies such as CRT and the • Learning how to plant and care for trees until they Unlocking the Severn project team. are established. Training in pollarding, coppicing, pruning and scything. Also, City & Guilds/NPTC training courses for use of chainsaws, brush cutters CCC Opportunities for inclusive activities that promote and trimmers, and pesticide spraying enjoyment, learning and well-being: • Learning how to plant and manage an orchard • Restoration and recreation of historic habitats (e.g. harvesting, pruning) and sustainable enterprises that will enable visitors to understand and enjoy (e.g. apple juice and cider production) important aspects of the Severn Vale’s heritage, including floodplain meadows, orchards and • Safe work near water, first aid, working at height, reedbeds, which for centuries have made this area animal care, tree safety etc famous and much loved • Hedge laying • Training and identification courses for volunteers, local communities and staff to ensure that the canal Through the completion of this ecological corridor, visitors and its associated habitat creation scheme are will be able to travel along an important green and blue managed sustainably into the future infrastructure pathway, for leisure or to work, and gain the health and wellbeing benefits of being outdoors in the Opportunities in areas of conservation and environmental natural environment. resource management include wildlife flower sowing along tow-paths, meadows and in orchards; wetland, scrape and

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 140 The creation of reedbeds will provide water purification and 5.3.2 Opportunities for fish habitat for target species such as the critically endangered Climate Change Resilience European Eel, helping meet obligations under the Water There is a lot of concern internationally, nationally and Framework Directive and the Eel Regulations and helping to locally about climate change which has been identified as maintain genetic diversity. Wetlands can also act as sinks for one of the greatest threats to our planet and way of life. In atmospheric carbon, with reedbeds, fen, marsh and swamp -1 response to this threat, SDC was the first council in Europe storing up to 2 tonnes of carbon per hectare , ensuring our to become carbon neutral in 2015. Following the recent proposed biodiversity offsets will also contribute to combating Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report (2018)78, climate change. SDC has strengthened its commitment to tackle climate change by declaring a climate emergency on 14 December 79 2018. This commitment includes the stipulation that the Community Climate Change Action: entire Stroud District is to become carbon neutral by 2030. Climate Cairn The Project commitment to plant thousands of new shrubs Gloucestershire Climate Action Network have proposed a and trees, create areas of wetland habitat and help restore small landscape feature, to be known as a climate cairn, areas of the Lower Frome floodplain all align well with the made of dry-stone walling, rubble and soil at Capels Mill stated climate change ambitions of SDC. One of the key (the green canalside wildlife space managed by SVP, and recommendations to come out of the development of the owned by SDC). It would be built by the community, CCC Conservation Plan was to, “Help the District adapt and who would bring stone and soil from where they live and become more resilient to future change.” would then be sown with wildflowers. The plan would be a unifying local physical action on climate change and In line with this, the aim of the Working with Nature the wider ecological crisis and a sharing of information, Programme is to help protect and secure the future of insight and ideas. A visual statement in the landscape of declining and protected habitats and species through the commitment to an ecologically sustainable future. creation of a network of nature reserves. This will create ecological corridors that benefit habitat and species In the context of SDC’s commitment to achieve carbon conservation in the face of climate change and other neutrality by 2030, this project aims to increase the environmental and human impacts. knowledge, feelings and connections in our community in order to have the capacity and enthusiasm for the 78. IPCC Report 2018 79. Stroud District broad changes needed. Council’s commitment to climate change

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 141 However, if this section was restored and enhanced it would 5.3.3 Opportunities for provide additional connectivity to the estuary by forming a new activities at Framilode blue/green corridor across the landscape. This work would as a response to community also add value to projects planned by partner organisations such as the work planned by the EA for the Framilode Flood feedback Defence scheme. As part of the community engagement process the Cotswold Canals Connected Consultative Group (CCCCG), has been set Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, a detailed planning up and is meeting bi-monthly to discuss CCC progress. The meeting did not take place. A detailed plan setting out group is made up of Town and Parish Councillors from Phases what work will be carried out in this section will therefore 1A and 1B of the canal from Fretherne/Framilode on the banks be developed during the delivery stage. Potential projects of the Severn all the way up to Chalford which lies to the east to take forward include: of Brimscombe. • Tackle invasive species, including azolla and Himalayan balsam, that are choking out native At the first meeting in summer 2019, the councillors from vegetation Fretherne with Saul Parish raised the fact that, although outside the original footprint of the Project, there is a keenness • Work to the footpath to bring it up to a similar standard of accessibility as the rest of the canal locally to be involved in the restoration. The Stroudwater towpath Navigation originally ran all the way to the River Severn at Framilode and although this section is unlikely form part of • Increase species diversity and ensure a mosaic of the navigable network (boats will now join the canal via the habitats, from standing water to fen and reedbed, which support a wide range of species Gloucester and Sharpness Canal at Saul Junction) it does form an important piece in the canal’s history. • Installation of interpretation at Saul Junction and Framilode. This could include details of the heritage A walkover of this section carried out by the Canal of the canal and information on the wildlife along the route Environment Manager identified that the canal itself has been unmanaged for a number of years and is now largely • Development of circular walks to include the lower overgrown with vegetation dominated by either Common end of the canal. These will offer a wide range of Reed or invasive Himalayan Balsam. Although fenced for benefits from a boosted local economy by encouraging visitors into the local villages to most of its length the fence and footpath are not in a good improvements to health and wellbeing condition and there is no information available along the route explaining anything of the history or the watercourse.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 142 5.4 Opportunities for Heritage Learning Stroudwater Navigation Archive, the most complete canal archive in the UK, together with the Project’s conservation, biodiversity and habitat restoration, and the 42 canal restoration engineering projects, makes the scope for both formal and informal learning opportunities extremely broad.

The wealth of opportunities will be hugely enhanced by existing resources including actively engaged canal enthusiasts in engineering and restoration working with SDC and CCT; educators working with Museum in the Park and a number of local history groups; experts in natural environment working with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Stroud Valleys Project; people working with the canal textiles heritage, Stroud Textiles Trust and the Wool and Water Festival; and existing canal based community hubs along the canal corridor from Stroud to Gloucester. As with all our activities we will embed the project outcomes in partnership with these organisations to create a rich community-led programme that will outlive the life of this project. The following section summarises our findings and presents the opportunities we will take forward for formal and information heritage learning.

Jane Ford, Stroud Textiles Trust volunteer talks to primary school children from Beech Green School in Gloucester about textile heritage at the Museum in the Park CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 143 5.4.1 Opportunities for Primary Schools A small group of CCT volunteers have been ambassadors for Formal Learning formal canal heritage learning in primary schools for the past There are 26 schools and colleges including 4 special 10 years, stemming from the enthusiasm and passion for schools within a mile or so either side of Stroudwater canals learning at CCT. Retired headteachers, including Lois Navigation. These cover a large portion of the population Francis, Regional Board Member of the Canal and River Trust, in the area and through schools we aim to engage a SNAC co-ordinator and Young Explorer education volunteer, communities in the project. We have mapped these, have drawn on a wealth of skills and education experience to along with community-based groups and special interest deliver an exciting programme of activities including music, groups, so that we can get a good understanding of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths), literacy and where communities are in relation to sites of interest and creative projects for 2,000 children over five years. potential activity along the canal because we know that the immediate locality is important to people. These include: • Schemes of work developed for STEM activities in There are 10 schools situated along the Phase 1B Canal collaboration with Canal and River Trust and Restoration Corridor, including five stage funded infant, junior Stroud Valleys Project or primary schools, 1 state funded secondary school, 2 special • Canal based activities – Barge Pulling, canal walks schools and 2 independent schools. Together, they provide (Case Study ‘Stories of the Canal’)80 teaching to 2,330 students. There are however, 11 primary schools, 5 secondary schools, 1 college and 5 special schools • Interpretation and canal-based enquiry (Case 81 within a mile or so either side of the whole length of Stroudwater Study ‘Then and Now’) Navigation, and a further 29 primary and 34 secondary schools, • Guided walks for school groups (Case Study ‘Park 2 special schools, and 4 Further Education colleges across School Walk’)82 Stroud District for whom the Cotswold Canals are their nearest • Museum based workshops canal waterway. This represents 26,340 primary and secondary 80. Case Study Stories pupils in Stroud District which could potentially benefit from • Musical performance for school cluster (Pilot of the Canal 83 the introduction of an educational scheme of work for canal- Project ‘Connections’) 81. Case Study Then and Now heritage curriculum learning in schools. • After school activities including mural painting 82. Case Study Park under two bridges School Walk 83. Pilot Project • Boat trips from Saul Junction Connections

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 144 Case study: Lengthsperson Mary Jeans A lovely encounter with Mary Jeans, CCT volunteer, introduced us to the idea of a liaison role between a school and the ongoing work and opportunities arising on their nearest stretch of the canal. Mary told us about her role as Lengsthsman and the pleasure she and others took from it. Requiring a long- term and regular commitment it has a very clear community communication remit. Mary likes her role because it links her with her community and we discussed how to develop it further and to understand the role as a strong and sustainable link with local schools and supporting a canal curriculum, and as a community ambassador for the wider community and an informal engagement programme. She proposed that her length would work with Kings Stanley Primary School and has identified activities she can lead on for canal curriculum including taking part in wildlife conservation and enhancement, keeping canals litter free and co-ordinating opportunities arising for participation by schools.

Based on our learning we created a curriculum planning along to the Festival of Nature.85 This model easily translates support document.84 The framework has been taken up by into any focus of expertise and is a great way to augment the Stroud Valleys School, to kick start their canal curriculum primary school canal curriculum and to engage more families planning which they aim to deliver in Spring 2020. At the with the Canal Day at the Museum in the Park.86 start of the Delivery Stage we will work with them to review what went well and what could be better, followed with CCC Opportunities for Primary Schools: a presentation to the Stroud Association of Schools. The dissemination of schemes of work and CPD for staff, alongside • The potential to work with all 15 primary the same offer of support, opportunities and resources schools within 1 mile of the canal corridor to develop a canal curriculum will then be disseminated to all those schools wishing to participate in the project. • Development of online and material resources • Local expert-led activities, both site and We are also drawing on an existing Model project, Meet the classroom based Experts, to inform our programme. Meet the Experts brings together nature experts at the Museum in the Park each year, • Staff training and coordinated shared learning providing 4 days for 60 children and their teachers each day • Meet the Canal Experts for 300 children each 84. Pilot Project Stroud with a carousel of activities run by nature experts. Children year of the project Valley School Canal complete tasks in their Nature Ambassador Passports and are Curriculum Support • SVCC volunteer Lengthspeople linked to their 85. Supporting encouraged to return to complete the challenge at the annual local school and community groups to identify Document Meet the Stroud Festival of Nature. Over 4 years 960 children were Experts Report 2018 activities they can offer 86. Pilot Project engaged, and we estimate that 50% brought their families Museum Day

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 145 Secondary Schools SNAC reports that no schools in our locality have used primary Creative Sustainability has worked with nearly all the resources for historical reference. We talked to the Head of secondary schools in the District on environmental projects the History Department at Marling School to understand since 2010, however, understanding how to integrate how the archive might complement formal study within the heritage learning in to KS3 and KS4, as part of CCC has been existing secondary curriculum, given the rigid nature of it. challenging. The CE team met with 4 History ‘A’ level students We learnt that A level students could choose a topic as part to think about how to engage people of their age in formal of their ‘Breadth of Study’ programme. The breadth studies learning opportunities. They planned and piloted a project offered by AQA are Industrialisation and the People: Britain together for the summer holiday and visited Gloucestershire 1783-1885 and Challenge and Transformation: Britain 1851- Archives with SNAC, to research and plot the original canal 1964. It is perfectly possible for students to use the archive to route from Saul to Stonehouse. They enjoyed learning about explore these suggested studies. SNAC could therefore design the ‘missing mile’, bridges and locks, and listened to a talk ‘study packs’ which could support subjects and be shared with on conservation and went on a tour of the archive vaults. schools and directly with students out of the Gloucestershire We planned to place drawings, maps and descriptions in Archive Hub, covering a range of subjects such as: situ and photograph them there. An account would be • Commercial history prepared by the students to present to the engineers for • Accounts, including invoices, payments, their reference and future interpretation exhibits. The first share dividends, shareholders meetings went well, with students enthused and engaged, • Engineering of the canal but communication was very poor. We engaged a youth mentor to work with them, with apparent success, but none • The construction of the canal- eg engineering of the students turned up to the field study day. • Social history • Geography of the area • Political history and relation to the wider history of the country

We visited the Education Coordinator for the Waterways Museum and the museums themselves in both Gloucester and Ellesmere Port and discovered a wealth of resources and free school-based workshops available to schools through the Canal and Rivers Trust. None of our local schools were aware of the resources available.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 146 We provided two work placements in August 2019 for young people in secondary education. One was focused on communications and media and the other on data collection and evaluation. Both were extremely successful and both young people reported a growth in confidence, skills and understanding. They also had great fun. They helped us define a number of areas of the project that people of their age would like to get involved in over one or two weeks of their holidays: • Social media and communications • Community events - setting up and supporting • Design and publicity • Wildlife conservation

CCC Opportunities for Secondary Schools: • Design ‘study packs’ that support specific subject matter, to be shared with schools and directly with students out of the Gloucestershire Heritage Hub • Spread awareness of existing available resources including online and school-based workshops through the Canal and River Trust • Summer work placements for young people each year that appeal to different interests including social media, event planning, design and conservation

Students from Stroud High School help with the canal restoration on Phase 1A, March 2018

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 147 Post 16 College Education conservation and nature management time frames. We We had a series of meetings with lecturers at the Stroud need further discussion with tutors to flesh out and allocate Campus of South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, specific project work to students, produce an outline of the largest post 16 education provider in the county. We potential accredited learning activities, make clear links with established good matches with project opportunities and their their apprenticeship scheme and for students on technical Foundation Courses and Environmental Conservation: courses needing work experience. • Employability and life skills – provides ‘real life’ meaningful work experiences for 10-15 leaning CCC Opportunities for Post 16 College disabled young people Education: • Construction Courses – bricklaying/ carpentry – • Timetabled canal-based activities that fit canal restoration work, practical skills in such as with existing curriculum and complement their brick laying and carpentry study areas in: • employability and life skills • Animal management and Environmental • conservation Conservation Course –creating wetlands, ponds, • construction grasslands/ wild-flower planting and building • creative and media studies reedbeds • Collaboration with specific tutors to produce: The 41 restoration projects offer a wealth of opportunities • accredited learning activities with which to engage students with formal learning, • clear links with their apprenticeship work experience and internships. Levels of engagement scheme opportunity will vary, and the timing of construction could • clear pathways for students on technical courses needing work experience be a challenge due to the management of the process involving lots of volunteers. However, if SGS construction students were working on a specific project this could be Universities, Internships and timetabled carefully to fit into the course curriculum. It Apprenticeships will be important to students that their placements involve We have learnt through more in depth partnership working meaningful ‘real-time’ experiences and that the project during the Development Stage, that our original proposal construction work needs to be delivered to a high standard. began with an over-ambitious remit for internships and little There will be opportunities to construct gates and fencing, understanding of the budget and capacity required to meet land boundaries, work on the community orchard and it. In October 2018 we met with Gloucestershire University other wildlife areas. The course students would need to be to discuss apprenticeships and, after researching the cost, available when these activities are being scheduled around capacity and timing of developing an in-house apprenticeship

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 148 programme we decided to participate in CRT’s programme Bristol and Bath Universities currently offer grants from £900 as it already offers 6 heritage apprenticeships covering to £1575, but this is subject to the continuation of Santander heritage construction, engineering and restoration. CCC’s Universities SME Internship Programme. We will continue apprenticeship scheme will also offer a wildlife conservation to seek similar opportunities from regional universities but apprenticeship as part of the development of the wetlands recognise the significant value of running summer internships bio-diversity project. with or without this grant.

Later discussions with the Community Engagement team Alongside our volunteering and work skills and training for Unlocking the Severn confirmed our decision to seek programmes, these formal learning opportunities are the other providers to work with. We are now proposing to starting point for individuals to plan pathways for a multi- support CRT’s Heritage Apprenticeship Programme offering disciplinary and long-term programme. module placements for a range of heritage learning areas of between 3 to 6 months each over the project period. We will As part of the delivery of our Inclusion and Participation Plan87 also offer a full-time Apprenticeship for a Communications and Informal and Formal Learning Plan88 we will support Officer, via Stroud District Council, subject to funding in the individuals to plan their personal pathway to participation to post-COVID environment. include volunteering, training and internships, and in some cases, apprenticeships and jobs. A Successful Development Stage Internship We ran a very successful internship as part of Bristol CCC Opportunities for University University’s graduate programme, as part of their SME students, internships and Internship Scheme and the Santander SME Internship apprenticeship’s: programmes. Peter graduated this year with MEng. He met • Collaborate with CRT’s apprenticeship the university’s eligibility criteria and CS met the employer’s programme to plan and provide modules in criteria for a £900 grant, matched by CCC funds to pay Peter heritage construction, engineering and restoration £10 hour, and in addition CCT paid for training for him to • Provide summer internships and Heritage run @Risk software against sub-project information. Peter construction modules for graduates and has gained significant practical experience of the workplace, undergraduates at regional universities, Bath, developed his professional skills, enhanced his CV and made Bristol and UWE, for all project programmes invaluable industry contacts. CCC and CS have been able to elements increase productivity: use short term additional support of • Utilise university-based funding programmes an intern for a specific project/piece of work, test drive talent to support internships 87. Chapter 7 pp. 228 and employ a highly-qualified and motivated individual. 88. Chapter 7 pp. 228

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 149 The Citizen Science community is huge, and the Citizen 5.4.2 Archive Engagement History community is fast catching up. The benefits of this Opportunities approach are many: • People with no formal training can contribute Citizen history project their time and effort to converting the hand-written Before the current project started a small number of SNAC scripts into readable documents for all volunteers were working at the Gloucestershire Archives, • Various different techniques can be set up to summarising and photographing minute books, page by enable the archive to be really accessible, for page as they were taken out of storage. There was a need schools, specialist researchers and interest groups to take a wider view of the huge number and variety of • Tagging documents by place, people’s names, documents in the whole archive and to consider how the dates, locations or trades will allow for connections information they contain could best be presented. As most between documents to be made easily, supporting of the original documents are hand-written putting images narrative and specific research projects on a website would be of limited value, and the volunteer • Images can be connected to any number of team began to type summaries, adding images and providing documents and all documents can be filed to any number of categories. In this way, documents and tabulated extracts of key documents, listing and describing individual papers will be comparable and more specialised documents for the existing Gloucestershire connected, and available remotely Archives catalogue. • People will be able to add to their own knowledge of the Stroudwater Navigation and its effect on We invited a number of groups to join us at Gloucester places, trade, families, and employment not only Archives, to see and handle the original documents, for a in the local area but also nationally and tour of the vaults and to explore conservation techniques. internationally Three groups came on four different occasions, really enjoyed the experience but none have returned to join in SNAC archive has similarities to two high profile projects and as SNAC volunteers. We researched ways that other similar based on its numbers of volunteers we estimate that between archives attract people to participate, and in keeping with our 700 and 1400 people will engage each year with an average of community-led approach we explored the use of an online 10 hours’ time spent each. tool, commonly known as citizen history. A huge collection of projects is found here on the Zooniverse site, where people Two models that have similar formats and will help guide can connect with any topic from hundreds available and play our set up are Shakespeare’s World and Anno Tate89 – both a key part in making sense of huge volumes of material. supporting the transcription and exploration of famous diaries: 89. Shakespeare’s World and Anno Tate

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 150 The Power of Stories CCC Opportunities for Archive There is now a collection of stories from the archive written Engagement: up by the team, from which snippets have been taken to • A new Citizen History project that will be support temporary interpretation at the pilot projects. These available worldwide and specifically shared with were very useful for people organising events and engaging local educational settings, local groups, existing new audiences and they have asked SNAC to put together and new volunteers and with all partners and their a resource box with visual and physical resources alongside networks annotation. We saw a great difference in the way people • 10,000 pages of publicly available and more related to stories rather than factual information. Of the accessible archive material selected by a rational people that came to our Museum Day pilot, 43% of visitors process agreed with Gloucestershire Archives. were children under 12 years. The event then was successful • Training for new volunteers in conservation because we targeted our marketing to families. Local storyteller Fiona Eadie, author of, ‘Tales from the Towpath’ • Engaged skilled archivists and enthusiasts with high level tasks including writing stories, which is based on the life of people living and working on the biographies and summaries and editing. canal, was commissioned to tell a series of canal-based stories to children and families throughout the day.

5.4.3 Opportunities for Informal Learning Sharing our heritage through interpretation, existing networks, Hubs and partnerships Alongside the need to make the archive more available for formal learning there is a need to curate and share specific stories and topics for pleasure and informal learning. Archive exhibits and artefacts have been displayed at a number of pilot project events this year, in order to draw attention to and promote the role of the archive in the canal restoration. Particularly project maps and artefacts shown in unusual and surprising contexts. We displayed Victorian paintings on the towpath for the Canal Trail, in situ where they were painted, with questions to promote enquiry and short stories about the place. Father and son enjoying the canal rail trail as a family experience, connecting local heritage past and new Extending our Reach to Wider Audiences: There are also walking programmes and maps for Eastington The Wool & Water Festival and Nailsworth localities. CCC’s participation in The Wool and Water Festival (September 2019) was an excellent platform for dozens of local artists, In this way existing local walking groups, enthusiasts, heritage experts and community groups. The festival brought practitioners and canal heritage programmes will be better together heritage walks, talks and exhibitions and with so linked, integrated and promoted, enhancing the whole offer to many organisations promoting events and coming together more people and communities. SNAC recognise the need to with publicity the festival reached a very wide and diverse develop their partnership working and is strengthening existing audience, engaging people with their heritage across many links with a number of local and regional partners including: domains. We were successful with a joint Arts Council • Stroud Textile Trust application to support the Wool and Water group to achieve • Museum in the Park funding they needed for artists and publicity, and we engaged • Stonehouse, Stroud and Gloucestershire five of our under-represented target audiences with a range History groups of creative projects to explore their canal heritage. • Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology

We held four workshops90 targeting vulnerable adults living We heard great things about The Black Shed at Saul, a along the canal corridor, the sessions attracted 31 people who great model for a canal side community hub, offering food explored canal heritage through informal learning sessions. and drink, community events, Stroud Paddle boarding These featured in our Wool and Water Festival programme Club (SUP) hire and lessons, boat trips and landing stage. which included 28 events engaging 261 people with informal Whilst they don’t yet engage with informal canal heritage learning opportunities, included 15 community groups and learning activities, they are very willing. They suggested a 110 people described as our target audiences – vulnerable collaboration between themselves and the canalside Stroud adults, young people aged between 13 and 18 including Brewery, to work together on developing opportunities for excluded young people. local people and their communities on a number of fronts 90. Pilot Project Museum Day & including heritage exhibitions, nature programmes and Community Flags Included in the Wool and Water Festival programme the first creative responses. 91. Supporting Document Stonehouse Stonehouse Walking Festival took place from Friday 13th to Walking Festival Sunday 22nd September 2019. There were 16 walks over 10 More detail on learning and activities associated with 92. Research and supporting community hubs and for people to engage with Development Reports days. Special interest walks include looking at our historic Prosperous and heritage, interesting local trees, a family fun walk and a dusk the archive more deeply can be found in our Prosperous and Connected Places and Pathways for Heritage nature walk. The walks organisers reported 370 people taking Connected Communities and Pathways for Heritage Learning Learning part and that they were pleased to be part of a bigger event.91 Research and Development Reports.92

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 152 Opportunities for events, walks, hubs and • Increase publicity on our project forums, social building on existing heritage assets: media and by direct communication with stakeholders – community groups, schools and referral agencies • Increase the number of canal-based heritage walks along the canal corridor • Write joint funding applications to Arts Council • Improve accessibility and ensure more people • Ensure promotional materials to bear the CCC participate branding to help make it accessible and relatable for everyone • Share publicity between all stakeholders to increase reach and participation • Make exhibitions and informal learning opportunities more inclusive if they take place where people • Increase the quantity and improve the quality of already are, including pubs, existing community hubs canal heritage artefacts at the Museum in the Park at Gloucester, Brimscombe, Stroud and Saul, and for a new, more dynamic canal trail and canal potentially at new community hubs at Stonehouse, interpretation Eastington, Whitminster and Frampton • Support activities that engage and excite • Make resource boxes available for schools and all communities about their canal heritage interested groups, including partners, practitioners, • Support the museum to run canal curriculum community groups doing walks, talks, workshops themed days for the public • Strengthen existing links with local & regional partners • Run community-based events

Gigg Mill Open Day Case study: Learning About Our Textile Heritage In May 2019, Stroud Textile Trust ran a series of open days in their textile mills. Rosie Fortt and her parents, Nicky and Steve Fortt came up from Bristol for the day and visited Gigg Mill and the Dunkirk Mill Centre. They saw the impressive waterwheel drive historic machinery and listened to the Education Co-ordinator, Jane Ford give a talk about our textile heritage linked to the canal waterways. At Gigg Mill Rosie had a go on an old weaving loom and listened to Peter’s talk about the history of the weaving industry. Opportunities for Informal Learning Special events for lottery players will include: about Canal Restoration • Standing in a completed lock before it fills As part of our planned community interpretation activities with water we will deliver an ‘Exhibition 42’ project to support informal • Bridge and lock opening celebrations learning opportunities linked to the restoration of the • Be the first to walk new stretches of canal canal across the Phase 1B Delivery Stage. This project will provide people opportunities to continually engage with the These events will be scheduled to fit with the engineering restoration projects, relating them to past heritage, sharing sub-project plans and conservation appraisal process. their interest in the canal, collections of old ephemera – postcards, photographs and paintings, as well as the growing availability of the archive itself. Volunteers working on CCC Opportunities for informal learning restoration will be curators of maps, technical drawings old about canal restoration: and new, contributions from the community and their own diaries of the restoration projects. Work closely with sub-project team leaders to establish exciting place-based activities that: There will be opportunities for special talks and site visits • Complement Exhibition 42, the project’s to coincide with specific stages of sub-projects, run by community-led interpretation project which volunteers and engineers to engage people with the will allow for community involvement in the restoration process. We want to promote these special practical restoration work events to lottery players and will invite people to show a • Provide ongoing opportunities for community-led lottery ticket as entry to the events. informal learning such as walks, talks, opening ceremonies • Plan special events for communities that coincide with sub-project development with VIP events for lottery players

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 154 “Everything was so interesting and fun! I enjoyed listening to the talk, and I had a go at weaving and turned the wheel on the cross-cutter machine.” Rosie, aged 9 “Amazing to see what goes into making tennis balls! It’s easy to take things for granted – we don’t think about how things are made, where things come from... people might look after them better if they did.Steve Fortt (Rosie’s Dad) Opportunities for Wildlife Heritage Learning CCC Opportunities for informal learning There is a wealth of opportunities which CCC can take about wildlife heritage: advantage of in the areas of conservation and environmental • Hands-on activities and engagement with experts resource management. These nature-based activities across a range of wildlife opportunities will support the achievement of our Working with Nature Strategy and include wildlife flower sowing along towpaths, • Carefully targeted events for people and meadows and in orchards; wetland, scrape and pond creation, communities that meet specific needs in terms of timing, dates, accessibility and information about hedgerow, orchard and tree work. Built habitat creation the event projects include pillbox conversions for bats, construction of bird and bat boxes, otter holts and kingfisher banks and • Printed materials that can be used independently creating hibernacula for reptiles/amphibians. Activities for to explore nature-based canal activities and made available in communities supporting people to engage with their wild-life heritage are presented in detail in our People and Nature Plan.93 • Ecological surveys/ongoing monitoring of protected species (e.g. otter, bats, water vole, badger,) and Invasive Non-native species (INNS) (e.g. Himalayan balsam, giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed and American mink). • Installation of wildlife mitigation measures • Tree planting (approximately 30,000 trees and shrubs across the biodiversity creation schemes) • Orchard creation and husbandry -including restoration of a relict orchard on the northern side of the canal near Whitminster.94 • Construction of wildlife habitat (e.g. bat boxes, bird nest boxes, conversion of pill boxes, Following the great success with Park Junior School of local hibernacula, otter holts) 93. People and Nature artist Holly White’s simple drawings of canal wildlife we asked • Hedgerow planting, laying and management Plan Chapter 7 pp. 239 94. Pilot Project her to develop a canal wildlife bingo sheet for the Canal Trail. Orchard Day Holly has since made her drawings into a small card book for families to take with them on canal walks and ‘spot wildlife’, adding a sticker for every sighting.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 156 5.5 Opportunities for Existing and New Volunteers Our volunteer strategy has evolved tremendously over the past two years to become a dynamic vehicle for community engagement, which is starting to include an increasingly diverse range of people as well as clear pathways for people to gain skills, grow in confidence, become less isolated and for the unemployed or young to navigate their way into meaningful work.

At the beginning of the development phase ‘volunteering’ • Volunteer engagement and recruitment, was very much aligned with practical canal restoration and particularly entry points and pathways to volunteer-value forecast for matched funding. The focus volunteering and a Volunteer Ambassadors scheme was largely around volunteer recruitment targets with the to ensure that we capture the right people and support them to access the right opportunities emphasis being to build a dynamic workforce for canal for them restoration. Whilst this remains a core aim of the volunteer strategy, the pilot project phase allowed for a wealth of • Inclusion and participation, to ensure that barriers learning around why people volunteer, highlighting the to volunteering for under-represented audiences are properly understood and mechanisms/ activities/ changes which volunteering has made to many people’s lives. support for removing these barriers are in place - such as mentoring, peer-to-peer support, volunteer Our deeper understanding of the benefits and scope of expenses, transportation, tailored work programmes volunteering has led to a greater shift towards recognising and inclusion training the role of volunteering in skills building, empowerment, • The range of volunteering activities available, to inclusion and as part of longer-term strategy to navigate attract a wider range of people and communities to people back into work or training and tackle unemployment heritage volunteering, building greater social within our community. responsibility around our heritage and improving health and wellbeing for a broader demographic We realised that, in order to ensure a broader range of people • Volunteering linked to accreditation, training and communities are engaged in our canal heritage, CCC and employment, to support pathways into needs to improve in the following areas: employment particularly for young people and unemployed people

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 157 5.5.1 Recruiting a diverse base of new volunteers for Phase 1B

During the Delivery Stage, CCC expects to recruit between Actions undertaken to date and which will continue to be 70-100 new volunteers to meet the restoration requirements taken forward during the delivery stage include: of Phase 1B. During the Development Stage, as a result of • Design and production of a volunteer recruitment consultation and surveys with existing and potential new poster – A-Z of Volunteering which has been volunteers and in response to the findings of our volunteering displayed on CCT website, in all CCT visitor centres, pilot projects95, CCT decided to explore some strategies for offices, on side of plant and vehicles, boats and each volunteer recruitment and retention. In the autumn of 2019 work party has portable A-frames for displaying next CCT set up a volunteer strategy group led by CCT’s Trustee and to their work party site Maintenance Director, Reg Gregory. • Refitting an ice-cream van to become a roadshow portable display truck The group has since established the CCT Volunteer • Re-write of all volunteer role descriptions to focus Enrolment Promotion Project (VEP) that has been on Phase 1B requirements established to: • An annual programme of recruitment and 1. Develop a robust system for engagement engagement events, such as community fairs and and recruitment seasonal markets 2. Promote the diverse opportunities available • A new team of CCT volunteer engagement 95. Pilot Project Meet 3. Increase the diversity of volunteers ambassadors to welcome and interview new recruits the Volunteers 4. Increase the number of team leaders/buddies 5. Improve volunteer communications

The VEP team meet monthly and carry out agreed actions between meetings.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 158 Canal & River Trust markets a successful school’s education 5.5.2 Opportunities programme delivered by volunteers known as the Explorers for volunteering which team. These are high skilled volunteers, often with a create pathways to skills background in teaching, who are fully competent to deliver development, training and educational sessions in schools and heritage centres. employment Discussing the link between volunteering and education with Canal & River Trust (CRT) led to CCC exploring the idea Many existing volunteers expressed enthusiasm for getting of recruiting specific education volunteers (facilitators) involved in mentoring other new volunteers. At our pilot who would support the delivery of CCC’s canal curricula volunteering event, Meet the Volunteers96 some explained programme and informal heritage education activities in they had already been informally mentoring vulnerable conjunction with schools, GWT, SNAC and the Museum in the young people and adults and were keen for this to be Park. CRT already has an extensive programme of education recognised as a specific role. During our surveys and through and youth engagement volunteers through its Explorers informal conversations with current CCT and SDC canal programme. Therefore, CCC could utilise CRT’s Explorers restoration volunteers many proposed taking lead roles in: programme to recruit our own Education Volunteers to cover heritage learning in canal archive and history and wildlife • Inclusion and mentoring conservation. This could also add to the legacy of CCC by • Local and regional recruitment events expanding the network of trained education volunteers in engagement and road shows collaboration with both CRT and GWT into the future. • More active online marketing and communication With the creation and enhancement of over 21ha of When looking to improve our entry points and marketing for new habitats, including lowland meadow, reed bed, recruiting a more diverse range of new volunteers, Gloucester floodplain grazing, orchards, wet woodland, and scrub, the Culture Trust’s Volunteer Recruitment Manager advised us opportunities for volunteering are diverse and valuable for to clearly communicate volunteer tasks and expectations, supporting accredited learning. Volunteering opportunities will be available during both the creation and conservation frame roles in terms of incentives, training and opportunities 96. Pilot Project Meet offered and to identify and market volunteering of these habitats, and for long-term management. the Volunteers opportunities in terms of the time commitment required.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 159 Wildlife and conservation activities planned for the Delivery Stage include excavation of fen, scrape and bunds; installing CCC Opportunities for volunteering structures such as fencing, gates, cattle troughs, and water which lead to skills development, control structures; hedgerow planting; wildflower seeding; training and employment: built habitat for birds, bats, otters, etc.; controlling invasive • Education Explorers Programme – dedicated species (American Mink and plants such as Himalayan education facilitators through participation in the Balsam); and vegetation translocation to the ‘Missing Mile’. Canal & River Trust’s Explorers programme • Community Roadshow – to visit local and A number of the habitats being created, including lowland regional events throughout the year with fen, traditional orchard and woodland/scrub, can take up volunteers trained and ready to run a Roadshow to 15 years to establish and reach the condition required to touring exhibition compensate for the impacts of the development. As such • Canal Ambassadors – a best practice model for CCC must ensure that the post-delivery budget includes costs public engagement using experienced CCT for the management of these areas to ensure it achieves on volunteers the commitment to deliver a net gain for biodiversity. Further • Environmental training courses for volunteers information on this and all post-delivery costs is set out in every year detail in the Management and Maintenance Plan.97 • Conservation and Environmental Resource GWT normally uses its own staff to lead the management of Management – volunteering or accredited learning opportunities in a range of areas from wildlife the nature reserves but volunteers make up the main work flower sowing along towpaths, meadows and in parties and deliver a lot of the day-to-day maintenance on orchards to wetland, scrape, pond creation, the ground. hedgerow, orchard and tree work. Also volunteer participation in built habitat creation projects Based on GWT’s experience of managing nature reserves and include pillbox conversions for bats, construction a range of different habitats it is anticipated that 2 days per of bird and bat boxes, otter holts and kingfisher week of active management will be required to ensure the banks, insect hotels and creating hibernacula for reptiles/amphibians 97. Section F biodiversity areas achieve the required condition within 15 Management and years. The CCC Environment Manager has proposed setting Maintenance Plan up a weekly work party made up of CCC volunteers (a mixture of existing SDC, CCT, SVCC and GWT volunteers as well as mentored new volunteers).

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 160 5.5.3 Opportunities Re-introducing Lengthsmen 200 years ago, canal companies across the UK employed for Volunteer-led Canal Lengthsmen who were responsible for the day to day running, Management and Maintenance oversight and practical maintenance of specific lengths of canal. Since 2017 SVCC has been re-introducing volunteer Experience on the restored Phase 1A of the Cotswold Canals Lengthsmen (or more accurately lengthspeople!) to carry out a has shown that a variety of tasks are necessary to maintain similar function today. To do this SVCC divided the canal bank an operational canal. Currently, under the ownership of the into approximately 1km stretches and identified people, with Stroud Valleys Canal Company (SVCC), two separate teams community support, to look after and maintain the canal. This (CCT and SDC) undertake canal restoration and maintenance re-introduced scheme has been extremely successful, and we work for two days per week. The maintenance tasks are have now equipped and trained 11 dedicated local people designated by SVCC and coordinated by the Volunteer who volunteer for a few hours a week to look after their length. Manager and the CCT Western Depot Manager, and all tools, These volunteers each walk their length at least once a fortnight equipment and consumables are funded by SVCC. and have been trained to observe any changes on this length. They also litter pick, cut back any overgrowing vegetation, and To assist in identifying the maintenance tasks, the Volunteer report in a standardised way any changes they observe. Manager and the SVCC Chairman recruited a new team of volunteer Lengthsmen and Lock Keepers. The Lengthsmen Already, this team has made a big difference to the overall inspect their allocated stretch of canal (about 1km long) every enjoyment that our visitors and tow-path users experience. couple of weeks, checking against an allotted Asset Register. On an annual basis, we estimate that these lengths people They carry out litter picking and identify problem areas for have contributed over £16,000 in maintenance value. They dog fouling, but they don’t carry out any tasks on or in the are highly visible in their hi viz jackets labelled Cotswold water. The Lock Keepers work in pairs and carry out all of the Canal Partnership and have become a regular and welcoming Lengthsmen’s tasks, but within the confines of a particular presence on the canal, acting as canal ambassadors, guides lock. They also carry out mowing and weeding and check and sources of information. By having an intimate knowledge the operation of the lock cycle. of their patch, the lengths people have become the eyes and ears of the maintenance teams and are respected and greatly valued. Our lengthspeople are all ages, both male and female and from differing backgrounds but all bring a compulsive enthusiasm and pride in the job and there is a significant waiting list of reserves ready to fill the un-built sections of the canal during this next phase of our canal restoration.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 161 The duties for Lengthsmen have been written by experienced encouraged to keep it clean and so littering on the towpath canal restoration managers and refined in the light of has been reduced to a minimum. One female Lengthsman experience. told us, “I like the role as it links me with my community. I can take my grandchildren and dogs with me, go with a friend or Their key duties are: partner or do it on the way somewhere. I love being able to be • Inspection at least every 2 weeks outdoors in nature.” • Checking for sudden changes in water level Volunteer Lock Keepers • Looking for obvious leaks Following on from the success of the Lengthsmen, SVCC • Looking for potential breaches has developed a second group of trained and able teams of • Reporting on the state of the towpath surface volunteer lock keepers. There was already a small, dedicated lock maintenance team based at the CCT Western Depot. This • Spotting any sources of pollution team did have some modest specialist equipment to carry out • Looking for fallen trees the necessary routine maintenance of the locks on the canal • Looking for channel obstructions but due to the number and distance apart, there was only so • Reporting condition of boundary fencing or walls much that a small team could do. • Collecting and/or reporting litter In 2018 new volunteers were recruited by SVCC to ‘pair • Reporting and / or marking dog fouling up’ and take on low level lock repairs and day to day lock • Trimming any overhanging vegetation maintenance. They were even successful in finding keen and especially brambles willing teams to take on the maintenance of partially restored • Reporting any presence of Invasive Non-Native locks as well. By the beginning of 2019, all locks had a pair Species (INNS) of volunteers acting as Lock Keepers and this work is really • Reporting obvious deterioration to structures beginning to bear fruit.

The cost of equipping and maintaining the Lengthsmen is Volunteer Lock Keepers reporting the condition of the locks, as modest and is currently funded by SVCC. Of the 15 lengths that well as keeping them well maintained, supports the valuable cover the whole of Phase 1 from Saul Junction to Bourne Lock, work of the Lengthsmen, and they combine well to take pride 12 lengths are covered and are being diligently inspected. The in their work, ease the pressure on the skilled teams and act Lengthsmen program has had a really marked effect on the as visible ambassadors for the whole canal project. For safety appearance of the canal and has generated a strong sense of Lock Keepers work in twos and always wear a life preserver. community ownership and responsibility. The public are also

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 162 The duties of the Lock Keepers as defined by the CCT Lock Scaling up the management and Manager and endorsed by SDC are: maintenance using teams of volunteers • To work with the Lock Keeper to keep the balance On completing the restoration of the various sections of Phase beams and mooring bollards painted and clean 1B, there will be a need to continue and scale up these tasks. During the Development Phase we explored a range of ideas • To work with the Lock Keeper to keep the lock to expand the roles of the Lengthsmen who, along with being mechanism well-greased allocated particular sections of canal, could also have additional • Keep the spillways free from rubbish and clear responsibility for mowing and vegetation management. If of vegetation certain areas prove too problematic, they could then call upon • Assist the lock technical team in keeping the gates the services of the established maintenance teams. free from vegetation In addition to the ‘Lengthsmen Plus’ role, we also explored • Try and identify dog fouling and identify any mess 98 with yellow paint spray the idea of ‘canal adoption’ groups. Local community groups, schools or charities could formally ‘adopt’ sections • Assist the lock technical team in keeping the grass of the canal, agreeing to take responsibility for maintenance short and tidy oversite and undertaking voluntary work with their respective • Keep the benches and signboards clean, the audiences to take care of these sites. Depending on the site benches oiled and report any damage and interests of adoption group, tasks can include vegetation • As resources permit, plant flowers and shrubs to maintenance, invasive species control, clearing litter, beautify each lock improvements to agreed physical structures (painting fences etc.) and wildlife recording. • Assist the lock technical team in any other task pertaining to each lock Groups can operate independently rather than under direct Due to friendly rivalry between lock teams the appearance of instruction or as part of a led session and could receive all the locks has improved greatly. support from the Volunteer and Community Engagement Managers where required. They would manage their selected sites broadly according to a site management plan, receiving 98. Stroud Valleys Project and Stroud training, equipment and materials where needed and support Valleys Primary School from the CCC team to develop their own ideas for the area have expressed the desire to undertake autonomously and creatively. During the Development Stage, a canal adoption of CS piloted an adoption project, through the formal adoption Capels Mill 99. Pilot Project Report 99 Stroud and Stonehouse Railway Stations. Station Adoption

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 163 Volunteer Manager Jon Pontefract CCC Opportunities for volunteering in assessing paddle gear at Pike Lock canal management and maintenance: • Recruitment of Lengthsmen and Lock Keepers through existing delivery partners CCT, SDC and SVCC and through CCC’s new project collaborations with other organisations who work with our audiences or with groups of volunteers, including schools, churches, local charities (such as Stroud Valleys Project) and community groups • Establishment of Community Canal Adoption schemes particularly building on existing links community organisations, civil societies, local charities, schools and residents’ associations and prioritising volunteering opportunities for communities where the benefits for regeneration and community cohesion would be most impactful, such as Stonehouse • Volunteering projects which include families with young children: Orchard Days and Bug Bioblitzs with timetabled activities, parking, wheelchair and pushchair accessibility and facilities available providing activities which children can join in fully and meaningfully and where many people can participate at a time

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 164 5.6 Opportunities for Interpretation

The approach to interpretation for the wider community on At our community consultations and facilitated workshops phase 1A has been almost entirely didactic, with the exception we captured a range of stakeholder views, priorities, of two installations described in Pilot Project ‘All Ages’100 and needs, ideas, experiences and relationships with the canal. for school children taking part in school visits such as those They said they would like our interpretation work to: described in Pilot Project ‘Connections’101 and Case Study • Provide a picture of now and then- from transport 102 ‘Stories of the Canal’. The more traditional interpretation of goods to disrepair, to leisure route boards that mark a number of significant places along the • Tell the story of the restoration existing canal are being used by some, however our experience and evidence suggests, that learning is more profound when • Celebrate what is physically there that belies we allow visitors to construct their own meaning over a period the stories of the people who worked there, then and now of time. They bring their own personal experience and knowledge to make the experience relevant to them. • Shine the light on wildlife, naming things, understanding the corridor ecosystem This encourages a deeper involvement from the visitor; allowing for moments of co-creation. • Provide an immersive experience - engaging people on their terms, involving then and connecting them with their environment We want to provoke responses to our canal heritage in many ways, not least to meet the wide needs, interests and learning • Provide a sense of ownership and help them feel styles of our target audiences. We therefore need a wide variety they are allowed there and that the canal is theirs too of expertise and to use all forms of interpretation to meet this • Personify the voices of people and nature through challenge. In addition, the very nature of this project means time, showing what it’s been like for them there is no ‘in house’ team and all interpretation would need to • Create a sense that a journey can be for the be commissioned. Our approach will combine commissioning journey’s sake, taking time to stop and stare, slow with co-production and a small number of competitions. right down 100. Pilot Project All A research and development based online citizen history • Show us the nuts and bolts of where we are and Ages project, for example, will be the key to unlocking the Archive. provide information about facilities, distances, 101. Pilot Project accessibility and entry points Connections 102. Case Study Stories • Create an atmosphere of shared space of the Canal

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 165 The emphasis on a desire for greater understanding about people and communities and a felt connection with the past has been very clear. There are a number of local guided walks that take place from time to time, including history walks, but none which focus on any particular aspects of the canal heritage or that take in the canal as part of the route. In addition, while there are a few innovative ‘What’s This’ along the Phase 1A stretch that make a short statement about a particular function of the canal infrastructure, there is little about the social aspects of places. The table below describes some different models of interpretation which we have explored and hope to use during the Delivery Stage. Table 13. Models of Interpretation Explicit Human More traditional forms such as text Room guides or stewards Guided tours, panels, introductory films, laminates, costumed interpreters, workshops, visitor guides, object labels living history

Embedded Atmospheric Explicit but in a format that is in Using theatrical techniques to evoke keeping with the space – period mood or re-create something – designs, broadcasts, letters, newsreels projections, music, lighting, different style of presentation

Hidden Artistic Requiring discovery, hidden within Working with artists or craftspeople to objects directional or triggered, audio create work that supports or responds to a narrative, in the form of installation or pervasive

Mobile/digital Playful/ interactive Audio tour, interpretative app, Opportunities to handle, try things augmented reality or devices that allow on, manipulate and contribute. digital control over something Standalone or pervasive, physical or imagined

Permanent interpretation near Pike Lock Creative Sustainability’s creative work on the canal has 5.6.1 Opportunities for informed our choices for this project too. CS has worked with Creative and Community-led a number of groups over the years with the same outcome Interpretation ambitions as the Arts Council, underpinned by being outside in nature and slowing down our pace in nature. CS’s Arts in Nature umbrella project, Wildlives, has encompassed “Creative heritage projects create photography, art, singing and performance activities happiness and well-being in for target groups – disadvantaged young people104, and communities; they help new audiences disadvantaged adults.105 engage with heritage stories and bring Creative and Community-led Interpretation creative practices to the public. The supporting Health and Wellbeing All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Embedding creative opportunities in the project will not only have an impact on interpretation outcomes but will also have on Arts, Health and Wellbeing found a significant impact on the health and well-being outcome that after engaging with the arts, 82% ambitions, personal pathways targets and community cohesion outcome ambitions. Creativity can help young people living in deprived communities people to develop a sense of ownership over a place before in London enjoyed greater wellbeing.’’ they feel ‘allowed to be there’ and take responsibility for it. The Heritage Alliance Report, ‘Inspiring Creativity, Spending time ‘doing’ outdoors helps people relax around Heritage & The Creative Industries’ others, talk to each other about things that are important to them, join in with things they find challenging, be peaceable In line with this, our online and towpath surveys of 1000+ together side by side. Simple drawing, photography, singing people showed that over 60% of respondents would like to or walking outdoors helps people’s focus, reduce their participate in events and festivals along the canal which would stress, slow down and take time out from their worries. As engage them creatively. There lots of suggestions about art the 21-year-old asylum seeker, who participated in Creative trails, live music and art-in-nature walks. Photography walks Camping, told us, “it helps us to remember to live”. 103. Pilot project were also a popular choice. 400 people said they would like Photography Walk and Pilot Project Mindful to take part in creative photography projects and during the Spending time ‘doing’ in a new place with people who already Photography delivery phase we ran two lunchtime photography walks and know it and are confident to be there, significantly changes the 104. Pilot Project Are We Allowed Here two mindful photography courses which were exhibited at feelings about the place for people who feel more vulnerable 105. Pilot Project Stroud and Stonehouse adopted stations.103 and they are more likely to return. Mindful Photography

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 167 Taking a walk in nature during CS’s Creative Camping Inclusion Project, May 2019 “...it helps us to remember to live.” Using Art and Creative Media of about 20 members of the community, including our target During the Development Stage we also spent time visiting audiences, to imagine a floating hub on the canal, it’s purpose, projects in other areas to learn more about the benefits design and functionality. The session was huge fun, highly 107 of using art and creative media in heritage and cultural creative and packed with inspirational ideas and energy. regeneration projects. It was absolutely clear to us, when The group’s sketches and ideas were collated and used to we began to look around at models for interpretation, that form a brief outline for the design of a floating community creative responses to interpretation can have incredible power. Hub. The key attributes of this project would weave together In March we went up to Liverpool to visit the Super Slow Way creative artistic canal interpretation and community business Arts group working around the Leeds Liverpool Canal, to learn models in an entrepreneurial way. It could be set up and run about ways of connecting artists with communities around as a community business model that provides accessible and canal heritage, place making and art for social inclusion/ inclusive space which moves up and down the canal according cultural diversity and demographic identity. to a timetable of activities for communities to access on a regular basis. Participants explored that idea of it being a café, Artists at In Situ106 described their role as artists in their group meeting space, music venue, artspace and a museum community of Pendle, Lancashire. With a history of cotton of modern canal archive. The boat could also be hired out mills and immigration communities have been brought to raise ongoing costs for events and would be a fantastic together, through ‘art of action; for our art to contribute to tourism attraction which could be marketed as part of CCC’s society as a whole; for our art to challenge current thinking sustainable tourism plan. about environment, people, place and culture.’ We met Paul Harley who described his projects as process not We realised that the cost of the design and build is out of scale product, bringing people together through their place with the rest of the community engagement budget and would and shared identities. need to be a further large-scale fundraising project, to be done within a new community partnership. He recommended that we: • Prioritise process over product As part of the CCC project seed funding could • Meet people where they are – place, culture, assets however support: • Engage artists who get it, who are able to take risks • A process of community engagement • Research and business development support 106. In situ arts project On December 14, 2019, we met with internationally renowned • The draw up of business case, design and build - Lancashire plans and funding applications drawn up 107. Supporting artist Luke Jerram at the private view of The Moon at Document Luke Jerram Gloucester Cathedral, to which we had been invited by the • Formation of Community Business Partnership Community Hub Gloucester Heritage Forum. Luke came to work with a group

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 169 CCC Opportunities for creative and community-led Interpretation:

• Local actors, poets and story tellers are a brilliant • Old paintings and etchings in situ encourage asset, are highly adaptable and can develop a people to connect with them, talk about what genuinely wide range and catalogue of characters, they see around them and make comparisons, stories, styles and genres including to their own memories and knowledge about a place • Local and national artists who understand the principles of a co-planned creative processes can • Hands-on investigation is a great way to inspire bring out the best in participants, build confidence people. Things ‘found’ rather than simply and raise expectations presented, in a drawer, on a trail, as an unexpected event bring the heritage to life • We have built strong relationships with community groups during the Development Stage and have • Opportunities for people to be creative in the capacity to maintain trust and interest into the response to what they see and hear around them Delivery Stage – cargo lists, recipes for dyeing wool, and maps inspired people to make their own versions • Celebrating achievements through creativity or festivals provides opportunities to share experience • Mills open for visits throughout the year and fully with the wider community, helps build confidence self-supporting within the Stroud Textile Trust, and create new community links for groups bring great added value to the project with excellent opportunities to collaborate with CCC • Storytelling brings the canal alive for people as well as combining facts with creativity, characterisation • Mills are an essential part of the canal experience and in situ and interpretation plan as they existed before the canal and are the reason the canal was built. • Filming our heritage interpretation professionally will help us to promote activities and volunteering • Stroud Textile Trust has existing infrastructure to all our audiences and local skilled, knowledgeable people with which and whom CCC can closely collaborate • Maps are tools to engage people – especially interactions with old maps that show where they live now and allow them to add their own contribution, discuss place names and changes over time that they can see

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 170 There are also many other local artists in Gloucestershire interpretation sits in that landscape, influencing not only its who CCC can involve in to raise our project’s profile, celebrate location, but its design, appearance and the materials used our heritage assets and enhance the canal heritage. Jackie in a way that is as sympathetic as possible to that landscape. Lantelli, for example, a locally based renowned artist known That said we also want to ensure continuity with Phase 1A for her ghostlike sculptures of WW1 soldiers, has offered to and the existing interpretation that has been in place for a few donate two sculptures as part of the interpretation for Bonds years now, in particular the 20 lectern panels which were part Mill Gatehouse. These sculptures, along with the contributions of Phase 1A and for which CCC has received much positive from other artist and the Float My Boat activities, are an feedback by the community. excellent foundation for promoting the future scope for a sculpture trail along the canal. We will be including as many new ideas as we can within the CCC Interpretation Plan as well as building on examples of didactic and community-led interpretation on Phase 1A.108 The following canal heritage information-based ideas came from local people as potential opportunities for interpretation boards.

The brief for our formal interpretation plan109 required consideration of: • Area maps including nearby amenities – food, toilets, picnic spots • Distances to exit points, key locations • Things to look out for • Circular walks possible Jackie Lantelli’s • Alternative routes for wheelchair and mobility ghost-like sculptures scooter users, if needed • Parking signage, specifically including parking for 5.6.2 Opportunities for disabled users in the wider context • Gateway locations where a greater number of Formal/ Didactic Interpretation people will have access to the towpath. We are conscious that unlike Phase 1A of the restoration, • Locations chosen where there is something to say 108. Pilot Project All Ages 109. Section K the surrounding landscape through which the canal passes of substance which informs, engages, inspires Interpretation Plan in Phase 1B is a rural one. We need to consider how any

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 171 The following proposed gateway locations were identified as suitable access points and social gateways between the canal CCC Opportunities for didactic and neighbouring towns and villages. These points could Interpretation: potentially link to any newly developed Community Hubs and will be designed to increase the potential for the restoration Historical context and stories: • Stop Line Green – Bond’s Mill wartime history, to improve the economy locally by encouraging visitors to pillboxes explore the adjacent towns and villages. • The bridge occupation in protest of the canal being destroyed to make way for the M5 motorway • Stroud - Newland Homes site at Cheapside • Pirate Blackbeard’s birthplace leading to the railway station and the town • The Trow – uniqueness of the design to suit the place • Stonehouse - Wharfdale Way and Ship Inn Site • Change of use – from industry to leisure • Frampton – Saul Marina Nature: • Whitminster – Stonepitts Bridge • What’s in the water, hiding in the banks revealed • The river and canal corridor interaction, • Eastington – Blunder Lock and Bonds Mill including the paleo channel Industrial Site Café • Fish migration – positives and negatives • Birth of modern geology – William Smith Didactic interpretation will also be influenced by community • History of Orchards activities and is not intended to be entirely separated for our • Plants used in textiles industry community-led creative approach. The Bid Document Section • Mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates found K: Interpretation Plan, proposes themes that offer themselves • Built Heritage and engineering • Unique bridges – Occupation bridge, Walk Bridge, for interpretation, provide some ideas and concept designs the first plastic bridge, Westfield Bridge for interpretive installations, and presents examples of other forms of interpretation that might be part of the mix. The route of the canal, then and now: • Layers of restoration • Connection with the railways • Industrial heritage - mills, machines, cranes, warehouses, coal pits • Beard’s Mill Viaduct – Brunel - and Lockham Aqueduct • Government’s secret pipeline • Locks – stories and how they work

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 172 5.7 Opportunities for Local Enterprise and Economy 5.7.1 Opportunities for Sustainable Tourism to Create a Canal Destination

An important and key element of learning throughout the The 2017 NHLF Bid Documents make limited reference Development Stage has been understanding the huge to the evolving tourist destination and related economic potential and scope which the Project presents for establishing opportunities connectivity to the national waterways presents. a unique, canal visitor destination. A canal-based heritage Through our research we identified the need to prepare for the experience which is attractive, provides services, information, development of tourism to secure local benefit. Developing transport links and offers a wide range of opportunities on the unique destination experiences that celebrate local heritage water, in nature reserves, in Mills and museums and through in a connected and coordinated fashion, with the community, our existing plethora of community festivals and events. will maximise opportunity for local benefit, whilst identifying our unique sense of place. The tourism supply chain is extensive, and the economic opportunities are broad and far reaching across Stroud Our primary research identified that attractions and services in District. By focusing on local opportunities and services, CCC existence along the canal corridor anticipate the change and has the potential to increase local economic opportunity, are open to and benefit from being linked, co-ordinated and retain our young people, increase pride and ownership locally. communicated more effectively. Our research into Community Hubs, Community Connectivity and Business and Enterprise, within this programme, culminates in identifying the need to harness opportunities to develop a community-led destination and local destination experiences. Connectivity to the national waterways will draw more people to the area by land and water. Proactive co-ordination and connectivity will encourage a broad corridor experience capitalising on the potential to become a reputable tourism product.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 173 Developing Tourist Opportunities in Partnership Consultations with GFirst LEP Visitor Economy and Tourism Working Group initially identified a lack of awareness regarding the Canal restoration. Engagement improved throughout the Development Stage with CCT and CS invited to present and participate in their meetings. Stroud and Stonehouse Town councils have identified Tourism and the Canal restoration as key focus areas in their Supporting Document Stroud Town Neighbourhood Plan and Supporting Document Stonehouse Neighbourhood Plan.111 Stroud Tourism Forum was formed in January 2019 with the canal currently being represented by CCT and CS. Ongoing participation in the forum will continue, with key Visitors enjoy our community flags stakeholders maximising opportunities to improve the along the canal tourism offer presented including link to trails, connectivity with influencers and the development of a dedicated 112 We discovered that by creating connections to our places tourism website. 110. Pilots Projects: Canal-Rail Trail, Walled through interconnected activities, we can communicate local Works and Wildlife heritage. Our series of Pilot Projects: Canal-Rail Trail, ‘Graffiti The Cotswold Way (CW) is a big draw for visitors and Imprint 110 encourages people to visit the area. Stonehouse Town Council 111. Supporting Project, Walled Works, and Wildlife Imprint demonstrated Document Stroud the opportunity to establish locally bred adventures and has identified the benefits of improving links to the Cotswold Town Neighbourhood Plan and Supporting experiences that will encourage visitors to visit, stay, explore Way as the Town sits on the edge of the route and have Document Stonehouse and discover the local story. Visitor experiences will be requested that the project helps facilitate this opportunity. This Neighbourhood Plan 112. Supporting designed to support local enterprise and canal-based could be explored through including the CW and Stonehouse Document Planning for community hubs to connect communities in accordance on maps developed for CCC visitors. This inclusion will help Tourism identify and celebrate CCC as a gateway to the Cotswolds, it’s 113. Supporting with this programme. They will also draw visitors into local Document Stonehouse towns, encouraging them to stay longer and increase their Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks.113 Neighbourhood Plan spend per head. Visitor use of local services increases local economic development, entrepreneurship, reduces outward migration trends and increases people’s sense of ownership and wellbeing locally.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 174 Stonehouse Town Council is also working with Railfuture to build the case to re-open Bristol Road Station located on the CCC Opportunities for Sustainable canal close to Stonehouse making considerable headway in Tourism: 2019. This initiative has strong support from residents, town • A proactive and robust tourism plan developed and parish councils and would improve access to the canal for the canal corridor for visitors arriving by direct train connections from Bristol and • Canal based community hubs communicating the rest of the country. The potential for CCC to be linked to visitor information the International tourism campaign the Great West Way has already been discussed with GWR who would like to support • The canal corridor is linked to sustainable promoting this connection. Bristol Road Station would further transport through the Community Rail Partnership complement this tourist campaign. • Links to the Cotswold Way and the Great West Way A proactive and responsible approach that takes responsibility • Alignment with National and International for local people is recommended with a sustainable tourism tourism strategies and marketing campaigns plan developed over the 3 years of delivery. The Tourism Plan will be established sustainably using endorsed strategic • Canal Rail Trail embedded along the corridor attracting visitors frameworks- and specialised knowledge working in line with local parish, town, city and county objectives. • Circular cycling and walking trails established along and from the canal corridor • Destination marketing maximises the opportunity to develop tourism sustainably • Portfolio of branded and marketed maps communicating canal corridor destinations and experiences

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 175 5.7.2 Opportunities for Economic Regeneration The Stroud District Local Plan Review Emerging Strategy While Stroud has attracted new businesses and residents to Paper in November 2019 identified tourism as a key area for the area, the vision of a thriving visitor economy has some way development, remarking that the District needs to capitalise to go before it is realised. Looking at tourist activity, Stroud further on the tourism industry so that this sector continues does not currently perform as well as its Gloucestershire 114. Stroud District to contribute fully to economic growth. It also acknowledged neighbours when it comes to staying visits, staying nights and Local Plan Review Emerging Strategy that improved marketing activity could encourage newcomers spend, as shown in the table below. Paper 2018 to live and work in Stroud. Marketing our area’s ‘unique selling points’ not only boosts tourism but may help to draw relocating or start-up businesses to the District and to increase the District’s appeal as a place to live and work.114

The Economic Impact of Gloucestershire’s Visitor Economy 2016, Cotswold District Council

Key: n Cheltenham n Cotswolds n Forest of Dean n Gloucester n Stroud n Tewkesbury N.B. all staying trips and nights are shown in thousands; all staying spend is in millions.

Chart 7. All staying trips Chart 8. All staying nights Chart 9. All staying spend

700 1800 £140 1600 600 £120 1400 500 1200 £100 400 1000 £80 300 800 £60 600 200 £40 400 100 200 £20 0 0 £0

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 176 Tourist Spend Stroud: Day visits in the county context Stroud Town has been more successful in attracting day visitors over this period than the County-wide and national Chart 10. All day visits averages, with visitor numbers rising by 44% and spend rising Cheltenham 10% by 57%. This significant upward trend is likely to put pressure on Stroud Town centre, and there will be a requirement Cotswold 36% to spread the benefits of this growth to other parts of the Forest of Dean 13% district through interventions such as the restoration of the Stonehouse to Saul Junction section of the canal. Gloucester 17% Stroud 14% The total business turnover supported in the Stroud area Tewkesbury 10% by tourism activity in 2016 was reported to be £184,313m. Meanwhile Gloucester enjoyed a total turnover of £260,030m, and Cheltenham it was £204,803m. While the type of retail offer is undoubtedly partly responsible for the difference (more premium shops in Cheltenham, The Quays in Gloucester, more diverse and well-known chain dining options in both), the lack Chart 11. All day visit spend of knowledge about Stroud’s unique tourist offer is likely to Cheltenham 12% also be a factor. For tourists and locals wanting to experience the area beyond the typical Cotswold brand, CCC is in a Cotswold 31% strong position to offer this. With awareness of Stroud and the Forest of Dean 12% surrounding areas spreading, the natural next step would be Gloucester 21% the area being chosen as an overnight destination. Stroud 14% The average spend per day visit in the Stroud area is £33, and Tewkesbury 10% the average spend per night is £66. Clearly it is in the local economy’s interest to encourage day-trippers to stay in the area rather than simply visit from a base further afield, while at the same time encouraging additional day-trippers. Even a pessimistic staying visitor spend increase of 5% would mean an extra £2.5 million spent in the area annually, while a 5% increase in day visit spend would bring in a further £4.4 million.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 177 The Destination Management Plan for the Cotswolds 2014-2024 To learn more about canal destination business development states that tourism in the UK is set to grow by 5% year on year.115 barriers, aspirations and scale up opportunities we consulted with five businesses working within the canal corridor: Our research told us that three in 10 domestic holidaymakers 1. Access Bike (31%) plan to spend more holiday time in this country in 2019 A bike Workshop and social enterprise with than in previous years – and more than half of those surveyed aspirations to develop a hire scheme (52%) who were aged 25 to 34 plan to increase their UK-based 2. SUP Stroud holiday time. Fraser Withy’s paddle boarding tuition project would like to work along the corridor 116 The GFirst LEP’s Draft Industrial Strategy identifies 3. Stonehouse Court Hotel Tourism Zone status as a key aim with ‘Green Sarah Brewster Managing Director is keen to partner Gloucestershire’ driving our local identity and despite with CCC to offer tourist destination experiences a distinct lack of marketing for Stroud as a unique 4. Ruth Hickson destination we discovered that: Designer and Map Maker • The number of domestic overnight trips made to 5. Stroud Brewery Stroud has risen by 15% since 2015 Local brewery with a community focus • Visitor spend in Stroud between 2015 –17 had risen by 64% since 2013 Having consulted with these business owners we identified • Rapid growth could place additional pressures on the opportunities to bring them together in a supportive Stroud Town Centre the benefits of additional and complimentary way to create interlinked visitor tourists would be spread across the broad canal experiences and adventures that support the local economy corridor increasing NET value for people and engaged visitors. • Increased visitor numbers have contributed to a rise in demand for water-based tourism locally with To develop this further we consulted with Julie Ellison from the number of passenger boat trips on the canal ‘Make It Thrive’, who provide business support for local rising by 8.7% since 2017. The restoration of further entrepreneurs and specialises in social enterprise. Julie sections of the canal and proactive planning for 115. Tourism Data recommended a business development programme using a Tables Based on tourism will support this growth. figures given in The Local Economic Forum model over the 3 years of the project Economic Impact delivery. The programme would engage and stimulate local of Gloucestershire’s Visitor Economy 2016, innovators to develop realistic business plans in preparation Cotswold District for the connectivity to national waterways, whilst also Council 116. GFirst LEP Draft encouraging the community to support them. Industrial Strategy 2019

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 178 Station Exhibitions CCC Opportunities for Economic With 24 frames permanently installed at Stroud and Regeneration: Stonehouse stations (jointly funded by GWR), CCC has now • Build a reputable tourist destination with organised 2 station exhibitions at Stroud and Stonehouse associated destination experiences stations. The exhibitions were created by local people who • Communications and marketing to encourage an were supported by local photographers/ artists and inclusion extended length of stay for visitors and increased mentors. The exhibition was process driven and build spend per head confidence and celebrated local canal and rail heritage, built 117. Pilot Project Connecting 117 • Canal based community hubs support and confidence pride and connectivity in the community. Communities stimulate local business and entrepreneurship • A community enterprise mentoring programme • New canal-based licensed local enterprises • A canal-based enterprise forum (bi-annual forums) • Canal-boat community enterprise incubated in partnership with internationally renowned artist Luke Jerram 5.7.3 Opportunities for Events and Activities During the Development Stage we ran a range of collaborative creative events and activities across the spring and summer of 2019. As part of Stroud’s first Wool & Water Festival we organised station exhibitions, piloted a railway station platform event ‘While you Wait, and facilitated a series of creative workshops and events including community textile flag- making, canal story-telling, a canal graffiti project and natural dye printing at the Museum in the Park. We also organised a weekend long free canal-rail trail with a canal-rail trail map, interactive family orientated activities (wildlife bingo quiz, Station photography exhibition (jointly funded storytelling, boat trips and performance artists). The CCC canal- by GWR) at Stonehouse railway platform rail trail was highly successful and was attended by 700 people.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 179 Exploring Canal Carnivals Paul Harley from In-Situ118 Carnivals have long-term economic, environmental and social An arts organisation based in Brierfield, Pendle which impacts for communities. They help to build social networks, seek to produce socially relevant art that makes a positive attract resources, remove barriers, facilitate diversity and difference to peoples’ everyday lives, that challenges current improve social cohesion. thinking about environment people place and culture, that is art of action and contributes to society as a whole. We The Community Engagement team visited the Super Slow explored the ways that art can bring people together. Way Arts team, a NHLF funded project based on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, in Burnley, in March 2019. They wanted to Nick Hunt from Mid-Pennine Arts119 learn from other, national, best practice canal heritage project, To learn about the Burnley Canal Festival and how to especially with regard to connecting artists with communities make carnival inclusive and community-led. MPA is a around canal heritage, for place making and to explore ways commissioning agency based in Pennine Lancashire of using art to build social inclusion, promote cultural diversity which develops projects across Lancashire and beyond. and demographic identity. They met with the Super Slow Way They commission high quality creative work through a team as well as some of their delivery partners: variety of collaborations and in response to the distinctive 118. In-Situ – contexts of their natural, built and social environments. Embedding art into Everyday Life MPA projects examine what is unique about their area, 119. Mid-Pennine Arts heritage and communities. Burnley Canal Carnival

“Festivals need to be truly accessible for everyone – not just artists and exhibitions. You need to ensure that existing events are built upon to make sure projects are properly adopted by the broadest community and are sustainable after the NLHF funding. We included a local fun fair and worked with specific communities to design and make place-based flags which are displayed at the festival site to ensure everyone feel included and give the carnival a local identity. Focus on a weekend and a specific location so that you build sense of place.” Nick Hunt, Mid-Pennine Arts Gloucester Carnival – collaboration • Work on a four-year progression plan, starting Later in the Development Stage we met with the Gloucester small in Stroud for 2021 if possible post-COVID-19, prior to NLHF funding being in place Carnival steering group, who have created a fabulous, free and vibrant community carnival for the city, which brings We had already identified local arts organisation Stroud their communities together through art, dance and music Valleys Artspace (SVA) a potential collaborator on the carnival workshops. Gloucester Carnival is a creative expression of local idea, and shared CCC’s aims, premises and principles. identity. It captures and expresses Gloucester’s local heritage Together we designed Float my Boat121, a water-based art celebrating Spirit of Place.120 project which will animate the canal with an annual, highly visual event of artworks, performances and costumed CCC explored the potential collaboration around the existing parades on floats, paddleboards, rafts, canoes, canal boats Gloucester Carnival and ways to build genuine connection and rowing boats, all designed and made by community with our communities. Importantly, discussions helped us groups. SVA will bring their existing international connections further understand our priorities and how we could evolve a and associates into the project to create a programme of major event over the period of this project that would: exhibitions, workshops, radio projects and talks. This will • Develop a Stroudwater Navigation carnival-type enhance and extend the concept, by further celebrating experience, that would reflect the canal corridor waterways and connecting canal communities in Gloucester spirit of place and Berlin in the first year and bringing in other cities over • Create a genuine and grass roots led connection time. As described in our Community Enterprise and Local between Gloucester and the canal corridor Economic Development Plan (CED)122 these events contribute communities that can be sustained after the to an exciting tourism calendar. project period • Ensure disabled access and engagement with our Our approach to building a sustainable target audiences events programme • Work with existing expertise to develop a plan CCC’s events programme includes a two-pronged strategy. Firstly, we will deliver a high-profile public event, the ‘Float • Bring together community groups, artists, experts 120. Gloucester Carnival my Boat’ canal carnival, along with a few smaller events 121. Supporting and canal volunteers to create an event that would (canal trails and workshops and exhibitions linked to Stroud’s Document Float My reflect spirit of place Boat SVA Wool and Water Festival). These events support tourism 122. Community • Work on a four-year progression plan, starting development by creating memorable canal destination Enterprise and Local Economic Development small in Stroud for 2020 if possible, prior to HLF experiences which encourage people to return year on year. Plan Chapter 7 - p229 funding being in place

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 181 Secondly, CCC will invest in local capacity building and community development so that local community groups, CCC Opportunities for events and volunteer led projects (like Stroud Textiles Trust) and activities: community resources like the Museum in the Park, can run • Float My Boat - Water Based Art Project linking their own annual canal-based events (i.e. Nicer on the Water) Gloucester to Stroud via the canal into the future after NHLF’s project investment. • Nicer on the Water – community-led event providing a range of fun canal-based activities The ‘Nicer on the Water’ event, piloted during the including canoeing, paddle-boarding, trip boats Development Stage, was run almost entirely by Stonehouse and live music residents, with very minimal input from our CE team. CCC • Interactive Canal Rail Trail - once a year involving can now support this group to establish this as a regular 10 local practitioners annual event. • Series of Station exhibitions and activities which link Stroud, Stonehouse and Gloucester We had had planned and budgeted for a summer programme of activities which we designed to keep our • Memory Train – inclusive on-board activities audiences engaged and excited about the project during the celebrating canal and rail heritage between grant assessment period. These activities have unfortunately Gloucester and Stroud now been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Activities • Trainings - for local communities to support the were to include canal walks, nature experiences and talks, development of canal-based hub development along with a full weekend of Canal Rail Trail activities from activities Stroud to Stonehouse, a large mural restoration project for young people, a Canal Festival at Saul Junction and the Nicer on the Water community event in Stonehouse. A review of how to adapt to an online presence will take place in June 2020, following the submission of the bid.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 182 5.8 Exploring and Developing Our Spirit of Place As well as regenerating our communities, CCC will also help us enrich and celebrate their unique qualities and Spirit of Place. This became an important aspect of the project’s development and is reflected in our Creating Places strategy, which integrates engineering, arts and interpretation for place-making to celebrate our cultural identity.

Our project spans a large geographical area and although the capital and environmental conservation works concentrate along the Phase 1B section of the canal itself, the benefits and impacts of the project will be felt across the entire Cotswold community and the neighbouring city of Gloucester.

Mapping our canal community

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 183 As part of deepening our understanding and exploring our During the Delivery Stage of the project we will build on our relationship to our project’s ‘Spirit of Place’, we spent time ‘Spirit of Place’ assets, incorporating the surrounding canal- during the Development Stage finding out what Spirit of Place based villages of Brimscombe, Chalford, Ebley, Eastington, means for our people and communities. We concentrated Whitminster, Frampton, Ebley and Saul, and enhancing our initially on our two canal-based towns, Stonehouse and sense of place through art-based interpretation, a canal Stroud, as well as Gloucester City. carnival and creative canal-themed art installations.123

As part of ‘Spirit of Place’ mapping, in August 2019 we conducted a Facebook survey with Stonehouse residents, on the GL10 Stonehouse Community discussion group which has 2,500 members. We asked, ‘What makes Stonehouse special?’

“The community - we have a large network of volunteers and community spirited people who provide support within the town: Stonehouse in Bloom, Share & Repair, APT centre, Community centre, All our independent shops and Stonehouse Council all make up part of our well-loved community - And of course the residents of Stonehouse. As a community worker I am very passionate about what Stonehouse has to offer. I have lived here all my life. We have many residents that feel the same passion”. 123. Supporting Stonehouse resident and community worker, Document Spirit of Place Community August 2019 Commentary

Spirit of Place mapping with Partners CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 184 Case Study: A life by the canal “The canal was always there at the bottom of our garden at Ryeford through my childhood, my teens and my early 20s, when I left to get married. As youngsters my next door neighbour, Kathleen, and I would stand on the very edge of the canal, on the opposite side to the towpath, with our glass jam jars fishing for anything we could find. In the beginning I don’t think we understood what a canal was, and we never saw a boat. Anyway, one day, stood on the edge, my foot slipped and the next minute I was being sucked by the mud into the canal. Although this stretch of the canal was always in water, the water wasn’t very deep, it was the mud which was frightening - it really seemed to have a hold on this scrawny little girl.” Pat Harper, Ryeford resident

Flags made by people from our target under-represented groups, displayed at Ryeford Bridge during the Wool & Water Festival Stroud is locally known as a vibrant Festival Town with its Participants explored what ‘place’ means to them, how range of annual art, nature, literature, music and theatre it connects to their fundamental needs and informs their festivals. It hosts a creative community and has a reputation relationship with their community, themselves, their for social activism, green politics, arts and innovation. Known geography and landscape. nationally for its independent cafes and shops, picturesque five valleys location and award-winning Farmers Market, “Walking is boring! That was the complaint Stroud has been heralded as one of the most desirable places from my young son Oscar. I remembered to live. Stroud is a melting pot of people and communities that a friend had suggested Geocaching. right in the heart of the Cotswolds. With an alternative flavour and a radical edge, it will take centre stage when it comes to Oscar liked treasure hunts so I downloaded celebrating and bringing to life our canal cultural heritage. Our the app onto my phone. Near to where we Facebook survey in Stroud was packed with references to its live is the Stroudwater Canal and we soon radical roots, individuality and inclusive qualities. discovered that some kind soul had set up caches to find every few hundred yards. “Tolerance, individuality at the same Soon we were knee-deep in booty and had time as caring for one another, variety walked a couple of miles. Each cache also of people and places, independent spirit, came up with a description of the canal’s green credentials, brave district council history. We had great fun that day and particularly on regeneration issues, have since visited different sections of the happy place!” canal route to find more caches. We didn’t just discover treasure that day we also “...that SPIRIT of wild expression, discovered the canal.” freedom and joy that drew me and holds Oscar and David Chamberlain, Stonehouse me to this day.”

Creative Sustainability facilitated a placemaking community consultation in February 2019 at Community Hub, Stroud Brewery. The workshop was designed to explore peoples’ relationship with their sense of place.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 186 Chapter 6: Strategic Planning & Delivering Outcomes 6.1 Sharing our learning and developing a strategy The in-depth community engagement, consultation and action research work, undertaken throughout the Development Stage, was collated, analysed, interpreted and written up during the autumn of 2019. This body of work was presented as part of a series of Research & Development Reports, Pilot Project Reports, Case studies and supporting documents, which were shared across the partnership.

Our key primary research and baseline documents, which This was followed by a strategic development workshop which informed the production of our Activity Plan, and will facilitated a process of consolidation and additional review/ be used as living reference documents throughout the learning across the various strands of our work. The workshop Delivery Stage, are: provided the Project team an opportunity to step back and view all of our work strategically, it offered an overview by • 5 Community Engagement Research and Development Reports presenting all our work (activities/ outputs and outcome ambitions) within a wider strategic framework. • The Conservation Plan • The Management and Maintenance Plan A key benefit of this sharing process has been learning about and building up resilience within individual organisations and • Engineering Reports, Plans and Sub-plans across the partnership as a whole. • The CCC Impact Report, Peter Brett: 2019 • Environmental Impact Assessments and There was time for us to reflect on all the different components Habitat surveys of the project and appreciate, understand and discuss all the different disciplines, sectors and areas of expertise which the • Pilot Project Reports and case studies project brings together. This wider picture allowed everyone to see the scope and potential of the project, including All the learning, premises and recommendations for all our opportunities to build resilience by highlighting the gaps project activities and schemes of work, were drawn out of and the areas where our work over-laps and leads to shared these plans, reports and studies so that everyone could digest, outcomes. Many project activities had multiple outcomes review and explore them, both together and within their own which cross sectors or themes. organisations.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 188 Molly faciltating a consultation workshop to As example of this was the linking together of creative test out the CCC branding interpretation and practical restoration and engineering work, which had initially been conceptualised by the Project team as quite separate. Using photographic interpretation by local people to record, explain and celebrate the engineering work became an important part of “Place-making’, linking our work in a vital way for creative interpretation and heritage learning.

As part of our Creating Places strategy, we have therefore woven together our arts, engineering and interpretation in order to stimulate and ignite a sense of place, deepen community identity linked to canal heritage and build community ownership and responsibility. 6.1.1 Filling in the gaps: Volunteer survey and strategy workshop

As part of the strategic development and planning process some gaps also emerged – particularly in relation to deepening our understanding of our audiences. This led to some additional research work on existing volunteers in order to deepen our understanding of volunteer engagement, Health and Wellbeing outcomes, for example, were identified recruitment and retention. We wanted to ensure that our across all areas of the Project and so we agreed that these approach to tackling barriers and celebrating existing outcomes should be cross-cutting and should be assessed approaches and relationships was thorough, realistic and and evaluated across every programme. The process also accurate. Therefore, as part of our consultation and pilot highlighted all the areas where our work could link together, project work, we carried out a new Volunteer Survey, followed it dispelled assumptions, allowed for the cross pollination of by a Volunteer Strategy Workshop (December 2019). This gave ideas and supported the development of a more cohesive and us the information and opportunity to review operational resilient partnership. issues and develop a strategic response.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 189 During the Volunteering Strategy workshop, partners had an We realised for example that CCT works extremely well with opportunity to look more closely at the Project’s existing and older, retired males, 42% of whom said that they volunteered new audiences. We discussed the survey findings, which, for CCT because they were, ‘retired and want to keep busy whilst indicating good volunteer retention and a strong sense and active’. Our demographics research125 indicates an aging of volunteer satisfaction, also demonstrated that, due to the population and highlights the increasing problem of loneliness nature of the type of volunteering opportunities available, the and isolation associated with older retired males. Our research current demographic profile of canal-restoration volunteers also highlights the opportunities offered by larger numbers (CCT & SDC) was largely retired white men.124 of retired professionals, who will continue be targeted as potential new volunteers during the Delivery Stage. We spent time discussing volunteering opportunities in relation to the culture and context, skills, environment and The Volunteer Survey also demonstrated that many existing capacity of our organisations. We were able to reflect on volunteers would be happy to take on mentoring roles for new what is currently working really well in terms of audience volunteers, specifically to support the engagement of those engagement and retention and which areas need additional harder to reach from under-represented groups. During the focus, expertise, training and resources. delivery of the pilot projects, we also realised just how much was already being achieved by our delivery partners, which We explored the intersectionality of our audiences realising had, and continues to remain largely invisible or not formally that, in order to achieve multiple outcomes for all our 14 recognised or communicated. One CCT volunteer, for example, audiences we would need to adopt a range of different who we met at our Pilot Project Meet the Volunteers, described approaches and deliver different activities for different people. how he had been supporting the participation of a young man As part of this process partners recognised and understood with addiction issues for some time out on the canal. This 124. 79% of our Volunteer Survey more clearly, their specific areas of expertise and comparative informal mentoring relationship had resulted in many benefits respondents were men and 60% of respondents advantage within the CCC Project. for both these men, which had not been formally recorded or were over 60 years captured by CCT. 125. Chapter 3.1.4 - p59

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 190 6.2 Developing a Vision & Theory of Change As part of the strategic planning process we clarified and To bring this vision to life our five strategic aims are: fine-tuned our outcome ambitions for people, communities and the environment. We categorised and grouped specific activities together, reviewing and refining our original project 1. Creating Places: themes and outcomes to form five core strategic aims. These Capital Work over-arching strategies are rooted in, and build on, the original and Creative themes we had developed as part of Phase 1A. They present a clearly conceptualised Theory of Change126 and Project Interpretation Vision by integrating the strands of the work to demonstrate Through renovating, building and enhancing our cultural multiple outcomes for people and communities in heritage and heritage physical assets Enhancing and celebrating learning, wildlife conservation and resource management, our cultural and heritage assets, through cutting edge creative arts and interpretation, inclusive community economic innovative design and engineering and arts-based development, sustainable tourism and health and wellbeing. creative community interpretation to build community ownership and enhance our spirit and sense of place. CCC Project Vision is to: Key to this project’s success and long-term impact for Restore the historic link between people and communities is to improve the infrastructure England’s two greatest rivers in the and quality of our towns and communities, injecting them interests of conservation, biodiversity with beauty and life and re-engaging people with artistic and local quality of life, maximising the imagination. Our Creating Places Strategy combines our widest potential of the restoration as a capital works and interpretation programmes so that art catalyst for social, cultural, economic and culture have a direct and interwoven relationship. and environmental regeneration. In the past, engineers and architects worked closely with carpenters and draftsmen and creative thinking in built heritage was abundant. Modern technologies and approaches bring innovation and new design. However, modern approaches are also often office based and disconnect and alienate local people from the design

process and their everyday environments. 126. CCC Theory of Change - p199

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 191 As Eric Reynolds Director, Urban Space Management Phase 1A, together with Phase 1B of our heritage project, said in his paper, ‘Artists and Places’,127 will result in 16km of appropriately restored canal, reconnecting the canal network and England’s two main “The unique flavour of local national waterways. Importantly, without the connection of 1B, the benefits of 1A will be lost. places can easily get lost.” The activities we will deliver as part of achieving our CCC will use cutting edge design and innovative technology Creating Places Strategy are covered in the Engineering as well as engaging creative minds and involving local Plan128 and our Interpretation Plans.129 They form the people in a varied programme of artistic interpretation. basis of our Action Plan for the Delivery Stage. Action planning activity highlights include: Creating Places brings these important elements together with an exciting and high-profile capital engineering and • Innovative design and engineering of channel interpretation programme. design, new locks, lift bridges and an M5 crossing running parallel to the River Frome, We will reopen 6 km of the Stroudwater Navigation (SN), • Restoration of 3 historic bridges, 6 locks and including restoration of derelict sections and reconstruct 6km of restored waterway a ‘Missing Mile’ of former canal corridor that was destroyed • Placements for CRT apprentices in engineering, in the 1960s. environmental management and archive restoration. This will involve restoring 6 original locks, 3 original • 3,000 diverse volunteering opportunities bridges, (Occupation, Westfield & Newtown Roving) and restoring 10 ‘pounds’ (canal channel between locks) so • 300 work experience placements in the of areas that they resemble the original canal heritage as far as canal restoration, archive restoration and education, and wildlife conservation 127. Artists and possible. Our innovative engineering solutions to recreate Places, Commission for the ‘Missing Mile’, include a new channel under the M5, a Architecture and the • New didactic canal-based interpretation Built Environment and new high-level road bridge, a new major railway bridge and boards, signage & maps Arts & Business, 2008 three vehicle carrying, lift bridges. 128. Section E: • A Community Interpretation Programme of Engineering Plan events, exhibitions & workshops 129. Section L Interpretation Plan • An annual Stroudwater Canal Carnival and Interpretation Plan Summary Chapter 7 - p234

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 192 We will place considerable attention on supporting the 2. Prosperous community to benefit from the new economic opportunities and Connected ahead. CCC will stimulate new business opportunity as well Communities as becoming an attractive, outdoor, accessible national waterway tourist destination which will draw new visitors Connecting towns, railways and waterways, restoring from neighbouring urban centres, such as Gloucester. Its our built heritage and implementing a sustainable connectivity to the national waterways provides a powerful canal management plan, which creates more local vehicle and focus point for building place-specific services, opportunities, engages visitors, develops tourism experiences and adventures, which are provided by local sustainably and builds prosperous and connected places people to benefit them and visitors alike. Our Pilot Project for economic growth and regeneration. Canal Trail in May 2019 attracted over 700 people across one The second key to this project’s success and long-term weekend. 35% of visitors were from outside of the District impact for people and communities, is to maximise and 10% came from Gloucester. This was despite little active opportunities for local economic development and marketing in Gloucester City, which demonstrates both, improve opportunities for leisure, learning and community the opportunities open to CCC for engaging people from building. In order to achieve our aim, to build Prosperous Gloucester and for trails that link canal communities to reach and Connected Communities, CCC will deliver a Community a broader demographic. Enterprise and Local Economic Development Plan.130 The work delivered as part of this Plan will harness the economic The canal restoration’s potential to stimulate positive impacts and social opportunities which Cotswold Canals Connected has been anticipated for over 47 years locally. News of the presents for people along the canal corridor. It identifies and imminent restoration and connection to national waterways maximises opportunities for local economic development, was met with considerable support and enthusiasm generally by delivering activities which will improve connectivity and and from the business community in particular. Industrial community cohesion in an inclusive and accessible way. It units, businesses and entrepreneurs are already developing will facilitate pathways that increase economic and cultural business adaptations in anticipation of the canal connecting regeneration, whilst prioritising activities which are healthy at Saul Junction. This programme will maximise the potential and environmentally sustainable. The work supports and is for improved local economic development through tourism, 130. Community guided by GCC’s Looking to the Future 2019-2022 Strategy, business and enterprise opportunities, with focus on Enterprise and Local Economic Development their Destination Management Plan for the Cotswolds and sustainability and a community led approach. Harnessing Plan Chapter 7 - p229 SDC’s Local Plan 2016-2023 and their recently revised 2020 economic opportunities for local people and local businesses 131. Supporting Document CCC Working 131 Health and Wellbeing Plan. now plays a significant role in CCC’s project legacy. Strategically and in Partnership

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 193 Our community enterprise development work will also help to tackle economic and social issues and inequalities, by delivering a relevant, inclusive and accessible programme that represents local need, people and places. Linking strategically with our Participation and Inclusion Plan, our activities aim to build a sense of ownership, well-being and prosperity. The 14 Town and Parish councils along the canal corridor have all demonstrated their commitment to the restoration project, including references in Neighbourhood Plans, preparations for anticipated economic and social opportunities and communication people’s concerns regarding parking and tourism impacts.

One of the main outcomes of this work will be the development of a comprehensive and joined up Sustainable Tourism Plan which connects the canal corridor to the rest of the UK’s national waterways. This will align with and support the key objectives outlined in the local Neighbourhood plans for Stroud and Stonehouse, Frampton and Whitminster. The activities we will deliver to build Prosperous and Connected Communities are presented in the Community Enterprise and Local Economic Development Plan132 and form the basis of our Action Planning for the Delivery Stage. Activity highlights include: • Community Canal Hubs along the corridor • A Community Rail Partnership • A Community Canal Boat Enterprise • Canal-based licensed local enterprises • A Canal Enterprise Forum • A Sustainable Tourism Plan

132. Community Enterprise and Local Economic Development Plan Chapter 7 - p229 Finding out what people want to see and do along the canal GWT has a volunteer base of 544 active volunteers working 3. Inclusive on wildlife projects in the region and a long track record and Cohesive of successful community engagement programmes; CCT Communities: broaden already has around 200 volunteers, many of whom are opportunities and actively engaged in the canal restoration and have been build resilience motivating community volunteers since 1975; SDC is highly engaged with the needs of its community with 157 active Broadening opportunities and inclusivity, reaching new restoration volunteers and a rainbow coalition that supports audiences and ensuring that those people and communities and engenders local voice and empowerment. Creative most at risk of exclusion are supported to have as many opportunities as possible to participate in our project. Sustainability has its roots deep in the community and engendering a strong voice for the people and communities In order to contribute towards building more inclusive in the canal corridor. and cohesive communities we will deliver a best practice Participation and Inclusion Plan.133 Our inclusion work This has presented an opportunity to provide an exemplar recognises that we all have multiple identities, based on a model for a community-embedded approach to inclusion range of factors such as our gender, our age our economic, and participation for a national heritage project, in terms mental and physical health and our cultural identity. All of of models, theory and research. Since 2010 Creative these identities impact on our ability to access opportunities Sustainability has worked with a number of research and participate in the world in a positive, purposeful and partners to establish best practice for inclusion, evaluation meaningful way. and mentoring. These methodologies underpin all the ways of working throughout the development phase and will We had a head start in understanding how to include our local continue to do so for the delivery phase. CCC will model community in this project as all the partners were very much inclusion to a huge number of social, public and private embedded in the community from the outset. Many of the CCC bodies, backed up by a wealth of experience and existing team already work with a range of the project audiences in our great practice in the locality. This model of inclusion will existing organisations and roles. become part of the CCC project legacy, and our Participation and Inclusion Plan will model three best-practice 133. Participation and approaches to participation: Inclusion Plan Chapter 7 - p236

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 195 • Inclusion for everyone This project is a great opportunity to flagship these three Finding ways for everyone to be able to join in best practice models both locally and nationally to a huge rather than providing ‘special’ activities for people. number of social, public and private bodies. As part of Our approach to working with disabled people’, the Project training in inclusion, co-produced evaluation for example, is an approach we apply to all those and peer to peer mentoring will be provided for all project who are marginalised and not participating in partners. mainstream activity but is also a model for best practice in all community engagement work. The activities we will deliver to create Inclusive and Cohesive Communities are presented in the Participation and • Co-produced, inclusive evaluation Inclusion Plan134 and form the basis of our Action Planning A methodology developed by Creative for the Delivery Stage. Activity highlights include: Sustainability in collaboration with the Countryside • ‘Access Canal’ inclusive programmes of projects, and Community Research Institute, University of activities and workshops Gloucestershire, to devise more robust frameworks • Peer-led befriending and targeted mentoring for evaluating complex outcomes for people-based for under-represented groups and people in projects. The framework will support better self- rehabilitation programmes directed outcomes for participants, guide project • Co-produced monitoring and evaluation planning for organisations and ultimately influence • Volunteer Training and Skills development commissioning. • Inclusion training for staff and volunteers • Peer to Peer Befriending A model that assumes people with lived experience and their own learning curve or set of needs, often provide far better support for others with the same experience as volunteers, or paid professionals. Current thinking on ‘Good Help’ suggests that the best long-term support, and the most sustainable,

can be found in local communities. 134. Participation and Inclusion Plan Chapter 7 - p236

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 196 In order to achieve multiple Pathways to Heritage Learning for our people 4. Pathways for and communities, we will support the delivery of an exciting programme of Heritage Learning: formal and informal learning activities. This include music, STEM, literacy informal learning & and creative projects for 2,000 primary and secondary children. It will include schemes of work developed for STEM activities in collaboration enhancing skills with Canal and River Trust (CRT) and Stroud Valleys Project, as well as Improving access to heritage education & learning, enhancing offering a broad range of outdoors learning opportunities. Secondary people’s skills and building new pathways for sustainable formal school students will benefit from ‘study packs’ supporting specific canal- and informal heritage education. related subject matter, which will be shared with schools and directly with students through Gloucestershire Heritage Hub. We will spread awareness Cotswold Canals Connected has a long and rich history and the of existing available resources including online and school-based Stroudwater Navigation Archive is the most complete canal archives workshops through the Canal and River Trust and offer summer work in the UK, with stories from as far back from the 1730s waiting to be placements for young people each year that appeal to different interests told. Among its treasures are 18th Century hand-drawn maps and including social media, event planning, design and conservation. modern engineering plans, an abundance of letters, personal accounts of sickness and travail, minute books, cargo lists, Victorian paintings The activities we will deliver to build Pathways for Heritage Learning are and 20th century photographs. These records capture the history and presented in the Formal and Informal Learning Plan135 and form the basis beauty of the landscape, the waterways and the canal community. As of our Action Planning for the Delivery Stage. Activity highlights include: part of CCC the layers of history and stories in our archive will bring the • A canal curriculum for heritage teaching and learning Stroudwater Navigation to life for local and national audiences. in primary schools • Heritage apprenticeship placement opportunities in The wealth of archive opportunities will be hugely enhanced by our partnership with CRT existing local resources. These include actively engaged canal enthusiasts • Work placements and internships in engineering and restoration, educators working with Museum in the • Canal heritage artefacts & resources Park, local history groups, the canal textiles heritage community, Stroud • Restored archive documents Textiles Trust and the recently established Wool and Water Festival. • Archive Events • College and University placements As with all our activities we will embed the project outcomes in • An informal education programme for all our audiences partnership with these organisations to create a rich community-led, with mentored participation for under-represented people archive citizen science and heritage learning programme that will become and communities a lasting legacy of this project. • Accredited courses with GWT’s Wild for Nature programme

135. Formal and Informal Learning Plan Chapter 7 - p232

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 197 5. Working with Ocean, near Stonehouse. The Stroudwater Navigation runs through the Frome Valley, one of Gloucestershire’s Strategic Nature: Conservation, Nature Areas. The valley connects the Severn Vale, an protection & internationally important area for wildlife, with the Stroud enhancement Valleys and the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Our project will make the most of these important Ensuring that the project causes as little disturbance to existing wildlife and habitats as possible and nature connections. creates new habitats that mitigate the impacts of the restoration, result in an overall net gain for biodiversity One way this will be achieved is by developing an and create opportunities for local participation in ecological network that enhances biodiversity and the local conservation and nature resource management. environment for the benefit of people and wildlife through a The Cotswold Canals Connected project will create a ‘living landscape’ approach to conservation. vibrant canal destination which will re-connect people and communities to the natural world and particularly to Nature based activities that will involve people and their local wildlife habitat assets. We will choose models communities will be delivered through our People with 136 and pathways that mitigate negative environmental Nature Plan and form the basis of our Action Planning for impacts and maximise the opportunity to make positive the Delivery Stage. Activity highlights include: environmental gains through best practice models of • 21 hectares of wildlife rich land created habitat creation and protection and through raising • 30,000 trees planted ecological awareness in our communities. • 4km of new hedgerows We are particularly focused on the management of the • New Orchards and Wetlands natural heritage in Phase 1B of the canal restoration • New wildlife habitats project and therefore we include a comprehensive range • Ecological surveys/ monitoring of habitat creation and restoration projects from the • A new programme of nature-based canal-related outset, with the aim of achieving a net positive gain for activities in schools and along the canal corridor biodiversity and re-connecting people with the living landscape. CCC will use the canal restoration to link and enhance the natural features and wildlife habitats of the fragmented landscape from Saul Junction to The 136. People with Nature Plan - p239

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 198 Diagram 7. CCC Theory of Change Restore the historic link between England’s two greatest rivers in the interests of conservation, biodiversity and local quality of life, maximising the widest potential of the restoration as a catalyst for social, cultural, economic and environmental regeneration.

A renewed sense and spirit of place which Resilient and cohesive partnerships, Embedded and creative pathways Leading encourages enjoyment and understanding of the natural, networks and communities which invest in for heritage learning which engage schools, colleges, to lasting historic and cultural heritage of the Cotswolds, reconnecting people, relationships and grass roots organisations, adopt local groups and the wider community, inspire historical enquiry, benefits... people to their canal heritage and cultural assets, providing a best practice inclusive approaches to participation and celebrate archive & engineering, protect wildlife and navigate national visitor destination and bringing social, cultural and facilitate broad and meaningful engagement in heritage people into training and employment. economic regeneration to our communities. restoration and canal management.

Creating Places Prosperous & connected Inclusive & cohesive Pathways to heritage Working with nature communities communities learning • A new navigable canal waterway • Connected towns and villages • Skills and knowledge for a broader • A broader range of people are • Increased biodiversity • A renewed sense of place and through our canals and railways range of people and communities engaged in training, work placements • Protected wildlife stewardship of the canal corridor • Phase 1A linked to the national • New opportunities for everyone to and internships • Improved condition of the natural It will lead • Deeper understanding of and network and economic benefits enjoy themselves outdoors • People and communities have canal heritage to this... relationship to the built and realised • Broader participation by people from improved skills, knowledge and • Increased knowledge of wildlife and natural environment by people and • A new canal destination for tourists different socio- economic groups, understanding of their local heritage the environment in the canal/river communities and locals ethnic backgrounds and age groups • Our canal heritage is better explained corridor • A celebration of our cultural heritage • A sustainably managed canal corridor • Improved self-esteem and confidence and interpreted • More multi-functional natural spaces through arts, creativity and which attracts new and supports • Resilient partner organisations for and blue green infrastructure innovation existing business & enterprise sustainable canal management and • Reduced negative impacts community engagement

• Restore 6.1km of • New didactic canal • Community Hubs • Targeted mentoring • Recruit new and hips • Heritage • Canal curriculum for • 21 hectares of wildlife waterways and tow based interpretation • Community Rail for under- support existing apprenticeships heritage teaching and rich land path boards, signage & Partnership represented groups volunteers • Work placements learning • 30,000 trees • 1 mile of new canal maps • Community Canal and people in • New volunteer roles • Canal heritage • College and Uni • 4km of new • New and restored • Community Boat Enterprise rehabilitation • Training and skills artefacts & resources placements hedgerows By doing programmes historic locks and interpretation • Canal-based licensed development • Restored archive • Informal education • Orchards and this... bridges • Programmes of local enterprises • Access Canal • A communication documents programme wetlands inclusive programme • Innovative community events/ • Canal Enterprise plan • Archive Events • Accredited courses • New wildlife habitats exhibitions/workshops of projects, activities with GWT’s Wild for Forum and workshops • Inclusion training • Ecological surveys • Stroudwater Canal • Sustainable Tourism • Safe-guarding work Nature programme monitoring Carnival Plan

Conserve and Involve everyone Build on existing, Broaden Support new Harness the Restore the canal Develop formal Connect people Protect and restore the canal in creative, networks and participation to opportunities amazing skill and archive and make and informal to their natural enhance the If we... community-led assets to develop make access to for people to capacity of our it accessible for canal learning environment and natural heritage interpretation a national canal the canal more authentically volunteers everyone programmes produce wildlife destination inclusive participate learning

Post COVID-19 our communities will need the social, cultural and economic regeneration which this project brings to Stroud District and nearby Gloucester - some of the 25% most deprived areas Why Here? of England. The historic waterway is not navigable and the canal and nearby natural habitats between Saul and Stonehouse are in desperate need of conservation and restoration. The economic Why Now? and sustainable management benefits of Phase 1A cannot be fully realised without the next Phase of the restoration. 6.3 Developing operational delivery plans

In January 2020 we started to collate all our project activities and schemes of work into an Action Plan. With a large geographical focus, five strategies and six operational delivery partners, this was a complex task. In order to find the best way to practically deliver activities, we grouped our activities together into schemes of work. We also aligned and assessed our activities against our target audiences and our partnership of 6 delivery organisations. These discrete bodies of work form our 7 delivery plans which will be delivered by the CCC Partnership in order to achieve our 5 strategic project aims for people and communities.

Aim 1: Creative Places • Interpretation Plan (Ref: IP) Aim 2: Pathways to Heritage Learning • Formal and Informal Learning Plan (Ref: LP) • Volunteer Plan (Ref: VP) Aim 3: Cohesive and Inclusive Communities • Participation and Inclusion Plan (Ref: PIP) Aim 4: Prosperous and Connected Places • Community Enterprise and Local Economic We presented all our learning diagrammatically and during our strategic development workshops we ran a carousel exercise to refine and agree all our outputs and outcome ambitions Development (Ref: CED) • Communication and Promotion Plan (Ref: CM) Aim 5: Working with Nature • People and Nature Plan (Ref:PN)

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 200 Table 14 explains in more detail how the activities in our delivery plans will result in the achievement of our strategic aims and outcomes.

Table 14: CCC Strategic Project Aims & Outcomes

Pilot ProjectsTo create a TargetPathways audiences to InclusivePurpose/aims & Cohesive of Workingpilot with Prosperous & Connected Sense of Place Heritage Learning Communities Nature Communities

Formal & Formal and informal Canal heritage will be Under-represented Accredited nature New training and skills Informal learning opportunities embedded in formal people and communities conservation activities in transfer will help to navigate Learning will support placemaking primary school curriculums will overcome complex partnership with schools, people back into formal Plan using a range of media, and provide learning barriers to participation colleges and universities training or employment (Ref: LP) such as photography, art, opportunities for other in a wide range of formal and a programme and encourage greater mini-museums, history education settings about and informal activities and of practical, outdoor retention of young people talks, theatre and canal the local wildlife, built restoration volunteering nature conservation in our community. Archive story-telling, which will heritage and archive, opportunities. They will activities will encourage accessibility, links to Glos re-connect people to their through STEM, literacy and develop skills, confidences greater knowledge and Heritage Hub, public history and give them a creative frameworks. and qualifications, understanding of wildlife exhibitions and educational greater sense of ownership leading to purposeful and the environment by talks, will raise awareness and sense of their place. lives, positive citizenship, people and communities and support the creation greater community leading to better a canal heritage tourist cohesion and improved protection and resource destination, connecting our physical and mental management. communities and resulting health and well-being. in economic regeneration.

Interpretation Photography projects Informal learning Providing opportunities for Wildlife and nature An annual Canal-Rail Plan (Exhibition 42), exhibitions, about heritage through community interpretation, art and interpretation Trail, the Float my Boat (Ref: IP) creative workshops, interpretation: stories, matching groups locations/ projects, alongside formal Carnival, a flagship canal- festivals, a large-scale song, performance, art, themes according to interpretation boards, based art installation artist commission photography, sound and their strengths, assets which explain new and project and regular and community-led Online Citizen History and interests and linking existing wildlife areas and photography exhibitions, interpretation, will involve and information boards/ them to artists, designers, assets, will support people festivals and creative everyone in the canal panels, will improve historians, musicians, to engage with nature in workshops, will attract restoration process accessibility and deepen stonemasons and writers, a meaningful and creative new visitors, support building ownership and peoples’ understanding will support people to way. business development resulting in arts & cultural of the built and natural develop and create their and lead to local economic regeneration. environment. own ideas. regeneration.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 201 Pilot ProjectsSense of Place cont. TargetHeritage audiences Learning cont. InclusivePurpose/aims cont. of Naturepilot cont. Prosperous cont.

People & The creation of nature rich The development Under-represented Community orchards, An award winning built and Nature Plan wildlife corridors across the of wildlife resource groups will spend more wetlands creation projects, natural heritage project (Ref: PN) landscape - new wetlands material for schools, time in nature through nature walks, talks and will raise the profile of our and wildlife habitats, accredited nature tailored, targeted and events, wildlife resource wildlife heritage areas, orchards and wildflower conservation activities in inclusive guided nature materials, accredited attracting new visitors and meadows, will encourage partnership with colleges walks and conservation training opportunities, new creating new eco-tourism more people to engage and universities and projects. Mentoring and and protected habitats opportunities. Protected with and connect to their programme of nature supported programmes and Community Wildlife species surveys and natural local wildlife heritage. conservation activities, will of volunteering in wildlife Champions, will connect resource management enable more people to gain conservation, including a more people to the natural projects, led by local knowledge and practical partnership with Stroud world, improve peoples’ communities, will build skills to appreciate, benefit Valleys Project, will deliver health and wellbeing and greater responsibility over from and protect the nature conservation and ensure greater protection the natural environment natural world. support the participation of our wildlife heritage. and lead to resilience and of vulnerable adult future prosperity. volunteers.

Volunteer The involvement of over Volunteering opportunities Inclusion training for Mentoring and supported Volunteering opportunities Plan 500 new volunteers across which provide skills Volunteer Ambassadors, programmes of which include skills transfer (Ref: VP) 3 years, actively involved in development training, welfare units, accessible volunteering in wildlife will contribute towards canal, wildlife and archive work experience, toilets and quiet spaces conservation including a navigating people back restoration, will make our internships and at sub-project’s sites, partnership with Stroud into formal training or heritage accessible to the apprenticeship placement alongside mentoring Valleys Project, will allow employment, reducing community and develop opportunities, will support for under-represented us to deliver nature unemployment and the heritage identity of our pathways to employment/ people and subsistence/ conservation outcomes building local prosperity. canal towns. training navigation. travel bursaries for which are run by and Volunteer Lengthspeople volunteers, will support a involve local volunteers. linked with local schools more inclusive volunteer and community groups environment and diversify will support sustainable our volunteer workforce. canal management and maintenance both for local people and new visitors.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 202 Pilot ProjectsSense of Place cont. TargetHeritage audiences Learning cont. InclusivePurpose/aims cont. of Naturepilot cont. Prosperous cont.

Participation We will engage a wider Our mentoring programme Inclusive, active, Mentoring and supported Canal-based local & Inclusion range of people in creative will support the meaningful and authentic programmes of enterprises, small local Plan heritage interpretation participation of under- participation in safe, volunteering in wildlife businesses, youth-led (Ref: PIP) particularly photography, represented people in supported activities that conservation, guided projects and targeted graffiti and textile design, volunteering, training and develop self-esteem, nature walks, community canal communities providing mentoring and informal heritage learning self-agency and raise orchards, Stroud Valleys (Stonehouse) will benefit facilitated workshops to opportunities. They expectations, leading to Project volunteering from business incubation, ensure those not currently will overcome complex better life-chances and projects, Community targeted support and engaged feel a greater barriers to participation improved health and Wildlife Champions and prioritised canal licences. sense of ownership of their in a wide range of formal wellbeing. Community inclusive nature events Community adoption canal heritage. The Float and informal activities and networks and partnerships will connect more people schemes and community My Boat canal carnival will opportunities, developing will work together to to the natural world, Hubs will also build the be designed as an inclusive skills, confidences and provide activities and improve peoples’ health resilience of canal-based event to attract a diverse qualifications, through opportunities for canal and wellbeing and ensure towns and villages to range of people and tailored, co-created communities, sharing greater protection of our encourage economic and communities. programmes. learning and resources, wildlife heritage. social regeneration as leading to more resilient well as reducing youth and sustainable unemployment and community networks. entrenched worklessness.

Communica- Creative media such A contemporary website Accessible Wildlife conservation Profile-raising campaigns tion & as local & national arts which publicises communications and work linked to the canal and events such as canal Marketing interpretation, Canal FM, volunteering and pathways marketing which use restoration promoted trails, festivals and raft races, Plan press, film, exhibitions, to heritage learning inclusive language and through existing a wide variety of literature (Ref: CM) radio interviews and opportunities as well messaging, dynamic and communications (annual such as fliers, posters, soundscape will publicise as canal-based school creative online media, reports, newsletters banners, printed maps, our canal events and curricula e-resources an interactive, accessible and magazines) as well promotional postcards and attract visitors supporting marketed to schools website, social media as features in national interpretation material and the creation of a canal means thousands of campaigns, blogs and publications. Partnerships representation at trade fairs, destination. people will learn about our project-related forums for with national nature conferences and the CCT canal heritage. volunteers will enable a conservation orgs, projects Roadshow will raise CCC’s diverse range of people (i.e. SRT) and conferences. profile and attract tourists to become inspired and and bring prosperity. engaged in the restoration.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 203 Pilot ProjectsSense of Place cont. TargetHeritage audiences Learning cont. InclusivePurpose/aims cont. of Naturepilot cont. Prosperous cont.

Community The Canal-Rail Trail, Walks and talks linked to Mentored participation in Wide publicity of wildlife Canal-based small Enterprise photography exhibitions, festivals and communities, art-based community canal and conservation business development and Local participation in the CCT talks and roadshows interpretation projects, opportunities for all support and capacity Economic Wool & Water Festival, showcasing the project community events and audiences and marketing building as well as Development creative community and attracting historians, carnivals as well as canal of our wildlife corridor canal adoption Plan interpretation and a and heritage students adoption projects with asset as a tourist projects with schools or (Ref: CED) Flagship Art Installation and online resources schools or communities, destination, along with communities as well as project, will bring national marketable to schools will make local economic a national Building with a strong regional and recognition and promote across the country, will development accessible Nature award, will raise national marketing strategy cultural re-generation, support CCC to become to everyone, especially our the profile of our wildlife and the development of both a tourist and target audiences. heritage areas, attract new a Sustainable Tourism educational heritage visitors and create wildlife Network and Plan will destination. tourism opportunities. increase local tourism and result in local economic regeneration

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 204 and surveys have allowed for a wealth of learning around why 6.3.1 Delivering project people volunteer, highlighting the changes which volunteering activities by multiple partners has made to many people’s lives, recognising the role of volunteering in skills building, empowerment and inclusion. Across the Development Stage we had become aware of It is also part of our longer-term strategy to navigate people our comparative advantage, understanding more clearly back into work or training and tackle unemployment within each partner’s unique strengths and weaknesses, skills and our community. capacity. Some work fell clearly under the remit of specific organisations, based on their historical knowledge, experience Activities related to the recruitment, management, supervision and skill set, for other areas of work, the boundaries in terms and retention of volunteers will be carried out across all of organisational delivery were less obvious. Habitat or the programmes, however, a significant proportion of the species surveys, for example will be the sole responsibility volunteering work, especially in years one and two, will focus of GWT whereas the engineering work will be managed and on the physical canal restoration work. Onsite, canal-based co-ordinated by CCT, SDC and SVCC with GWT advising and Volunteer Management is essential, and it was deemed monitoring from a conservation and environmental mitigation operationally and strategically important to ensure that perspective. The balance between the competing demands mechanisms for volunteer management exist in both SDC of heritage engineering and biodiversity will be continually and CCT. These organisations will continue to remain directly assessed, responded to and appropriately maintained and practically involved in canal-based restoration work-days through our Conservation Appraisal Process as detailed in and projects, both during the Delivery Stage and as part of the our Conservation Plan. management and maintenance137 of the canal in the future.

Volunteer management was one area which involved The archive development work was another area which considerable negotiation between partners due to the required careful consideration when we started activity significant overlaps in this work and the differing perceptions and action planning. Archive development is currently and value of, ‘volunteering’ and ‘community engagement’. being managed by SNAC, who are a small, volunteer-led At the beginning of the development phase ‘volunteering’ organisation. During the Development Stage, they realised that was very much aligned with practical canal restoration and they archive restoration, interpretation and associated formal volunteer-value forecast for matched funding. The focus and informal learning was going to be a huge body of work to was largely around volunteer recruitment targets with the deliver in-house. They would either need to grow the capacity emphasis being to build a dynamic workforce for canal of their organisation or, form close delivery partnerships with restoration. Whilst this has remained a core aim of the other organisations. The recruitment of an Education Officer 137. Section F Management and volunteer strategy, Development Stage pilots, consultation was seen as a crucial new role which will support the delivery Maintenance Plan

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 205 of Heritage Learning activities, alongside a collaborative partnership with Creative Sustainability who have the in-house 6.3.2 Activities and outcomes skills and capacity to support the delivery of this body of work. for our audience groups

Creative Sustainability (CS) began the Development Stage Our project aims to achieve direct learning, wellbeing and as an externally contracted agency. With a solid base of economic outcomes for around 8,000 people however local knowledge, extensive community-based connections we expect that around 24,000 people will also benefit and networks, CS was in a strong position to deliver robust from participating in our wide programme of learning, and comprehensive participatory community engagement interpretation, restoration and wildlife conservation activities. and consultation. CS’s remit expanded over the 18-month Our high-profile events and canal destination creation period to include the delivery of other emergent and discrete activities are also expected to reach over 750,000 people by areas of work138 such as coordination of the Project’s website the end of our project, specifically as a result of Stroudwater development and branding, ensuring inclusive approaches to Navigation being fully connected with the rest of the UK’s CCC’s marketing and communications strategy. waterway networks.

During the strategic development and planning stages, CS also Our Action Plan describes our project activities across supported monitoring and evaluation, strategic development all our main audience groups. Many of these activities and planning workshops. In September 2019, it became a have been designed to ensure that they include core part of the CCC Bid Team with the production of the CCC everyone, however, we will especially support the Activity Plan and Action Plan and formally joined the project participation of our underrepresented 6 audience as a Partner in January 2020. Completely bringing in house groups who require focussed engagement. the added value of their wide networks, best practice models 138. CS’s work on in participation and co-production, and expanding portfolio The following section describes those activities we have Community Hubs, led to the adoption of Stroud of local and national community inclusion and creative arts specifically aimed at our Four Main Audience Groups: and Stonehouse train projects. CS will be responsible for managing and delivering stations, a partnership with ACORP and GWR the community engagement work during the Delivery Stage a. Schools, Colleges and Universities and development of including delivering the Interpretation, Participation and We expect to engage 2,450 children, young people and sustainable tourism and local enterprise Inclusion, Formal and Informal Learning and Local Enterprise university students across the project. Our activities are development work 139 designed to ensure that a broader range of young people which has become an and Economic Development Plans. important component are engaged in training, work placements and internships, of the Project. improving skills, knowledge and understanding of local 139. See Plan summaries in Chapter 7 heritage. Our detailed research and planning will ensure - p228

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 206 that all schools, colleges and special schools in the corridor volunteers, get people actively involved in canal restoration, will have access to a range of appropriate, meaningful wildlife conservation, community Hub development and and enjoyable activities that can be embedded into their water-based action. curriculums. We will offer a number of opportunities in partnership with regional universities that give We hope to recruit new volunteers, generate excitement and undergraduates and graduates ways to enhance and extend local action, create a sense of place and ownership and ensure their studies. Specific activities have also been developed, the benefits of regeneration are felt by those geographically guided by our research, to support the retention and re- nearest to the canal corridor (especially Stonehouse). engagement of young people to reduce outward migration and youth unemployment. The kinds of community engagement and volunteering activities • Work experience placements aimed at involving our local canal communities include: • Whole school Canal curriculum and resources • Exhibition 42 Canalside Temporary • Pathways to participation planning for individuals – Community-led Interpretation volunteering, training and work • Tree and shrub and hedgerow planting • Community volunteer links and canal adoption • Orchard creation and husbandry (including • Duke of Edinburgh placements restoration of a relict orchard near Whitminster • Youth led enterprise development • Construction of wildlife habitats • Archive workshops for schools • Accessible boat trips, canoeing, paddle-boarding • Accredited college study programmes and water-based activities • Citizen history and science projects • Community-led canal-based events and • Apprenticeships and internships across the celebrations project areas • Creative canal interpretation work with young • Canal-based canal and textile heritage people and schools covering photography, graffiti, opportunities for people as part of the annual art, sculpture, poetry and performance art. Wool & Water Festival • Canal trails, local canal walks, talks and exhibitions b. People living adjacent to the canal • Community Hub development and canal We expect to engage 24,000 people who live in the rural adoption schemes villages and towns in Stroud District closest to the canal, • Local business incubation and support including people from our existing audiences. The impact of • Creative canal interpretation work covering the canal restoration is likely to be most significant for these photography, graffiti, art, sculpture, poetry and people. Our activities are designed to retain and attract new performance art

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 207 c. Visitors, tourists and lottery players locally. It includes people from under-represented groups We expect to engage approximately 750,000 people who live living along the canal corridor, across the wider district and in across Stroud District and Gloucestershire generally. It includes targeted communities in Gloucester. targeted people and communities from Gloucester City as well as visitors from other parts of the UK and national lottery We have designed a specific series of activities for these people players. Our activities for this group are designed to connect which focuses on empowerment, life-skills development and communities through our canal and railways and bring new social integration. They are designed to give people useful people to the Cotswolds Canals, as it links to the rest of the skills and knowledge for employability, engage them outdoors UK’s canal network and becomes a new national visitor in nature, reduce loneliness and isolation and improve self- destination. These activities will also raise the profile of the esteem and confidence. Project and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The kinds of activities specifically aimed at attracting these people include: These activities include focused support for people with • A Canal-Rail Trail multiple barriers to participation, including 1:1 mentoring and • Float my Boat canal carnival support to co-produce a personal plan or pathway according to their interests and outcome ambitions. • Accessible boat trips, canoeing, paddle-boarding and water-based activities The kinds of activities we will deliver as part of Pathways to • Heritage days at Stroud’s Museum in the Park Participation programme include: • Community-led canal-based fetes and celebrations • Mentored volunteering, training and work placements in canal restoration, wildlife • Canal trails, local canal walks, talks and exhibitions conservation, events, Hubs or small business • Canal-based exhibitions, workshops and events enterprises as part of the annual Wool & Water Festival • Accessible boat trips, canoeing, paddle-boarding • Public Archive Events at Gloucester Archives and water-based activities (Glos Heritage Hub) • Canal-based canal and textile workshops targeted • Flagship canal interpretation project involving at specific under-represented groups as part of the a leading national artist annual Wool & Water Festival • 10 exclusive canal-based events designed to • Peer Mentoring support for 60 individuals each year thank lottery players for their support • Mentored support to participates in canal interpretation work covering photography, graffiti, d. Under-represented people art, sculpture, poetry and performance art We expect to engage approximately 1,500 people from our 6 audience categories who have been identified as under- represented in waterways projects – both nationally and

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 208 6.4 Meeting NLHF outcomes 6.4.1 Making a difference for heritage NLHF Outcomes 1-4: identifying, recording, We will achieve this by: improving, managing, interpreting & explaining • Reopening 6 km of the Stroudwater Navigation the Cotswolds Canals heritage for people and (SN), including restoration of derelict sections and communities re-connecting Stroudwater Navigation to Gloucester and Sharpness, linking our canal community with Cotswolds Canals Connected has been conceived as the rest of England’s network of navigable a national canal restoration project. Its capital works waterways engineering programme, archive restoration work and • Restoring 6 original locks, 3 original bridges comprehensive wildlife biodiversity and natural resource (Occupation, Westfield & Newtown Roving) and management programme will literally bring back our lost 10 ‘pounds’ (canal channel between locks) which cultural heritage. Making our canal once again navigable will result in 6km of newly restored waterway which will bring boats and canal life back into the heart of our will resemble the original canal heritage as far as possible communities, reconnecting our people with their social, political and economic history. In addition to the restoration, • Developing innovative engineering solutions to by recording, translating and making accessible our unique recreate The ‘Missing Mile’, including a new channel canal archive, we will create exciting opportunities for our under the M5 running parallel to the River Frome, and an incredible new high-level road bridge, a new canal heritage to be seen again and be interpreted and major railway bridge and three, vehicle carrying, explained to a wide and diverse audience. lift bridges

The CCC Project aims to: • Imaginatively restoring, interpreting and making accessible the Stroudwater Navigation archive Optimise the heritage value to local through interpretation projects, public exhibitions, informal and formal learning and collaboration with communities of their cultural built and existing restored Mills and Museums natural heritage through innovative canal engineering, creative interpretation, archive restoration and asset creation.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 209 6.4.2 Making a difference for people NLHF Outcomes 5-9 & 11: skills, learning, volunteering, having fun and changing attitudes and behaviour

Cotswolds Canals Connected will make a real difference to the The CCC Project aims to: health and wellbeing and progressive learning pathways of our target audiences. Our diverse range of activities cover all of our Improve access to heritage education and thematic areas, offering fantastic opportunities for improved life-long learning, enhance people’s skills physical and emotional health, through enjoyable outdoor and build new pathways for sustainable experiences, as well as opportunities for volunteering, skills formal and informal education. development and informal and formal learning. Broaden opportunities and inclusivity, An inclusive accessible and far reaching communications reach new audiences and ensure that those strategy, alongside a focused and targeted participation people and communities most at risk of and inclusion programme, will ensure that we engage and exclusion are supported to have as many involve a wide range of people, both during the Delivery Stage opportunities as possible to participate in of CCC and into the future. By offering activities tailored to our project. people’s needs, skills and interests, especially for children, young people and volunteers, we will engage new audiences Improve people’s health and well-being with heritage, nature, science, history and culture to support through improving access to meaningful lifelong learning. volunteering, education and training opportunities which lead to greater self- esteem, confidence and employability.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 210 We will achieve this by: • Broadening participation by people from different socio-economic groups and ethnic backgrounds, • Increasing knowledge of the cultural built and age groups and abilities, tackling barriers to natural heritage for 750,000 people and communities participation and ensuring the participation of those both nationally, through our marketing and hardest to engage promotion and locally through events, festivals, walks, talks, visits, and exhibitions • Offering opportunities for people in preventative or rehabilitation programmes • Stimulating historical enquiry through arts, STEM and literacy, schemes of work for 2,000 primary school children, 300 secondary school children and Diagram 8. Our targets for increasing community actions 150 college and university students & ownership • Offering appropriate and supported training and work placements, in areas of canal restoration, business development, archive and wildlife Action enhancement and conservation to 35 people & Ownership People-initiated, shared decision-making • Attracting 500 new people into meaningful new and project ownership 3,000 volunteering opportunities in canal restoration, business development, archive and wildlife Active Learning Outcomes enhancement and conservation Direct learning experiences leading to 8,000 changes in peoples lives • Improving health and well-being for 24,000 people and communities through improving access Participation to outdoor activities, heritage events and meaningful 24,000 Inclusive events, activities and education and training opportunities which lead to projects greater self-esteem, confidence and commitment to learning Understanding A deeper understanding of the 750,000 • Strengthening and empowering local communities Cotswold canals heritage to improve their resilience and cohesion – through community-led Hubs, enterprise development and Awareness community-led canal-based events Spreading the message 3million regionally & nationally Increased community action & ownership community Increased

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 211 structured and tailored work programmes (in partnership 6.4.3 Making a difference for with local colleges and universities), mentoring and buddy wildlife and the environment schemes, as well as one-off volunteering days. Training and NLHF Outcomes 10 & 12: reducing environmental identification of relevant and practical courses for volunteers, impacts, improving biodiversity, engaging local communities and staff will ensure that the canal and its people with the natural world and improving the associated habitat creation scheme are managed sustainably management of our natural resources into the future.

Cotswolds Canals Connected is particularly keen to make The CCC Project aims to: a difference to the wildlife, environment and ecology To conserve, protect and enhance the of the canal corridor. We will achieve this by improving our understanding and knowledge of the state of the natural environment for wildlife and people environment in the canal/river corridor, through the We will achieve this by: creation of a mosaic of biodiverse areas and by increasing the connectivity of habitats across the Severn Vale. CCC’s • Increasing biodiversity value of land within the Working with Nature Strategy sets out how the project will canal and River Frome corridor and a positive reduce environmental impacts, limit disturbance to wildlife contribution towards UK biodiversity and natural and create new habitats that more than mitigate the impacts capital targets of restoration, resulting in a net gain for biodiversity. • Minimising the negative environmental impacts of the project, including building materials, Through the delivery of large and medium sized environmental construction waste and biodiversity projects, including restoring a relict orchard and providing new • Improving availability, connectivity and protection waterway and adjacent habitats, CCC’s natural environment of wildlife habitats and protected species projects will provide opportunities for people to get closer to • Improving knowledge and understanding of the nature and green spaces. These habitat creation and wildlife state of wildlife in the canal/river corridor by people conservation projects will encourage people to develop a and communities relationship with the natural world, both for their own health and wellbeing, but also, to ensure the protection and long- • Improving access to the natural environment for a wider audience term sustainable management of our wildlife habitats. Training and volunteering in areas of conservation • Improving well-being for people and communities and environmental resource management will include through engaging with and learning more about opportunities for accredited training through a mixture of nature

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 212 attracts visitors and new audiences. One of the outputs of this 6.4.4 Making a difference to work is the production of a new Sustainable Tourism Plan for our economy, our communities the District. and our organisations NLHF Outcomes 13 & 14: boosting the local Our economic impact assessment, commissioned in 2017 (and economy, regeneration and resilience. later revised in 2019), advised that any policies that attract talent, knowledge or new jobs to the area, either through opening up new sites for development, or by positioning the At both a micro-and macro-economic level, CCC will deliver district as an attracting and healthy place to live and work, will a very significant return on the investment of funds and help the area to overcome its productivity gap and lift average volunteer effort. Reconnecting Stroudwater Navigation Canal earnings closer to the national average. will make a significant difference to our local economy and our communities. Local retail and trades-people will benefit from In their October 2019 updated report, [1] they present a additional visitors and canal-related activity: strong argument in favour of the canal restoration and • Pubs, cafes and restaurants will prosper all the way rationale for including indicators around productivity, up the completed canal to Brimscombe Port earnings and demographic composition. The report • Shops near mooring basins will supply passing boats highlights the increase in visitor numbers contributing to a • Boat, cycle and other hiring ventures will be created rise in demand for water-based tourism, with the number of passenger boat trips on the canal rising by 8.7%. It estimates • Tourism opportunities will be created that Phase 1B of the development will add £28 million to • Narrowboat building and repair will prosper local land values, with the Project as a whole adding £73.6 • Builders merchants will have on-going sales of million to the local economy. CCC’s events programme materials to the Canal Trust as well as those many includes a two-pronged strategy. Firstly, we will deliver a small businesses servicing the working, thriving canal high-profile public event, the ‘Float my Boat’ canal carnival, • Opportunities for Community-Hubs and local along with a few smaller events (canal trails and workshops enterprises will emerge and exhibitions linked to Stroud’s Wool and Water Festival). These events support tourism development by creating Our Community Enterprise and Local Economic Development memorable canal destination experiences which encourage Plan considers connectivity along the broad corridor, people to visit, or return to our canal, year on year. increasing the potential to work together cohesively and build opportunities together rather than in competition with one another in order to create a canal destination experience that

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 213 Secondly, CCC will invest in local capacity building and We will achieve this by: community development so that local community groups • Building and creating a sustainably managed canal (i.e. Stroud Textile Trust or Boatmobility) can run their corridor which attracts new and supports existing own annual canal-based events in the future, after NHLF’s business & enterprise investment. The Nicer on the Water event, for example, • Providing canal-based heritage experiences was run almost entirely by Stonehouse residents, with which are attractive, provide services, information, very minimal financial input from CCC. During the Delivery transport links and offers a wide range of Stage, we will support this Stonehouse group of residents to opportunities on the water, in nature reserves, in Mills establish this event as an annual local water-based festival. and museums and through our existing plethora of community festivals and events Our CE team will include staff skilled in inclusion, community empowerment, events, communications, creative arts and • Offering formal and informal learning and skills- volunteer management. They will support the incubation based volunteering opportunities which contribute towards building community cohesion, reducing of new and existing local businesses, involve and channel youth unemployment and entrenched worklessness funds to existing organisations and nurture the development across the project area and targeted communities in of canal adoption schemes and Community Hubs. These Gloucester ambitions are also woven into the Stroud District Local Plan, • Producing a proactive and robust tourism plan through Tourism, Wellbeing and Environmental policies for the canal corridor which aligns with national which CCC aligns with and supports. and international tourism strategies and marketing campaigns, integrates the Cotswolds Canals with The CCC Project aims to: the UK’s national waterways and links to sustainable transport through the Community Rail Partnership To build prosperous and connected • Stimulating local business and entrepreneurship communities where the local economy is through incubating, mentoring and providing boosted and towns and villages benefit licences for small businesses and supporting the from economic regeneration, new visitors development of Community Hubs are attracted to the Cotswold Canals, there • Developing a Flag-ship Canal-boat Community are heritage links with Gloucester and Enterprise incubated in partnership with internationally recognised artist Luke Jerram a reduction in youth out-migration and unemployment

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 214 6.5 Communications and Marketing Our Communications and Marketing Plan140 reinforces our community engagement, targeting all our main audiences through a range of communication tools which will be designed to inspire, engage and mobilise all our audiences. It is designed to enable us to celebrate and promote the Our approach to delivering leisure, environmental and wellbeing benefits of the canal. Using a variety of communications media, we will raise communications and marketing Our strategic and coordinated approach will include awareness of our Project, locally, regionally and nationally. developing a variety of different marketing medias and We will continue to develop our creative and contemporary platforms, targeting our main audience groups across the branding which will support the creation of a national canal canal corridor, throughout Gloucestershire and also tourist destination. regionally and nationally. Our marketing strategy will also support our fundraising Our communications plan includes: strategy, promote the work of our delivery partners, raising their profiles and encouraging organisational resilience and • A system of internal communications and project sustainability. updates across the partnership to share key Project highlights We recognised the importance of communicating place, • Resources and relevant training events and destination experiences that CCC can offer and • Consistent and relevant messaging across all plan to use a creative and contemporary range of media. Our forms of communications communications plan is designed to reach our main audiences • Proactive/ reactive communications that through multiple channels, recognising the need to maintain compliment project activity and public responses strong consistent branding and keep communications focused, fresh and accessible in order to keep our audiences • A wide variety of literature such as fliers, posters, banners, printed maps for walks and trails, engaged over time. promotional postcards and interpretation materials • Creative media such as local & national arts 140. Section L: interpretation, press, film, exhibitions, radio Communications and interviews and soundscape Marketing Plan

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 215 • Online media – an interactive, accessible website, Raising a Cotswold Canals Connected social media campaigns, blogs and Project-related forums for volunteers destination profile Our marketing and communications will raise awareness of • Profile-raising campaigns and events such as Project progress by celebrating achievements across three canal trails, festivals, raft races and years. By encouraging everyone to be part of the process we • Representation at trade fairs and conferences will galvanise ownership of the Project and its legacy. This will and the CCT Roadshow be achieved by championing key milestones, achievements and events that will be promoted throughout the lifecycle of Online media project. Promoting exhibitions, highlighting specific volunteer We will continue to develop and update the CCC website opportunities, profiling innovative engineering achievements and social media platforms which we established during the and promoting our flagship interpretation art installation, Development Stage. The website is designed to promote the are some of the ways we will raise CCC’s profile. We will invite Project in an accessible and friendly manner and includes journalists, opinion leaders and key influencers to experience navigable links to all partners own website sites, creating a our place and will participate in tourism trade fairs to raise the dynamic and integrated canal-based visitor platform. Cotswold Canals destination profile, encourage engagement and attract new investment. During the Delivery Phase we will continue to develop our website offering pathways to volunteering and work experience, promoting a range of canal-based activities and celebrating the restoration work. Our marketing will be designed to invite new visitors to the Cotswold Canals as well as celebrating and recognising our unique place. Our Citizen Science project increases our digital presence by bringing the archive to life and to people from across the globe encouraging international audiences to engage in our heritage and to understand it better. Our Pathways to Heritage Learning work will also include online accessible learning tools and downloadable canal curricula resources for schools, students and volunteers. Throughout the project our team will research and review emerging online trends and platforms to be sure the project is communicated in a state-of-the-art fashion.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 216 Marketing to our audiences • Highlight and publicise our approach to inclusion and participation in all communications. 1. Schools, Colleges and Universities This group includes the children, young people and university 2. People living adjacent to the canal students that we will be working with across the project. This group includes all the people from our main 14 Communications targeted at these people are designed to audiences who live in the rural villages and towns in Stroud ensure that a broader range of people are engaged in training, District closest to the canal and for whom the impact of the work placements and internships, that people have improved canal restoration will be most significant. Communications skills, knowledge and understanding of their local heritage and are designed to attract and get these people involved in that our heritage is better explained and interpreted. canal restoration, wildlife conservation, community Hub development and water-based action. In order to engage children and young people in education or training we will: In order to engage people living adjacent to the canal • Design web pages on the CCC website which we will: provides information and pathways for students • Publicise all canal-based events through the local and teachers to sign up for volunteering, work media, the Cotswold Canals Connected Consultative experience placements, archive workshops, Group (CCCCG) network, FB and other social media accredited study programmes and links for channels, heritage partners (Glos Heritage Hub), downloading school Canal curriculum packs and libraries in Gloucester, Stroud, Stonehouse and other learning resources. Nailsworth, community centres and via our partners to their target audiences and databases (SDC, CCT, • Digitise CCC’s canal archive and develop an online GWT, SNAC, CS, SVP). citizen history project. • Talks and outreach sessions at community groups, • Promote through all media channels a wide variety special interest groups (canoe clubs, walking groups, of canal interpretation work with young people and history groups), residents associations, council schools covering photography, graffiti, art, sculpture, meetings and village fetes and events in Stroud, poetry and performance art. Stonehouse, Eastington, Frampton, Whitminster and • Publicise and showcase CCC’s canal projects which Saul to harness participation and engage people in involve the participation of children and young relevant project activities. people through television, radio, newspaper and • CCT Roadshows to publicise the canal restoration, magazine articles (i.e. Museum in the Park canal- engage people with the wider canal restoration work based education workshops or exhibitions, Wildlife of CCT and recruit new volunteers. projects targeting families or canal graffiti projects engaging young to tackle anti-social behaviour).

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 217 3. Under-represented people 4. Visitors, tourists and lottery players This group includes 6 of the audience categories who have This group include our audiences who live across the whole been identified as under-represented in waterways projects District and Gloucestershire generally. It includes targeted – both nationally and locally. It includes people from under- people and communities from Gloucester City as well as represented groups living along the canal corridor, across visitors and lottery players from other parts of the UK and the wider district and in targeted communities in Gloucester. internationally. Communications will align with National Communications will focus on involving and engaging these tourism strategies, trends and streams. groups requiring a distinct understanding of these groups and the forms of communication they will respond to. • Run a focussed and targeted media campaign across the Delivery Stage, including online and printed news articles, radio and TV interviews, regular In order to engage under-represented people we will: press releases and high-profile canal launch events 141. When we were • Ensure our website and publicity materials take promoting our Pilot • Ensure our website and publicity materials are canal trail, we asked account of best inclusive design practice. accessible, contemporary and attractive to a wide people who attended where they had come • Distribution of fliers and posters advertising all diversity of people. Assess the use of materials and from and where they our activities to organisations and agencies working ensure they are relevant and targeted to a range had heard about the with those audiences we have identified as under- event. Two single parent of different people, ages and our audiences (i.e. mothers who had come represented. producing maps for walks or boating we will assess from Gloucester told the requirements of boat users or children and will us that they had seen • Highlight and publicise our approach to inclusion the events advertised and participation in all communications. make a range of media to suit everyone’s needs) on a FB page designed to publicise free events • Invest in advertising and promoting through • Explore production of documentary film for families. We will 141 ensure we target our specific social media channels non-ticket days for profiling one of CCC showcase projects (such as the advertising using these canal events and informal learning opportunities to Community Floating Hub or an archive history story) media channels. attract a wider diversity of people. • Targeted and tailored events and marketing and communications for our specific 6 under-represented people so we encourage their participation (i.e. invite people from ‘Interplay’ an intergenerational play group, to a wildlife activity, ensuring the events is tailored the specific needs of the participants).

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 218 6.6 Governance and Management CCC is a multi-agency partnership initiative with a governance board which comprises five strategic project partners: Stroud District Council (SDC), Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT), Gloucestershire County Council (GCC), Canal & River Trust (CRT) and Stroud Valleys Canal Company (SVCC). This core governing body comprises the project’s major funders and will be responsible for overall strategic governance and financial accountability.

The operational delivery of CCC will be managed as Dredging the part of a wider collaborative Delivery Partnership of canal Phase 1A organisations, of whom SDC and CCT will jointly lead and manage. These collaborative Partners have all signed formal partnership agreements with SDC and include Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Stroudwater Navigation Archive Charity, Creative Sustainability and Stroud Valley’s Project. The following organisational diagram illustrates the governance and management relationships for Cotswold Canals Connected, showing lines of accountability and strategic governance for all project partners and collaborative organisations.

MOUs have also been formed between SDC and other key Project stakeholders, such as the District and Parish Councils and local organisations, businesses and landowners who are adjacent to the canal corridor, or strategically important to the achievement of our Project outcome ambitions. These stakeholders will also help to inform and guide our work as well as communicating about the project within their respective communities.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 219 Diagram 9. CCC Partners: Governance, roles and accountability Cotswold Canals Connected (CCC) Project Board Stroud District Council (SDC); Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT); Stroud Valleys Canal Company (SVCC); Gloucestershire County Council (GCC); Canal & River Trust (CRT)

CCC Project Leads Stroud District Council (SDC) Cotswold Canals Connected Strategic Support Team Stroud District Council (SDC) Consultative Group Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT)

Operational Delivery

Stroud District Council Cotswold Canals Trust Gloucestershire Wildlife Stroudwater Navigation Creative Sustainability (SDC) (CCT) Trust (GWT) Archive Charity (SNAC) (CS) • Project/Financial • Project Management • Nature Conservation • Archive Restoration • Community Engagement Management • Restoration Management • People & Nature Strategy • Citizens History & • Inclusion • Communications • Volunteer Management Archive Education • Interpretation Key: • Volunteer Management • Formal & Informal Strategy & Financial • Monitoring & Evaluation Learning Accountability Management & Leadership Operational Collaborative partners local businesses, community hubs, schools and community groups including: Museum in the Park, SGS College, Stroud Brewery, Delivery Gloucester Heritage Hub, Stroud Textiles Trust, schools, artists, designers and photographers. Collaboration & Community The Cotswold Canals Connected Consultative Group (CCCCG), During the Delivery Stage, we will also refine the ideas and formed during Phase 1A, comprises these collaborative proposals outlined in our Management and Maintenance Plan, stakeholders and this group meets quarterly to discuss the to ensure that people and communities are more involved restoration project. It provides an opportunity for Parish and in maintaining the canal into the future. This approach Town Councillors and key opinion leaders to share ideas and encourages local governance by promoting a sense of shared bring issues or concerns from their constituencies. The CCC responsibility over our community heritage assets. CCC Project Managers present at these meetings feeding back on advocates a grass roots approach that will support community the progress of their work and taking questions from the forum groups, schools or charities to ‘adopt’ sections of the canal, so that Councillors can to feed back to their communities. agreeing to take responsibility for maintenance oversite and undertaking voluntary work within their respective communities to take care of these sites. CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 220 Diagram 10. Operational Delivery Organogram Cotswold Canals Connected Project Board

Risk Advisor Legal Services (SDC)

Human Resources (SDC) Land (SDC) Project Director CCC Consultative Group Finance Team (SDC)

Health & Safety Advisor (SDC) Office Administrator

People Conservation Plan - Engineering Biodiversity Achives

Community Canal Sustainability Fundraiser Comms & Monitoring & Engagement Volunteer Project Engineering Manager / Environment Archives (SVCC) Marketing Evaluation Programme Manager Assurance Principal Designer Manager Manager

Environmental Participation Destination Education Project Project Technical PM Volunteer Project Commercial/ Project Museum Business Fundraising & Inclusion & Events Officer Manager Programme Support Projects Manager Finance Officer in the Park Plan Team (CCT) Coordinator Coordinator (0.6 FTE) (PM) Manager Officer (0.8 FTE)

Participation Volunteer Environmental Environmental Activities Clerk Quantity Facilitation Enrolment Clerk of Project Facilitator of Works Surveyor Team Team Works Officer (0.2 FTE)

Project Key: Appointed External Buyer Contractor(s) Partners Project staff Primary Reporting Line Partners Key Liason/ External Consultation Lines Volunteer CCT Team Leaders / Western Volunteers Designers Depot 6.7 Working Strategically in Partnership In order to ensure that CCC’s investments have the widest possible impact for people and communities across the region, we recognise the need to harness additional financial investment, as well as building and nurturing our strategic partnerships.

A good example of this is CCC’s participation in the 2019 and focus our activities, widen the scope of impact and Annual Restoration Conference, jointly organised by The add value to our project through these strategic relationships Inland Waterways Association and Canal & River Trust. The and their networks. conference theme focused on restoration funding and making sure restoration projects are relevant to funders, with talks The main strategic policies, strategies and frameworks by NHLF assessors and CRT staff. The CCC Project Manager, which we have mapped, and that our work will both Archive Manager and Community Engagement Officer (who be guided by and inform are covered in the following specialised in engaging young people), ran two break out three sections: workshops covering ‘adding value to your HLF grant’ and ‘the importance of community engagement’.142 1. International Strategies, Plans and Policy Frameworks IWA and CRT have since agreed that the 2022 Annual 2. National Strategies, Plans Restoration Conference will be hosted by the CCC Partnership, and Policy Frameworks probably in Stonehouse. This underlines the national importance of the project, as the conference normally takes 3. Regional & Local Strategies, place at the same Midlands venue every year. Detailed Plans and Policy Frameworks arrangements have since been stalled due to the COVID-19 We have listed the strategies and policies our work most outbreak, with the 2020 Conference not taking place for aligns with here, however, for detailed information on these the same reason. strategies and policies and examples of how CCC activities 142. 2019 Annual Restoration Conference align with and supports the achievement of these policy Throughout the Development Stage we have explored the 143. Supporting ambitions and strategic objectives see: Supporting Document CCC ways we can align and complement our Project’s activities Working Strategically in Document/ CCC Working Strategically in Partnership.143 Partnership with existing district, regional and national strategic policies, strategies, guidelines and frameworks. This helps us prioritise

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 222 The five key strategies and plans we would specifically like 6.7.1 International Strategies to highlight are the following: & Policy Frameworks 1. CRT’s Natural Environment Policy The CCC Partnership has identified a number of international 2. DEFRA’s 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment strategies and/or frameworks that our project activities will align with, support and be guided by. More detail can be found 3. National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and in the CCC Business Plan and CCC Conservation Plan. UK Biodiversity Action Plans 4. Building with Nature (BN) Benchmark The six key strategies and plans we would specifically like to highlight are the following: 5. English Heritage: Heritage 2020 strategy 1. Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and Post- 2020 Biodiversity framework 6.7.3 Regional & Local 2. Paris Agreement on Climate Change Strategies & Policy Frameworks 3. EU Nature Directives The CCC Partnership has identified a number of regional and 4. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development local strategies and/or frameworks that our project activities will align with, be guided by or support the achievement of. All 5. Department for Transport: Connecting of these are referred to in CCC’s other main Plans – specifically Communities with the Railways: The Community Rail the CCC’s Business Plan, Conservation Plan, Engineering Plans, Development Strategy Management and Maintenance Plan and the Activity Plan Research and Development Reports. 6.7.2 National & Regional The five key strategies and plans we would specifically like Strategies & Policy Frameworks to highlight are the following: The CCC Partnership has identified a number of national 1. Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership (GLNP), and regional strategies and/or frameworks that our project Strategic Framework for Green Infrastructure (2015) activities will align with, be guided by or support the 2. GCC’s Looking to the Future 2019-2022 Strategy achievement of our aims and outcome ambitions. More detail on these can be found in the CCC Business Plan and CCC 3. GCC’s Destination Management Plan for the Conservation Plan. Cotswolds 4. Stroud District Council’s Local Plan 2016-2031 and Health & Wellbeing Plan 2017 5. Gloucester Culture Forum

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 223 6.8 Tracking progress and measuring impact Our Evaluation Framework (EF) provides a roadmap for tracking progress and measuring change. Aligned with our Activity Plan and using a mix of co-produced evaluation and quantitative data tools, it will help further the UK’s understanding of how our waterways contribute to personal, community and societal wellbeing.

In June 2019 we conducted a multi-stakeholder monitoring and evaluation workshop. We reviewed our main project activities, started to refine our aims, developed SMART outcome ambitions and considered our indicators of change. Our strategic development workshop in December, facilitated a process of consolidation and additional review/ learning across our work streams. This enabled us to assess all of our activities/ outputs and outcome ambitions within a wider strategic framework and resulted in the development of our CCC Theory of Change, our 5 strategic aims and development of our EF.144

During the Delivery Stage CCC will collaborate and share 3. Allows the evaluation of our project to go beyond the 5 years of the project as it would nest within the long-term our learning with others. We will explore the ways that evaluation of the whole inland waterways network; heritage, biodiversity and community engagement further the understanding of the UK waterway’s contribution to 4. CRT is a Core Partner in our project and has offered advice personal, community and societal wellbeing. This also aligns and technical assistance as part of their contribution in kind. with the findings of the NLHF’s recently funded Space to Our Framework includes: logic matrixes with change indicators 145 Thrive project, and with CRT’s approach to monitoring and for all project activities, quantitative data collection tools, evaluation as it: participatory learning and co-production methods and 1. Focusses on inland waterways, with outcome ambitions conservation appraisals. An external Evaluation Learning and indicators tailored to that context; Mentor will support us to develop our learning capacity so 2. Emphasises wellbeing of individuals and communities, we can explore, monitor, evaluate, share, learn and celebrate 144. Section O sustainable community outcomes that will provide a legacy far Evaluation Framework which also echoes NLHF’s focus on community engagement 145. Space to Thrive and community benefit; beyond the life of the original funding. Report 2019

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 224 6.9 Innovation and national significance: Leaving a lasting legacy Both leading up to and as part of the strategic development workshop the Project team spent time thinking about and discussing CCC’s national and international significance in relation to the Project’s Vision and 5 strategic aims.

CCC’s geographical scope and influence already goes far further links to Birmingham and Bristol increase on the national than the Project area with our collaborative partnerships with significance of this project. CRT and IWA our newly established links with GWR and ACoRP (Community Rail Network) we are starting to build important Through working with the Station Adoption Groups at Stroud, strategic relationships. In 2021 CCC hopes to host the National Stonehouse and Gloucester, Creative Sustainability now Waterway Restoration Conference in Stroud and we are currently regularly works in partnership with GWR, the Community working with GCC and ACoRP to set up a Community Rail Rail Network (previously known as ACoRP) and Network Rail. Partnership (CRP) that will link Gloucester, Stonehouse and These stakeholder relationships will support CCC’s destination Stroud which will provide opportunities for canal-rail heritage management and tourism opportunities with a Community links and sustainable tourism which are key elements of creating Rail Partnership through connecting visitor experiences and a national Cotswolds Canals tourist destination. Our national sustainable transport. This partnership approach also harnesses and international connectivity and recognition will continue to social, environmental and economic benefits of the canal be forged through our impact on tourism, innovative engineering restoration whilst improving the profile of the project nationally. techniques, biodiversity gain, water transfer and our best practice inclusion and participation work. Community Rail activities activate engagement from transport and planning departments on a county level facilitating Engineering design, technology continued discussion and support for the popular drive to and transport re-open the Bristol Road station, located on the canal side Our innovative and cutting-edge engineering solutions close to Stonehouse. The re-opening of Bristol Road station alongside the potential to facilitate water transfer between would improve access to the canal through direct rail links the Severn and the Thames, align us with national ambitions from Bristol and the rest of the country. Pedestrian access has with recognition for this growing on the international arena. been considered and could be provided to the station from the Improved connectivity to the rest of the country and direct towpath through a lightweight pedestrian bridge.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 225 Unlocking our precious canal archive emissions and stop the devastating declines in biodiversity. Our reputation and support are steeped in historical significance We bring new ecological corridors, meadows and wetlands with our rare and complete canal archive known internationally that will reconnect the river to its floodplain and will be for being one of the earliest of its kind. CCC celebrates this and creating a trapezoid canal channel profile in the Missing Mile brings the past to life providing global access to the archive and unique to this canal which will provide a wide reedy margin positive connections for people and their place. of significant value as a habitat for a wide range of species. In addition to biodiversity benefits these reed edges will provide National destination creation a natural solution to protecting the canal sides, reducing By connecting Stroudwater Navigation to the rest of the UK’s erosion and removing the need for piling or hard engineering. canal network we optimise the potential to create a nationally recognised unique tourist destination. As the Cotswold Our Project includes participation in both the Building with Canals become an accessible and integral part of the whole Nature and Environment Bank accreditation schemes. Cotswolds experience, we contribute to the portfolio of Building with Nature Standards help us define high quality British Destinations, linking the Severn Vale and celebrating green infrastructure at each stage of the process, from heritage, in line with Local, National and International plans planning and design, through to long-term management and strategies. This also directly links our communities to new and maintenance. These standards have enabled us to business opportunities, prosperity and a sense of local place ensure nature-friendly features are integrated throughout and pride. the canal restoration development and we will be the first infrastructure project in the UK to gain this accreditation. Inclusive models This is an opportunity to showcase the canals important role Volunteer inspired and community driven, this project as blue green infrastructure and show how the Project will influences improvements to the health and wellbeing of our deliver a development where people and wildlife benefit from local community with exceptional public support. CCC delivers CCC’s well-designed, expertly implemented and sustainably a best-practice approach to inclusion and participation that managed features. Another cutting-edge aspect of the Project draw on national and international development models and will be to investigate how biodiversity accounting will work approaches for community empowerment and co-production. for our scheme through Environment Bank accreditation. The Government has indicated biodiversity net gain will become a Building with nature mandatory condition on all new development when the new Our unanimous response to working with nature is embedded Environment Bill is enacted. The CCC project is already doing into all aspects of development and delivery contributing to this and will be an exemplar of how development can deliver the urgent local and global agenda to both reduce carbon for people, heritage and wildlife.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 226 We are also embedding environmental principals into design, Our calendared programme of events, for example, will focus such as the inclusion of eel passes in engineering designs of on local capacity building and community development, new lock structures and by working across themes to ensure so that local community groups, volunteer-led projects and maximum benefits are realised and environmental impacts existing community resources, like the Museum in the Park, can reduced. We are proud to be contributing to international continue run their own annual canal-based events (i.e. Nicer on agreements to tackle complex problems, working in alignment the Water) into the future after NLHF’s project investment. with the post-2020 Biodiversity framework and Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the local commitment Our CE team will include staff skilled in inclusion, community of Stroud District Council for the District to achieve carbon empowerment, events, communications, creative arts and neutrality by 2030 and to adapt and become more resilient to volunteer management. They will support the incubation of future change. Planting over 30,000 trees and shrubs and the new and existing local businesses, involve and channel funds creation of around 21ha of new habitat will also help deliver to existing organisations and nurture the development of on the newly adopted UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration canal adoption schemes and Community Hubs. that runs from 2021-2030. In order to build prosperous and connected communities, A sustainable approach for a lasting legacy ensuring that the economic benefits of the canal restoration The implementation of our Delivery Plans advocates are seen and felt locally by everyone, a community-led significant investment in the recruitment of an experienced approach, delivered through a core platform of locally and skilled community engagement team. Our approach will embedded partners, has been essential. Investment in maximise opportunities for community capacity building and the resilience of the delivery partner organisations is a key small enterprise development, in order to contribute towards part of this. CCC delivery partners are all rooted in our local social and economic regeneration, build community resilience community, with strong community links and a track record and ensure the sustainability of projects, events and activities. of canal restoration and/ or community engagement. Three years of NLHF project funding will enable the partners to We will use our NLHF funding to strengthen and expand develop and augment these links, networks and community on long-term sustainable and on-going community outputs; hubs, stimulate social and business enterprise and inject key rather than commissioning capital projects that have a resources into specific target areas. All of which will lead to limited life span. sustainable, long term social and economic change.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 227 Chapter 7: Our Delivery Plan Summaries 7.1 Community Enterprise & Local Economic Development Plan Summary (Ref:CED) NLHF outcomes met: 1 2 3 6 8 11 12 13 14

The work delivered as part of our Community Enterprise and Local neighbouring urban centres, such as Gloucester. Its connectivity to the Economic Development Plan (CED) will harness the economic and social national waterways provides a powerful vehicle and focus point for opportunities that Cotswold Canals Connected presents for people along building place-specific services, experiences and adventures, which are the canal corridor. This work identifies and maximises opportunities for provided by local people to benefit them and visitors alike. local economic development, by improving connectivity and community cohesion in an inclusive and accessible way. It will facilitate pathways Budget Summary that increase economic and cultural regeneration, whilst prioritising Activity Description Code £ (ex. VAT) activities that are healthy and environmentally sustainable. Make it Thrive - Canal Hubs CE01 Canal Business Development CE02 As part of this Plan we will support the community to benefit from the Sustainable Tourism Plan development CE03 new economic opportunities ahead. CCC will stimulate new business Canal Event Delivery Tool Kit CE04 opportunity as well as becoming an attractive, accessible national waterway tourist destination which will draw new visitors from Total cost Key funded staff posts: Destination & Events 146. Supporting )146 Document Job Co-ordinator (FT) & Activities Officer (0.6 FTE Descriptions

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 229 We will maximise the potential for improved local economic development through tourism, business and enterprise opportunities with focus on sustainability and a community led approach. Harnessing economic opportunities for local people and local businesses now will play a significant role in CCC’s project legacy.

As part of our CED Plan we will also help to tackle economic and social issues and inequalities by delivering a relevant, inclusive and accessible events programme that represents local need, local people and local places. Linking strategically with our Participation and Inclusion Plan, our activities aim to build a sense of ownership, well-being and prosperity. The 14 Town and Parish councils along the canal corridor have all demonstrated their commitment through references in Neighbourhood Plans, including preparation for anticipated economic and social opportunities and concerns regarding parking and tourism impacts.

The Community Enterprise and Local Economic Development Plan outcomes will be realised by the activities delivered as part of all CCC’s delivery plans. One of the main outputs of this work will be the development of a comprehensive and joined up Sustainable Tourism Plan which connects the canal corridor to rest of the UK’s national waterways. This will align with and support the key objectives outlined in the local Neighbourhood plans for Stroud and Stonehouse, Frampton and Whitminster. New local canal business, the Falafal Pod at Pike Lock

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 230 Community Enterprise and Local Economic Development Plan Outcomes and Activities Schemes of work we will deliver: 1. Community Enterprise and Local Economic Development

Outcome Ambitions Activity Highlights (See Action Plan Ref:LP for detailed breakdown) Key Audiences Staff involved 1. A sustainably managed • 5-10 Canal-based licensed local enterprises with costed Target audience group: Lead by: canal corridor which business plans • People living adjacent • Destination and Events attracts new and supports • A Community Enterprise mentoring programme with a to the canal and under- Co-ordinator (CS) existing business and tool kit and training represented people enterprise • A canal-based enterprise forum (bi-annual forums) Supported by: In particular: • Activities Officer (CS) 2. Community • Canal-boat community enterprise incubated in • International Tourists • Community Programme regeneration, development partnership with internationally renowned artist Luke and visitors, local tourism Coordinator (delete) and local resilience for Jerram stakeholders • Education Officer (CS) canal-based towns and • Sustainable Tourism Plan • Maintenance Manager villages • Community Rail Partnership accreditation – Gloucester, • Young adults aged 19 (CCT) Stonehouse and Stroud to 30, asylum seekers and • Sustrans Active Travel 3. Reduced youth • Series of Station Exhibitions and activities linking Stroud, refugees, disadvantaged Consultants unemployment, out Stonehouse and Gloucester young people and disabled • Environment Manager migration and entrenched • Memory Train – Inclusive On-board activities celebrating young people (GWT) worklessness across the canal and rail heritage between Gloucester and Stroud • Communication and project area and targeted Marketing Officer (SDC) communities in Gloucester • Float My Boat, Gloucester, Stonehouse, Stroud – • Participation and Community connections celebrated through Land, Rail and Inclusion Co-ordinator (CS) 4. Enhanced well-being for Water activities see Creating Places programme • Destination Management people and communities Organisations through improving their • Stroud Textile Trust (Vols) employment opportunities, • GWR Community Manager their lives and livelihoods • Tourism and Hospitality Intern (CS) • Business Intern (CS)

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 231 7.2 Formal & Informal Learning Plan Summary (Ref:LP) NLHF outcomes met: 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14

Our Heritage Learning programme has at its heart the Stroudwater Budget Summary Navigation Archive, the most complete canal archives in the Activity Description Code £ (ex. VAT) UK, and together with the development of a 21 Ha wildlife and biodiversity corridor and 40 engineering projects the scope for both Canal Curriculum LP01 formal and informal learning opportunities is extremely broad. Meet the Experts LP02 Accredited study programmes LP03 al costs The wealth of opportunities will be hugely enhanced by Further education canal work placement LP04 existing resources including actively engaged canal enthusiasts Work Placements LP05 al costs in engineering and restoration working with SDC and CCT; Annual Canal Heritage Day – Museum in the Park LP06 educators working with Museum in the Park and a number of Museum of the canal and miniature museum LP07 local history groups; experts in natural environment working with Wool & Water Festival Community Workshop Programme LP08 Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Stroud Valleys Project; people working with the canal textiles heritage, Stroud Textiles Trust and Canal Heritage Trails LP09 the Wool and Water Festival; and existing canal based community SNAC Volunteer Cataloguing, workshops & taster sessions LP10-12 hubs along the canal corridor from Stroud to Gloucester. As Total cost with all our activities we will embed the project outcomes in Key funded staff posts: Community Development partnership with these organisations to create a rich community- Manager (FT) & Education Officer (0.6 FTE) led programme that will outlive the life of this project. See supporting Document Job Descriptions CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 232 Formal and Informal Learning Plan Outcomes and Activities Schemes of work we will deliver: 1. Formal learning 2. Active engagement 3. Informal learning

Outcome Ambitions Activity Highlights (See Action Plan Ref:LP for detailed breakdown) Key Audiences Staff involved 1. Canal heritage is • Canal-based curriculum in local primary schools Target audience group: Led by: embedded in formal • Volunteer Lengthspeople linked with local schools and • Schools, colleges and • Community Engagement primary school curriculums community groups for canal adoption universities Programme Manager (CS) through STEM, literacy and • Heritage learning opportunities for college and university • 6 Under-represented Education Officer (CS) creative frameworks students studying a range of subjects groups Supported by: 2. A more diverse range • Apprenticeship placements with CRT In particular: • Activities Officer (CS) of people are engaged in • Work placements and summer interns • Primary Schools and • Environmental Assistant training, work placements • A Citizen History project Primary school children, (GWT/SVP) and internships and have • Archive inventory and summary of key documents – including those in target • Participation and improved skills letter books, minute books, maps and sketches areas, schools higher on Inclusion Co-ordinator (CS) • Archive volunteering opportunities deprivation index and • Volunteer Manager (SDC) 3. The canal corridor special schools • Tutors at SGS College community has more • Gloucestershire Heritage Hub events • Young people aged 16 to (SGS) understanding of their • Heritage walks 24 including disabled young • Primary and Secondary local heritage and a greater • Annual Canal Day at the museum people Schools (SAS) sense of ownership and • Community-based workshops • Young people at FE • SGS college tutors sense of their place • Canal heritage artefacts in the Museum colleges and Universities • Royal Agricultural age 19 to 30 University, UWE, Bristol, 4. A more diverse • Archive presentations and resource boxes Bath and Gloucestershire range of people enjoy • Special events for Lottery players Universities participation in events • Exclusive and publicised special events for lottery and activities that lead players - such as exclusive boat trips, train rides, walks to community cohesion, and events physical and mental health and wellbeing

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 233 7.3 Interpretation Plan Summary (Ref:IP) NLHF outcomes met: 1 3 4 5 6 8 11 12

Our Interpretation Plan combines commissioning with co-production and will include as Budget Summary many new ideas as possible. We will build on examples of didactic and community-led Activity Description Code £ (ex. VAT) formal interpretation from Phase 1A to ensure continuity with existing information boards, panels and canal signage which has been in place for a few years. In particular the 20 Archive Exhibition Resources IP01 lectern panels and new signposts, which were part of Phase 1A, and for which CCC has Permanent arts interpretation (for 4 audio IP02 received much positive feedback by the community. The didactic interpretation work is posts, recordings, design and build) all included in the supporting project brief: Section L: Cotswold Canals Phase 1B Didactic Canal trail event IP03 Interpretation Plan.147 Citizen History – canal archive project IP04 To encourage deeper involvement from those living along the canal corridor we will draw on Exhibition 42 towpath interpretation project IP05 a variety of expertise to develop a wide portfolio of interpretation. It will include photography Creative performances and broadcasts IP06 exhibitions, a Miniature Museum, canal trails and a large-scale artist commission. A series Total cost of community-led creative workshops will be integral to our Float my Boat Canal Carnival. On-site exhibitions will communicate how the project is progressing from the outset and, as Key funded staff post: Destination displays change and evolve, the materials will become a modern archive and a record of the & Events Co-ordinator, Participation project’s delivery. Our creative, community-led approach to interpretation with allow for & Inclusion Co-ordinator (The cost the co-creation of ideas, help new audiences engage with heritage stories and bring of the Permanent interpretation 147. Section L: Cotswold Canals creative practices to the public. We will build a greater sense of canal ownership, enhance panels and professional fees are in Phase 1B Didactic our spirit of place and contribute towards community cohesion and cultural regeneration. Capital Costs) Interpretation Plan

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 234 Interpretation Plan Outcomes and Activities Schemes of work we will deliver: 1. Celebrating and building on existing local cultural assets 2. Creative community-led interpretation 3.Pilot Didactic Projects interpretation (See Section L:Target Cotswold audiences Canals Phase 1B Didactic Interpretation Plan)

Outcome Ambitions Activity Highlights (See Action Plan Ref:IP for detailed breakdown) Key Audiences Staff involved 1. Greater community • Float My Boat Canal Carnival Target audience groups: Led by: ownership and stewardship • Artists and community collaborations • People living adjacent • Community Development of the canal corridor by • Open Mills to the canal Manager (CS) people and communities • Visitors and tourists through participation in • Performance art Supported by: creative arts interpretation • Cataloguing canal history In particular: • Didactic/formal projects • Miniature Museum flagship piece • Commuters, specialist interpretation panel • Station exhibitions at Stroud, Stonehouse, interest groups, families with designer (Commissioned) 2. Deeper understanding Gloucester each year young children, walkers, • Participation and of the built and natural • Community hub exhibitions/ celebrations cyclists, tourists and visitors Inclusion Coordinator (CS) environment through • Destination and Events formal and informal canal- • Annual canal trail Coordinator (CS) based interpretation • Leaflets about wildlife, archive, built heritage • Education Officer (CS) • Radio Droogdok commission • SNAC archive team (Vols) 3. Improved health • Exhibition 42 of engineering works in progress • Graphic Designer and wellbeing through • A1 panels – history/ engineering/ wildlife (Commissioned) involvement in creative • Archive Intern (SNAC) interpretation and a re- • Panels with canal route graphics • Design Intern (SDC) connection with local • Gateway panels - amenity information • Education Officer (CS) heritage and sense of place • Sculptural installations, wildlife • Environment Manager • Leaflets on wildlife and built/archive heritage (GWT)

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 235 7.4 Participation & Inclusion Plan Summary (Ref:PIP) NLHF outcomes met: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14

Our Participation and Inclusion Plan provides an exemplar model Budget Summary of a community-embedded approach to inclusion for a national Activity Description Code £ (ex. VAT) heritage project, in terms of models, theory and research. Canal Community Adoption Scheme PIP01 During the Development Stage we worked together to develop a Community Canal Consultations PIP02 best practice approach to inclusion, evaluation and mentoring. Community engagement outreach (Register) PIP03 These methodologies underpin all our ways of working across Target Group Voices project PIP04 every strand of Float my Boat Carnival PIP05 the Project. Community Volunteer Group PIP06 l costs Policies PIP07 l costs We will model inclusion to a huge number of social, public and Pathways to Participation PIP06 private bodies, backed up by a wealth of experience and existing Workshops for community groups PIP07 quality practice across the canal corridor. Community rail trail exhibitions PIP08 Nicer on the Water community event PIP09 Total cost Lead funded staff posts: Participation and Inclusion Co-ordinator (FT) & Activities Officer (0.6 FTE) See supporting Document Job Descriptions

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 236 This model of inclusion will become part of the CCC project Wayne textile printing legacy, and includes three best-practice approaches: to make flags for the Wool & Water Festival • Inclusion for everyone - finding ways for everyone to be able to join in rather than providing ‘special’ activities for people. Our approach to working with disabled people. for example,’ is an approach we apply to all those who are marginalised and not participating in mainstream activity but is also a model for best practice in all community engagement work.148 • Co-produced, inclusive evaluation - a methodology developed by Creative Sustainability in collaboration with the Countryside and Community Research Institute, University of Gloucestershire, to devise more robust frameworks for evaluating complex outcomes for people-based projects. The framework will support better self-directed outcomes for participants, guide project planning for organisations and ultimately influence commissioning.149 • Peer-to-Peer Befriending - a model that assumes people with lived experience and their own learning curve and set of needs, often provide far better support for others with the same experience than volunteers of paid professionals. Current thinking on ‘Good Help’ suggests that the best long-term support, and the most sustainable, can be found in 148. Methodology 150 local communities. Our Approach To Working With Disabled People This project is a great opportunity to flagship these three 149. Methodology best practice models, both locally and nationally, to a huge Co-produced Evaluation number of social, public and private bodies. We will provide 150. Methodology training in inclusion, co-produced evaluation and peer to peer Peer to Peer Mentoring and mentoring for all project partners. Befriending

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 237 Participation and Inclusion Plan Outcomes and Activities Schemes of work we will deliver: 1. Working with local resources and assets 2. Overcoming barriers to engagement for the wider community 3. Overcoming barriers to engagement for under-represented people and communities 4. Sustainable long-term engagement

Outcome Ambitions Activity Highlights (See Action Plan Ref:LP for detailed breakdown) Key Audiences Staff involved 1. New skills, confidences • Cotswold Canals Connected Consultative Group CCCCG Target audience groups: Led by: and qualifications for a partnership and outreach tool kits. • Under-represented • Participation and larger and more diverse • Annual large-scale public community engagement events people Inclusion Co-ordinator (CS) range of new people and • Bi-annual small-scale community engagement events communities across the corridor In particular: Supported by: • Disabled people, people • Community Engagement 2. Improved self-esteem, • Community Hub leadership and business development with young children, BAME, Programme Manager (CS) self-agency and raised • Floating Community Hub LGBTQ+, people and • Volunteer Lengsthmen expectations by a larger and • Peer-to-Peer Mentoring community groups living (CCT/SDC) diverse range of new people • Improved and extended towpath in target areas, vulnerable • Education Officer (CS) and communities • Community-led ‘Nicer on the Water’ event adults and young adults • Activities Officer (CS) age 18+, adults living with • Facilitated by CRT 3. Increased wellbeing, • Targeted communications and publicity or recovering from drug and adoption scheme officer community ownership, • Access Bike cyclist-walker programme alcohol addiction, long- • Community Group Leader connection and belonging • Bi-annual Inclusion Training term unemployed, adults • Canal side schools (SAS) • Canal adoption scheme homeless or in sheltered • Volunteer Manager (SDC) More resilient and 4. • Canoe build & hire enterprise - community hub accommodation, people sustainable community living with loneliness, networks, collaborations • Community groups investment of support and asylum seekers and and partnerships working facilitation package refugees closely together in sharing • Canal fencing design and build enterprise, comprising learning and resources upcycled material to provide activities and opportunities for canal communities

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 238 7.5 People & Nature Plan Summary (Ref:PN) NLHF outcomes met: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14

Our People and Nature Plan will bring more people closer to the natural as well as Budget Summary the industrial heritage. Volunteers will learn how to respect nature, as they work on Activity Description Code £ (ex. VAT) restoration and construction projects whilst the education, public engagement, volunteering and community interpretation programmes will blend both nature Environmental training for volunteers PN01 and culture. We will create green and blue infrastructure that recognises the Working with Nature – vegetation projects PN02 value of the ecosystem services provided by nature. This approach will combine Habitat Creation/Enhancement Projects PN03 Gloucestershire’s existing biodiversity goals with the waterway heritage goals of the Built Habitat and Wildlife Mitigation Projects PN04 Cotswold Canals Trust (and others) to produce a resilient system that can be used, Volunteer wildlife monitoring PN05 enjoyed and cared for by people while enhancing habitat networks for wildlife. Citizen Science – wildlife monitoring PN06 Engage with Nature PN07 CCC partners are committed to restoring and rebuilding the canal and want to Community Orchard Restoration & PN08 use the restoration to showcase how development can support and enhance Management wildlife and result in an increase in biodiversity. This work will result in improved Wild for Nature Accredited Courses PN09 outcomes for wildlife linked to the canal restoration. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) will partner with the project to create new habitats and enhancing Total cost existing habitats which will deliver net biodiversity gain to Gloucestershire Key funded staff posts: Environment Manager (FT) & and the South West of England and contribute towards the local and national 2 Environment Project Officers (0.5FTE) See supporting Document Job Descriptions Biodiversity Action Plans and Biodiversity 2020 targets.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 239 People and Nature Plan Outcomes and Activities Schemes of work we will deliver: 4. Green Infrastructure 1. Managing impacts of restoration 5. Outreach Consultation 2. Biodiversity and Accreditation 6. Community Engagement – Heath & Wellbeing 3. Ecological Connectivity Activities 7. Training and Accreditation

Outcome Ambitions Activity Highlights (See Action Plan Ref:LP for detailed breakdown) Key Audiences Staff involved 1. Increased biodiversity Ecological surveys and monitoring of protected species Target audience groups: Led by: within the River Frome and habitats • People living adjacent to • Environmental Manager corridor in 15 years • Provision of additional still water habitat to the canal (GWT) mitigate for loss of existing habitat important for • Community Engagement 2. Minimal negative dragonflies and damselflies In particular: Programme Manager (CS) environmental impact • Installation of wildlife mitigation measures. • New and existing • Volunteer Manager (SDC) during the construction volunteers, schools, • Construction of wildlife habitats universities, nature lovers Supported by: 3. More connectivity of • Skills and training to local educational facilities and all target audiences • Activities Officer (CS) wildlife habitats in the in ecology and the environment. • Education Officer (CS) Severn Vale • Restore a relict community orchard • Environmental Project • New wildlife areas Officer (GWT/SVP) 4. More multi-functional • Environment Bank Accreditation • Maintenance Manager natural spaces and blue Assistant (CCT) green infrastructure for • Tree, shrub and hedgerow planting • Participation and health and wellbeing and • Upstream river restoration and habitat Inclusion Co-ordinator (CS) networks where nature can improvement projects at Bonds Mill Paleochannel • Mentors (CS) thrive and Stroud Cricket Club • Site Manager (CCT) • Accessible tow path 5. Greater understanding of • New accessible green community spaces wildlife and the environment • Nature-based training, work experience and in the canal/river corridor informal learning opportunities 6. More engagement by • Convert pill boxes for bat habitats people and communities • Insect houses in urban/peri urban areas with nature leading to improved health and wellbeing

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 240 7.6 Volunteer Plan Summary (Ref:VP) NLHF outcomes met: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Our Volunteer Plan will offer a huge range of new volunteering By undertaking a broad range of volunteering projects and developing opportunities, further enhancing a thriving community of local collaborative approaches, the Project will also have a lasting impact stakeholders who will improve knowledge, appreciation and on the ongoing work of all the delivery partners. conservation of the Stroudwater Navigation, leaving the heritage better understood and better managed. Groups and networks of volunteers will The Cotswold Canals Trust and Stroud District Council will continue be broadened and further embedded to continue the work well beyond to run and develop all the volunteering projects that we developed the life of the project funding with stronger relationships between as part of the Volunteer Plan. This will involve new volunteering roles volunteers, the project partnership, and other regional conservation and and activities, which draw on the experience of the project partners to heritage bodies. navigate our new audiences through pathways to volunteering, aligned with skills development and new ways of working. Volunteering activities will provide opportunities for people to develop skills, knowledge and experience in a range of heritage areas. Volunteers, who have gained new skills through the project, will be able to share their knowledge and in some cases move into further training or employment.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 241 Our approach will involve training and harnessing the experience of our existing volunteers to establish: • A Volunteer-led Roadshow – Our Roadshow package includes visits and local and regional exhibitions and events throughout each year of the project • Volunteer Ambassadors – Our volunteer outreach and communications work will also involve public engagement using experienced, trained volunteers acting as ambassadors for the canal restoration

Budget Summary Activity Description Code £ (ex. VAT) Access to volunteering (equipment and VP01 volunteer support) Canal restoration workforce volunteering VP02 (volunteer support and publicity) Volunteer Lengthsmen VP03 osts Volunteer Ambassadors VP04 Corporate volunteering days VP05 osts Volunteer celebration event VP06 Volunteer Recruitment Outreach Events VP07 osts Volunteers Rob Burgon, Bob Mulkerrin, Mike Smith and Tim Kerry with Perseverance on Stroudwater Navigation Volunteer recruitment VP08 Total cost As part of delivering our Volunteer Plan we will: Key funded staff posts: Volunteer Manager • Build existing volunteer management and team leaders’ See supporting Document Job Descriptions capacity to manage an expanding and more diverse volunteer workforce • Increase the number of volunteers, specifically targeting our under-represented audiences and improving inclusion, diversity and accessibility across the Partnership • Embed our commitment to make volunteering for the Project accessible, safe and fair for a wider, more diverse range of people

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 242 Volunteer Plan Outcomes and Activities Schemes of work we will deliver: 1. Building CCC’s capacity to manage more volunteers and a diverse range of volunteers 2. Volunteer recruitment, training and capacity building 3. Training programmes, apprenticeships, internships and work placements

Outcome Ambitions Activity Highlights (See Action Plan Ref:LP for detailed breakdown) Key Audiences Staff involved 1. A more diverse range • Define volunteer roles and responsibilities Target audience groups: Led by: of people are engaged • Provide incentives for team leaders • People living adjacent to • Volunteer Manager (SDC) in volunteering leading • Work volunteer teams to improve pathways to the canal to greater community volunteering • Under-represented Supported by: cohesion, physical and people • Participation and mental health and • Training programme for volunteers and staff – inclusion, Inclusion Co-ordinator (CS) well-being safe-guarding, H&S In particular: • Education Officer (CS) • Provide mentoring for underrepresented people to • Existing Volunteers • Activities Officer (CS) 2. New volunteer pathways support them to volunteer across all areas. • Canal Engineering link people to training and • Use Gloucester Culture Trust’s proforma to define the Potential new volunteers Manager (SDC) work experience, improving volunteer offer and handbook from the following groups: • Community Engagement their skills, confidence and • Run ‘Meet the Volunteers’ events across the year • 6 Under-represented Programme Manager (CS) commitment towards life- • Recruit and train volunteer lengthspeople and volunteer groups • Maintenance Manager long learning and better ambassadors • Women (CCT) life chances • Older men • Site Manager (CCT) • Roadshow with local and regional events • Nature lovers and • Inclusion Peer Mentors 3. Greater knowledge and • Develop online volunteer recruitment channels technical specialists (CS) understanding of the local • Provide D of E Award opportunities • Young people aged 16-24 heritage through a wide • Develop and manage robust policy and procedures range of volunteer activities which inspire peoples’ participation and result in a greater sense of heritage ownership and sense of their place

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 243 7.7 Communication & Marketing Plan Summary (Ref:CMP) NLHF outcomes met: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14

Our Communications and Marketing Plan will reinforce our community engagement, Budget Summary targeting all our main audiences through a range of communication tools which Activity Description Code £ (ex. VAT) will be designed to inspire, engage and mobilise all our audiences. It is designed to enable us to celebrate and promote the leisure, environmental and wellbeing Brand strategy CM01 benefits of the canal. Using a variety of media, we will raise awareness of our Project, Design and Print CM02 locally, regionally and nationally. We will continue to develop our creative and Press media CM03 contemporary branding which will support the creation of a national Digital media CM04 canal tourist destination. Project websites and blogs CM05 CM06 Our marketing strategy will also support our fundraising strategy and promote the Thank you events for Lottery Players sts work of our delivery partners, raising their profiles and encouraging organisational Total cost resilience and project sustainability. We recognise the importance of communicating Key funded staff posts: Communication and Marketing Officer place, events and destination experiences that CCC can offer and plan to use a & Destination & Events Co-ordinator creative and contemporary range of media. Our communications plan is designed See supporting Document Job Descriptions to reach our main audiences through multiple channels, recognising the need to maintain strong consistent branding. This will maintain audience engagement over time by keeping communications focused, fresh and accessible.

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 244 Communication and Marketing Plan Outcomes and Activities Schemes of work we will deliver: 1. Schools, Colleges and Universities 2. People living adjacent to the canal 3. Under-represented people 4. Visitors, tourists and lottery players

Outcome Ambitions Activity Highlights (See Action Plan Ref:LP for detailed breakdown) Key Audiences Staff involved 1. 3 million people • Develop the CCC website Target audience groups: Led by: will become aware of • Digitalise CCC’s canal archive and develop an online • All audience groups • Communication and the Cotswolds Canals citizen history project Marketing Officer (SDC) restoration and its broader • Targeted media campaign including online and printed In particular: benefits to national news articles, radio and TV interviews, regular press • Core suite to present a Supported by: waterways heritage releases and high-profile canal launch events consistent look and feel • Graphic Designer conservation for everyone who comes (Commissioned) • Publicise all canal-based events through the local in contact with CCC. Sub- • Communication and 2. 24,000 will directly media, CCCG network & social media brands will be designed to Marketing Team (SDC) participate in the canal • CCT Roadshows talks and outreach to publicise the reach target audiences (i.e. • Community Engagement restoration through project, engage people and recruit new volunteers development of content for Manager (CS) the use of a wide range • Targeted and tailored events and communications, young people etc.) • Destination and Events of contemporary and for under-represented groups Manager (CS) imaginative communication • Distribution of fliers and posters • Tourism and Hospitality tools • Documentary film profiling one of CCC showcase projects Intern (CS) (such as the Community Floating Hub) which feature • Destination Management 3. Greater community Lottery players and raise CCC and NHLF’s national profile Organisations ownership and stewardship of the canal corridor by • Competitions and special canal events targeting Lottery people and communities players i.e. Exclusive CCT canal boat trips as part of World Wellbeing Week 4. The Cotswold Canals • Targeted publicity campaigns which raise the profile of becomes a canal visitor NHLF and boost ticket sales destination and continues • Key messages and brand guidelines in every press to be promoted by all release, newsletter and communication that goes out to partners & collaborators include ways of recognising Lottery players and their role in our success

CCC Activity Plan: Section C | 245 Table 15. Outcomes Measurement Framework at a Glance

Strategic Aim Outcome Ambition Primary Indicators

• Canal heritage is embedded in formal primary school curriculums and education settings • Number of children participating in canal heritage formal education activities linked to the national Pathways curriculum • A more diverse range of people are engaged in training, work placements and internships and have • Number of people achieving vocational or skills-based qualifications as a result of engagement in for Heritage improved skills, confidence and better life chances learning activities through the Project Learning • The canal corridor community has more understanding of their local heritage and a greater sense of • % of people who believe that the Canal and/or activities contribute to the heritage and cultural Education, Learning & ownership and sense of their place richness of the local area Enhancing Skills • A more diverse range of people enjoy participation in community-based events and activities that lead • Number of people from different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, age groups and abilities to greater community cohesion, physical and mental health and wellbeing participating in a range of canal-based activities, events and visits

• New skills, confidences and qualifications for a larger and more diverse range of new people and • Number of people from different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, age groups and abilities communities achieving vocational or skills-based qualifications as a result of engagement in Project learning activities Inclusive & • Improved self-esteem, self-agency and raised expectations by a larger and diverse range of new people • % of people who believe that their involvement in the Project has contributed to their confidence and Cohesive and communities self-esteem Communities • Increased wellbeing, community ownership, connection and belonging, by a larger and diverse range of • % of people who believe that the canal makes a positive difference to their community Broadening Opportunities new people and communities & Inclusivity • More resilient and sustainable community networks, collaborations and partnerships working closely • Number of organisations and groups involved in the Project delivery together in sharing learning and resources

Creating • Greater community ownership and stewardship of the canal corridor by people and communities • Number of people involved in volunteering through the Project • More accessibility and deeper understanding of the built and natural environment through formal and • % of people who have increased their knowledge and understanding of canal heritage through Communities informal canal-based interpretation for people and communities participation in formal and informal interpretation activities Creative Engineering, Arts & Cultural Regeneration • Improved health and wellbeing for people and communities through their involvement in canal • Numbers of people participating in the Project restoration, creative interpretation and re-connection with their local heritage and sense of place • Numbers of towpath and canal users

• Increased biodiversity of the Stroudwater Navigation (‘the canal’) and River Frome corridor within 15 years • Environmental Bank indicators of number and size of habitats and biodiversity units • Minimal negative environmental impact during the construction phase of the canal restoration • Fixed photo monitoring of habitat creation areas Working • More connectivity of wildlife habitats in the Severn Vale and schemes for habitat protection • Meeting building with Nature standards with Nature • More multi-functional natural spaces and blue green infrastructure for health and wellbeing and networks • Km of new or enhanced habitats where nature can thrive Wildlife Conservation & Enhancement • More engagement by people and communities with nature leading to improved health and wellbeing • Hectares of diverse habitat created and numbers of trees and shrubs planted • Number of surveys and observations carried out annually • Numbers of towpath and canal users • Greater knowledge and understanding of wildlife and the environment in the canal/river corridor • Observations of species connecting between the River Severn and Project wetland areas

• A sustainably managed canal corridor which attracts new and supports existing business and enterprise • Number of new businesses attracted to, and existing businesses retained within the canal corridor as a Prosperous result of the Project activity, assets, goods and services & Connected • Community regeneration, development and local resilience for canal-based towns and villages • Value of the ‘canal dividend’ to the prosperity and sustainability of the local area Places • Reduced youth unemployment, out migration and entrenched worklessness across the project area and • Number of people claiming employment related benefits or classed as NEETs who obtain employment Economic growth, targeted communities in Gloucester after participating in initiatives or programmes through the Project regeneration & sustainable • Enhanced well-being for people and communities through improving their employment opportunities, • % of people who believe that the canal makes a positive difference to their community, their tourism their lives and livelihoods employment opportunities and their lifestyle public consultations 2018/19 Acknowledgements & Referencing 112 Table 11. Collaborating with other services and agencies to engage Our Activity Plan and Action Plan includes 150 footnote references under-represented audiences which refer to all our Supporting Documents, Case Studies, Research 121 Table 12. Our Pilot Projects, the audiences they targeted, and the and Development Reports, Methodology MOUs and Mini-Briefs - see aims of the pilots Section C Activity Plan Folder 1: Referenced Supporting Documents. 166 Table 13. Models of Interpretation This folder includes the list of footnotes (Activity Plan and Action 201 Table 14. CCC Strategic Project Aims & Outcomes Plan Footnote List) to support navigation against the Activity Plan. 246 Table 15. Outcomes Measurement Framework All additional research can be found in Folder 2: Additional Research List of Charts and Supporting Documents. 60 Chart 1. Ages of people who attended our public consultations 98 Chart 2. Respondents by Age Group to online survey Acknowledgements 98 Chart 3. Respondents by Age Group using interactive data capture The CCC team would like to thank everyone who supported and boards at community consultations contributed to the development and production of the Activity Plan. We 99 Chart 4. How people use the canal would particularly like to thank all the volunteers and members of our local 100 Chart 5. Reported water activity from questionnaires and surveys community who contributed significant time, expertise and skill. Thank you between March 2018 and September 2019 also to those people who participated in all our community-based activities 139 Chart 6. Percentage of young people who reported watching wildlife and volunteer opportunities over the past two years and who shared their on the canal stories, thoughts, views and opinions. 176 Chart 7. All staying trips 176 Chart 8. All staying nights Credits 176 Chart 9. All staying spend Lead Author: Emily Pearson 177 Chart 10. All day visits Co-authors & Lead Researchers: Anna Bonallack and Hannah McDonnell 177 Chart 11. All day visit spend Editor: Chris Eadie Researcher: Molly Beebee List of Diagrams Layout & Design: Julie Howe 27 Diagram 1. CCC Partners: Governance, roles and accountability Map design p57: CCT Volunteer David Chamberlain 33 Diagram 2. Development Stage Learning Cycle 45 Diagram 3. Guiding Principles to Community Engagement List of Tables 49 Diagram 4. CCC Levels of participation and engagement 28 Table 1. Governance Partners 90 Diagram 5. CCC’s main target audience groups 29 Table 2. Governance & Strategic Delivery Partners 130 Diagram 6. Hub Analysis 30 Table 3. Supporting Operational Delivery Partners 199 Diagram 7. CCC Theory of Change 34 Table 4. Community engagement activities & numbers of 211 Diagram 8. Our targets for increasing community actions participants across the Development Stage15 and ownership 34 Table 5. Additional indirect engagement by CCC partners during 220 Diagram 9. CCC Partners: Governance, roles and accountability the Development Stage 221 Diagram 10. Operational Delivery Organogram 40 Table 6. Development Stage Research and Development Activities 91 Table 7. Activities and Outcomes for our Main Audiences List of Figures 101 Table 8. Canal visitors, towpath use and boat trip participants 57 Figure 1. Phase 1B Canal Restoration since Phase 1A of the restoration April 2018 – April 2019 58 Figure 2. Local Wildlife Sites within 2km of the canal 103 Table 9. Surveys & questionnaires (Ref: Conservation Plan - p161) 106 Table 10. Reported barriers to using the canal and towpath from 98 Figure 3. Ages of People using the towpath Action Plan

The Action Plan brings together every community engagement and people-related activity for the Project delivery. These are broken down into actions using the Lottery Action Plan template to show clear descriptions of each activity, target audiences, benefits for people, outcomes, staff resource, costs, timetable, targets and evaluation methods.

Activities are presented and numbered under each of our Project Delivery Plans as follows: 1. Community Enterprise and Local Economic Development Activities 2. Formal and Informal Heritage Learning Activities 3. Interpretation Activities 4. Participation and Inclusion Activities 5. People and Nature Activities 6. Volunteering Activities 7. Communication and Marketing Activities 8. Project Management and Governance Activities Activity Budget Summary Code Activity Training for Paid Training Training for Travel for Volunteer Equipment Other costs Professional Recruitment Publicity & TotalEvaluation Staff Placements Volunteers Staff Support & Materials fees Promotion CED01 Community Hubs CED02 Business and Development CED03 Tourism Development CED04 Event Toolkit LP01 Curriculum - resources LP02 Curriculum – meet the experts LP03 Study Programme LP04 FE Placements LP05 Work Placements LP06 Canal Heritage Day LP07 Museum of the Canal LP08 Wool and Water Festival LP09 Canal Heritage Trails LP10 Archive - cataloguing LP11 Archive - skills workshops LP12 Archive - Taster sessions IP01 Archive Exhibition Resources IP02 Permanent Interpretation (activity costs) IP03 Canal Trail Event IP04 Citizen History Online IP05 Exhibition 42 IP06 Performance interpretation podcasts PIP01 Canal Adoption PIP02 Community Consultation PIP03 Community Register PIP04 Target Group Voices - Canal Accessibility and Inclusion PIP05 Float My Boat Carnival PIP06 Community Volunteer Group PIP07 Policies PIP08 Pathways to Participation PIP09 Creative Interpretation Workshops Code Activity Training for Paid Training Training for Travel for Volunteer Equipment Other costs Professional Recruitment Publicity & TotalEvaluation Staff Placements Volunteers Staff Support & Materials fees Promotion PIP10 Canal Rail Trail PIP11 Nicer on the Water PN01 Environmental Volunteer training PN02 Volunteer - Vegetation Projects PN03 Volunteer - Habitat Creation PN04 Volunteer- Built Habitat PN05 Wildlife monitoring PN06 Citizen Science - wildlife monitoring PN07 Engage with nature activities PN08 Community Orchard PN09 Wild for Nature VP01 Access to Volunteering VP02 Canal Restoration Volunteers VP03 Volunteer Lengthsmen VP04 Volunteer Ambassadors VP05 Corporate volunteering VP06 Volunteer recognition VP07 Volunteer recruitment outreach VP08 Volunteer recruitment CM01 Brand strategy CM02 Design and Print CM03 Press media CM04 Digital media CM05 Project websites and blogs CM06 Thank you lottery PMG01 Evaluation PMG02 Governance PMG03 Sharing best practice PMG04 Induction and training PMG05 Staff recruitment TOTAL Activity Timeline Summary 2021 2022 2023 Delivery period Event timing Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Community Enterprise & Local Economic Development Activities CED01 Make it Thrive: Canal-based Community Hubs CED02 Canal Business and Enterprise Development Programme CED03 Sustainable Tourism Development Programme CED04 Canal Event Delivery Toolkits for Communities Formal and Informal Heritage Learning Activities LP01 Canal Curriculum - primary school resources and activities LP02 Canal Curriculum - meet the canal experts LP03 Accredited Study Programme LP04 Further Education Canal Work Placements LP05 Canal-Based work Experience and Duke of Edinburgh LP06 Annual Canal Heritage Day at Museum in the Park april april april LP07 Community-led Museum of the Canal and Miniature Museum august august august LP08 Wool and Water Festival Community Programme sept sept sept LP09 Canal Heritage Trails Developed LP10 Archive volunteer cataloguing and researching LP11 Archive learning workshops LP12 Archive Taster Sessions Interpretation Activities IP01 Canal Archive Travelling Exhibition IP02 Permanent Interpretation IP03 Canal Trail Annual Event may may IP04 Citizen History Online IP05 Exhibition 42 Temporary Towpath Interpretation IP06 Creative Performance Interpretation Podcasts Participation and Inclusion Activities PIP01 Canal Community Adoption Scheme PIP02 Community Canal Consultations PIP03 Engaging Target Groups Through Existing Local Community Organisations PIP04 Target Group Voices - Canal Accessibility and Inclusion PIP05 Float my boat - canal corridor community carnival july july PIP06 Community Volunteers Steering Group PIP07 Policies, procedures and best practice for project activities PIP08 Pathways to Participation Programme Delivery period Event timing 2021 2022 2023 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 PIP09 Creative Canal Interpretation Workshops for Community Groups PIP10 Community Canal Rail Trail Exhibitions PIP11 Nicer on the Water Community Fetes People and Nature Activities PN01 Environmental Training for Volunteers PN02 Volunteers - Vegetation Projects PN03 Volunteers - Habitat Creation/ Enhancement Projects PN04 Volunteers - Built Habitat Projects PN05 Volunteer Canal Wildlife monitoring PN06 Citizen Science - Wildlife Monitoring PN07 Engage with Nature - Health and Wellbeing Activities PN08 Community Orchard Restoration PN09 Wild for Nature accredited courses Volunteering Activities VP01 Access to Volunteering Programme VP02 Canal Restoration Workforce Volunteering VP03 Volunteer Lengthsmen VP04 Volunteer Canal Ambassadors VP05 Corporate Canal Volunteering Days VP06 Volunteer Recognition and Celebration VP07 Volunteer recruitment outreach events VP08 Volunteer recruitment marketing campaign Communications and Marketing Activities CM01 Brand strategy CM02 Design and print marketing materials CM03 Press media and printed publications CM04 Digital, technical and social media CM05 Project websites and blogs CM06 Thank You Lottery Events Project Management and Governance Activities PMG01 Project monitoring and evaluation programme PMG02 Project Governance and Partnerships PMG03 Sharing best practice PMG04 Staff and volunteer induction and training PMG05 Staff recruitment for new staff posts Community Enterprise & Local Economic Development Activities Action Activity: Target What change will Costs in TimetableResources Targets & measures Method(s) of code detailed description audience there be? project budget of success evaluation CED01 Make it Thrive: Canal-Based Community Hubs Target • A sustainably managed Led by: • Marketing and • 5 community • Record Five Community Hubs will provide a range of audience canal corridor which • Community promotion of the leadership programmes keeping of opportunities and services along the canal groups: attracts new and supports Engagement programme begins completed. At least participation including visitor information, community cafés, People living existing business and Programme Manager in early 2022 with 5 community hubs • Follow- health and wellbeing activities and creative spaces adjacent to the enterprise (CS) enrolment of established up post- for exhibitions and talks. canal • Community • Destination and community groups • Participants tell us programme Events Co-ordinator from March to June Through our community leadership development Visitors and regeneration, development that they feel more feedback (CS) 2022 programme (Make it Thrive), we will support tourists and local resilience for confident and enabled surveys groups wanting to develop hubs in their locality by: canal-based towns and • Leadership towards setting up and • Surveys Supported by: villages Development running a community and feedback • Providing a toolkit of resources • Business • Reduced youth Programme begins hub from users of • Facilitating planning workshops and Development Specialist unemployment, out Sept 2022 and runs • The Floating Community access to specialist governance and legal • Activities Officer migration and entrenched until the end of Community Hub Hubs advice • Canal Regenerators worklessness across the 2023 project incubated and Group is formed to • Records of • Supporting groups to crowd fund project area and targeted • Celebrations and in process support development numbers of • Providing networking opportunities and communities in Gloucester awards take place • CRS advisor • After the Project Community hosting hub celebrations and awards by Dec 2023 with • Enhanced well-being for • Local Enterprise completes, all Hubs during Community Hubs This programme will include the incubation of a people and communities Forum Community Hubs and after the opening from late special ‘Floating Community Hub’ developed in through improving • Artist Luke Jerram continue to operate Project 2023 onwards collaboration between community stakeholders their employment and community-led and are sustainable and artist Luke Jerram opportunities, their lives design group • Floating hub for the future. Visitors Reference documents: and livelihoods • Tourism and stakeholder to Community Hubs MOU Make It Thrive & Mini Brief 1 Hospitality Intern consultations will find them a useful and MOU Luke Jerram & Mini Brief 2 be held during 2021 valuable community with development resource during 2022 and build during 2023

CED02 Canal Business and Enterprise Development Target • A sustainably managed Led by: • Marketing and • 6 community • Record Programme audience canal corridor which • Community : promotion of the entrepreneurs events keeping of This Programme will support the development of group: attracts new and supports Engagement programme will completed participation 5-10 canal-based licensed local enterprises. We People living existing business and Programme Manager take place from • 10-15 individuals • Follow- will support potential canal-side businesses by: adjacent to enterprise (CS) , early 2022 with and groups recruited up post- enrolment of • Providing research and business the canal • Community • Destination and to development programme participants by development support and under- regeneration, Events Co-ordinator programme. feedback from represented development and local March 2022 Participants tell us that participants • Running a mentoring programme and (CS) people resilience for canal-based • The first they feel up-skilled and training workshops Supported by: • Numbers of In particular: towns and villages Development enabled enterprises • Providing access to a business toolkit of • Activities Officer Programme will run Young adults • Reduced youth : • Up to 15 set-up and resources and an enterprise start-up fund • Business from April 2022 and aged 19 to 30, unemployment, out entrepreneurs enabled running • Support for business case development, Development Specialist the second from asylum seekers migration and entrenched to set up and run a canal design and build plans, funding applications April 2023 and refugees, worklessness across the • Participation and related business and license applications dis-advantaged project area and targeted Inclusion Co-ordinator • Celebrations • 5-10 licences issued • Establishing a partnership with Gloucester young people communities in Gloucester • Gloucester Growth and awards take • Growth hub Growth Hub for use of space and resources and disabled • Enhanced well-being for Hub team partnership place by Dec 2023 partnership established to incubate new businesses young people people and communities set up with businesses and functioning launching from late • Hosting a bi-annual canal-based through improving • SVCC team their employment 2023 onwards enterprise forum events • Working with Canal opportunities, their lives Two enterprises already identified are a canoe Regenerators Group and livelihoods build and hire enterprise and a canal ‘repurposed • Cycle Project bike part’ fencing enterprise. • Western Depot Reference documents: Volunteers MOU Make It Thrive & Mini Brief 1 • Business Intern

CED03 Sustainable Tourism Development Target • A sustainably managed Led by: • Tourism Plan • Marketing Strategy • Record Programme audience canal corridor which • Destination and developed published and shared numbers of A Sustainable Tourism Plan for the canal and group: attracts new and supports Events Co-ordinator alongside the with stakeholders stakeholders surrounding areas will be researched, developed Visitors and existing business and (CS) Marketing Strategy • Tourism audit engaged with enterprise during 2021. Plan and presented. The Plan will build upon and Tourists Supported by: completed and shared be intertwined with the development of our • Community Completed by with stakeholders • Feedback In particular: • Activities Officer Marketing Strategy with key marketing campaigns regeneration, March 2022 from National and • Monthly website designed to coincide with Project events and development and local • Community • Dissemination stakeholders international themed updates milestones. Tourism promotion materials will be resilience for canal-based Engagement of the Plan during Tourists created • Number of developed for the CCC website along the themes towns and villages Programme Manager 2022. Partnerships and visitors, • 12 community rail ticket deals and of healthy activities and wellbeing, connections • Education Officer with Community local tourism • Enhanced well-being for partnership ticket deals numbers of to the Cotswold Way, low carbon tourism and Rail by 2022 and stakeholders people and communities • Maintenance created and used by users of deals accessible experiences. quarterly train through improving Manager 1200 families ticket deals put We will undertake a tourism audit and mapping their employment • Sustrans Active in place. Annual consultation exercise to explore opportunities for opportunities, their lives Travel Consultants new routes and destination experiences. This will and livelihoods memory train; walks • Environment commissioned and include the development, design and production • The Cotswold Canals Manager mapped throughout of cycling and walking trails and maps including becomes a canal visitor • Communication and project delivery an integrated programme of guided walks linked destination and continues Marketing Officer to the canal community hubs. to be promoted through • Tourism audit and Working in partnership with Community Rail a range of established • Participation and mapping exercise (GWR, Cross Country and ACoRP) we will develop and sustainable Inclusion Co-ordinator undertaken in train ticket deals for annual canal events, station communication and • Destination 2022 and website exhibitions and annual ‘memory train’ events marketing channels and Management materials and trails celebrating canal and rail heritage between strategies which involve Organisations produced by Dec 2022 Gloucester and Stroud. all delivery partners • Stroud Textile Trust Reference documents: • GWR Community MOU Gloucestershire Community Rail Manager Partnership & Mini Brief 3 • Tourism and Hospitality Intern • Business Intern CED04 Canal Event Delivery Toolkits for Communities Target • A sustainably managed Led by: • Equipment • Toolkits will • 26 toolkits produced • Records of A bespoke event toolkit will be designed and audience canal corridor which • Activities Officer (CS) and materials be developed • 36 community toolkit usage group: attracts new and supports (throwlines, from early developed. 26 event toolkits will be made available Supported by: groups use the toolkits • Feedback to the community to support and facilitate the People and existing business and personal safety 2021 alongside and tell us that they from toolkit • Community delivery of community canal events and activities. communities enterprise kit, signage): events/activities found them useful users Engagement The toolkits will provide community groups with living adjacent • Community throughout project Programme Manager the equipment needed to carry out their own canal to the canal regeneration, development delivery events and activities. and local resilience for • Destination and Events Co-ordinator The toolkit will include; health and safety canal-based towns and guidelines; facilities and service contacts; key villages • Environmental contact information; signage; budget details and • Reduced youth Project Assistant safety equipment. unemployment, out • Participation and Reference documents: migration and entrenched Inclusion Co-ordinator Mini Brief 4 worklessness across the • Volunteer Manager project area and targeted • 36 Community communities in Gloucester Groups • Enhanced well-being for people and communities through improving their employment opportunities, their lives and livelihoods Formal & Informal Heritage Learning Activities Action Activity: Target What change will Costs in TimetableResources Targets & measures Method(s) of code detailed description audience there be? project budget of success evaluation LP01 Canal Curriculum - Primary School Resources Target • Canal heritage is Led by: • Equipment • Curriculum • Whole School Canal • Records and Activities audience embedded in formal • Community and materials action learning Curriculum adopted of numbers A comprehensive package of development, group: primary school Engagement (archive boxes, process starts from in 15 primary schools. of schools support, action learning and delivery for 15 Schools, curriculums and education Programme Manager resources): September 2021 15 schools linked with and pupils primary schools on the canal corridor. Each school colleges and settings for teaching and (CS) • Resources and lengthsmen and 2,000 participating will receive an e-resource canal pack for teachers universities learning about their local • Education Officer activities will be children participating • Feedback wildlife, built heritage and (CS) and educators to help them lead classroom In particular: developed and • 90 canal based expert forms from sessions. A list of classroom and canal-based archive, through STEM, Supported by: produced from April led activities and 90 teachers, pupils Primary activities and opportunities will be kept up-to- literacy and creative • School Clusters 2021 and staff will lengthsmen visits and and Education Schools date and distributed to schools. frameworks through Stroud build networks with activities Volunteers and Primary • The canal corridor Association of Schools schools Fun and informative canal artefact boxes will be school • 5 artefact boxes • Records of community has improved group (SAS) developed and made available for loan to schools children, • The first of the • 3 SAS presentations volunteer skills, knowledge and • Practitioners, experts to assist teachers with classroom sessions. including resource packs to and 1 action research time understanding of their and artists Artefact loan boxes will include canal-related those in target be available from learning project local heritage through a • History/Heritage objects, local canal stories and resources. areas, schools September 2021 wide range of activities Studies Intern • Teachers and school Canal-based school curriculum activities will higher on • The details and have a greater sense • Community children tell us that they include expert-led activities for up-to 30 children deprivation of canal-based of ownership and sense of Volunteer Lengthsmen have learnt about the including boat trips, wildlife trails and lock index and activities will be their place canal heritage experiences. Each of the 15 Primary Schools will be special fully organised by offered up to 6 of these sessions during the Project. schools August 2022 with Volunteer lengthsmen will also be connected with all risk assessments the Primary Schools along their stretch of canal for completed. Canal- other canal based visits and activities. based activities will Reference documents: be delivered from Mini Brief 5 September 2022

LP02 Canal Curriculum - Meet the Canal Experts Target • Canal heritage is Led by: • Professional • Detailed • 900 primary school • Records A programme of canal curriculum day events audience embedded in formal • Community fees programme children engaged in of numbers Engagement Programme run at Museum in the Park in Stroud for 300 group: primary school curriculums (practitioners): development Meet the Experts of schools and education settings Manager (CS) and design early local children each year of the Project. This Schools, • Teachers and school and pupils for teaching and learning 2021, working programme supports the canal curriculum colleges and • Education Officer (CS) nt children tell us that participating about their local wildlife, with Museum in resources and activities available for local universities Supported by: als: they have learnt about • Feedback built heritage and archive, the Park. Staff will primary schools. In particular: • School Clusters the canal heritage forms from through STEM, literacy and build networks with through Stroud teachers, pupils Children will learn about the canal through Primary creative frameworks Association of Schools schools and will Schools and and Education a carousel of activities relating to the canal • The canal corridor group ire): promote the Meet Primary school Volunteers heritage or the natural heritage. Activities will community has improved • Museum in the Park the Canal Experts children, include weaving and dying, maps and mapping, skills, knowledge and staff programme to including those storytelling, ‘meet the archive’ and practical skills understanding of their schools in target areas, • Practitioners, experts in building canals. Activities will be facilitated by local heritage through a • Meet the Canal schools higher and artists canal experts with up-to 60 children participating wide range of activities Experts programme on deprivation • Community Volunteer each day. and have a greater sense delivered over two index and Lengthsmen of ownership and sense of weeks in summer Reference documents: special schools their place • History/Heritage term 2021/22/23 MOU Museum in the Park Studies Intern LP03 Accredited Study Programmes Target • A more diverse range Led by: No additional • Detailed planning • 3 SGS courses aligned • Records of In collaboration with South Gloucestershire audience of people are engaged in • Community cost and preparation will with activities numbers of and Stroud College (SGS) we will provide group: training, work placements Engagement take place from April • 135 young people young people canal learning opportunities which will provide Schools, and internships and have Programme Manager 2021 engaged with activities enrolled on improved skills, confidence programmes practical project work experience and life skills colleges and (CS) • Delivery will • Course participants and commitment towards for young people studying at the College. Courses universities • Education Officer (CS) commence will tell us that they • Feedback will be matched to canal learning opportunities life-long learning and September 2022 from course In particular: Supported by: enjoyed the course including projects for: better life chances and then each year tutors Young people activities, learnt new • 10 Conservation and environmental • The canal corridor • Activities Officer according to college aged 16 to skills and developed • Feedback students - wetlands, reed beds, grasslands community has improved • Environmental curriculum 24 including their knowledge from Young and ponds skills, knowledge and Assistant disabled People • 20 construction students – woodwork, understanding of their young people • Participation and including skills building, design local heritage through a Inclusion Co-ordinator matrix • 15 creative students – photography, wide range of activities • Volunteer Manager interpretation, graphics and have a greater sense Students will be supported by the of ownership and sense of • Tutors at SGS College Education Officer, working alongside Tutors their place • Schools through SAS at the College • SGS college tutors We will also work with regional universities (Royal • Cirencester Agricultural University, UWE, Bristol, Bath and Horticultural College Gloucestershire Universities) to establish routes tutors for study areas such as Natural Environment Royal Agricultural Management • University, UWE, Reference documents: Bristol, Bath and MOU South Gloucestershire Stroud College Gloucestershire Universities

LP04 Further Education Canal Work Placements Target • A more diverse range Led by: • Paid Training • Placements • 3 Apprenticeship • Records of In partnership with Canal and Rivers Trust audience of people are engaged in • Community Placements will be advertised placements numbers of and education bodies, three apprenticeship group: training, work placements Engagement (internships): from May 2021 and • 15 graduate internships and placements will be supported by the Project Schools, and internships and have Programme Manager throughout project internships apprenticeships improved skills, confidence (CS) delivery in the areas of Archive History, Environmental colleges and and 3 undergraduate • Feedback and commitment towards • Education Officer (CS) Conservation, Construction or Engineering. universities • Summer internships from life-long learning and better Supported by: interns according participants A further 15 Internship placements will be In particular: • Participants will life chances • Canal and Rivers to university available across all areas of the Project Young people tell us that their • The canal corridor Trust Apprenticeship semesters and for graduates in partnership with regional at FE colleges involvement in community has improved coordinator Apprenticeships’ Universities and hosted by Project delivery and Universities the Project has skills, knowledge and • SNAC Team modular parties. 5 internships will be made available age 19 to 30 increased their skills understanding of their participation during each year of the project in areas including • Canal Engineering and confidence and local heritage through a planned alongside engineering, marketing, co-produced evaluation, Manager inspired them wide range of activities C and RT community development and citizen history. • Environmental and have a greater sense Manager programmes of ownership and sense of their place • Bath, Cardiff, UWE, Bristol and Gloucestershire Universities LP05 Canal-Based Work Experience and Duke of Target • A more diverse range Led by: No additional • Work experience • 36 Work experience • Records of Edinburgh Placements audience of people are engaged in • Education Officer (CS) cost for most placements numbers of groups: training, work placements Gloucestershire participants In collaboration with Gloucestershire secondary Supported by: • 51 Duke of Edinburgh schools, colleges and special schools we will offer Under- and internships and have schools during placements • Feedback improved skills, confidence • Secondary schools’ summer term, 36 work experience placements across project represented • Participants will from and commitment towards cluster throughout project partner organisations for young people during people tell us that their participants life-long learning and • D of E leaders delivery their summer term. Schools, involvement in better life chances - through Stroud Young people taking part in the Duke of colleges and • Duke of the Project has Association of Schools Edinburgh scheme will also be offered placement universities • The canal corridor Edinburgh increased their skills community has improved • Partner organisations placements offered opportunities during Spring and Autumn terms. In particular: and confidence and skills, knowledge and in Spring and For each year of the project we will offer 10 Young people inspired them understanding of their Autumn terms only bronze placements, 5 silver placements and 2 15 or 16 local heritage through a gold placements on the Project. at school wide range of activities or college, and have a greater sense including of ownership and sense of disabled their place children and young people children excluded from education

LP06 Annual Canal Heritage Day at the Museum Target • The canal corridor Led by: • Heritage Days • 3 Canal Heritage days • Records of in the Park audience community has improved • Destination and scheduled on • 3,000 people engaged numbers of Specialist experts present different aspects groups: skills, knowledge and Events Co-ordinator weekends during participants of canal heritage, hands-on participatory People living understanding of their (CS) Spring 2021, 2022 • Feedback local heritage through a and 2023 and informal learning activities including adjacent to the Supported by: from canal artefacts trail, weaving and dying, maps canal wide range of activities participants and have a greater sense • Activities Officer and mapping, plants and the wool industry, In particular: and volunteers storytelling and actors. of ownership and sense • Education Officer Specialist of their place • Museum in the Park Reference documents: interest groups. • A more diverse staff MOU Museum in the Park Families with range of people young children • Artists, technical enjoy participation in specialists and community-based events practitioners and activities that lead • History/Heritage to greater community Studies Intern cohesion, physical and mental health and wellbeing LP07 Community-led ‘Museum of the Canal’ and Target • The canal corridor Led by: • Equipment • Detailed planning • 3 Museum artefact • Headcounts ‘Miniature Museum’ audiences: community has improved • Community and materials with Museum in the creation days • Counts A participatory museum weekend event to People living skills, knowledge and Engagement (including Park will take place • Miniature Museum of archive enhance and extend the canal-related archive adjacent to the understanding of their Programme Manager Radio HUT): from March 2021. completed and objects local heritage through a With promotion and objects at Museum in the Park, Stroud. canal (CS) • 3,000 people donated wide range of activities and publicity from Communities will be invited to collect and donate • Museum in the Park l engaged • Number canal-related objects and archive material as and have a greater sense April 2021 In particular: Team • Participants tell us of stories part of an annual ‘Museum artefact creation of ownership and sense of • Museum events Supported by: that they have learnt recorded weekend’. Awareness of the event will be raised Specialist their place : will be held in about canal heritage Feedback through an appeal for new and old archive. During interest groups, • A more diverse range of • Participation and August 2021, 2022 and they feel part of gathered the weekend an oral history project designed families with people enjoy participation Inclusion Manager and 2023 the Project from to gather personal canal stories, will record and young children in community-based • Education Officer • Miniature participants transmit through ‘RadioHut’ a mobile radio unit. events and activities that • Activities Officer Museum Creative activities will also take place including lead to greater community • Income ): stakeholder writing and drawing ‘Postcards from the Canal’ cohesion, physical Development Manager engagement will and making new canal artefacts from found and mental health and begin in October • Artists and objects. wellbeing 2021. Design and practitioners To accompany this we will commission a • Increased wellbeing, development ‘miniature museum’ of modern canal archive. This community ownership, • Archive Apprentice during 2022- early will be an interactive, transportable cabinet of connection and belonging, and /or Intern 2023. A tour will curiosities exploring canal heritage and our place. by a larger and diverse begin in the Reference documents: range of new people and summer 2023 with MOU Museum in the Park communities, who develop the final installation MOU Radio Droogdok community, economic, by the end of 2023 creative and place-based connections with their local canal built, wildlife and social heritage

LP08 Wool and Water Festival Community Target • The canal corridor Led by: • Professional • Wool and Water • 12 community groups • Records Programme audience community has improved • Destination and fees Festivals are held and 120 people directly of numbers The Wool and Water festival is an existing annual groups: skills, knowledge and Events Co-ordinator (practitioners): each September engaged of groups two-week event organised by Stroud Textiles People living understanding of their (CS) (2021, 2022 and • 12 community and people local heritage through a 2023) participating Trust. Our community focused programme adjacent to the Supported by: t exhibitions and will embed celebration of the Project into this canal. wide range of activities ls: • Artists will be 120 people directly • Feedback and have a greater sense • Stroud Textiles Trust existing event alongside celebrations of textiles, Under- commissioned and engaged from of ownership and sense of • Community mills and our waterway heritage. For each year represented nd linked to community • 500000 people participants their place Engagement Team of the project we will contribute to the Wool people. groups by May in engaged with the • Photographs and Water Festival by; commissioning artists to • A more diverse range of • Station Hub group each year of the In particular: festival work with different community groups; holding a people enjoy participation project Community • Mill Buildings • 3 flags and banners series of workshops and community exhibitions in community-based groups that volunteers • Community exhibitions, 3000 including a ‘flags and banners’ bridges and locks events and activities that support dis- • Events Intern workshops will be people engaged display; hosting poetry and story performances lead to greater community advantaged : held during June, including station platform performances; cohesion, physical • Artists and • 3 x Mills programme and vulnerable July and August integrating the ‘Open Mills’ programme with and mental health and Practitioners integrated, 3000 people adults, schools • We will work with the wider Project activities, and hosting a visitor wellbeing • Canal Site Manager engaged and primary Stroud Textiles Trust canal information hub at stations. We will also • 18 performances, school • Increased wellbeing, • SVCC Team to promote provide support and toolkits to community students, community ownership, the community 1000 people engaged groups wanting to run their own canal event as visitors connection and belonging, involvement in the • Feedback will show part of the Wool and Water Festival. and local by a larger and diverse Festival prior to the a positive increase in Reference documents: people and range of new people and Festival taking place people’s happiness, MOU Stroud Textiles Trust communities communities, who develop each September satisfaction, wellbeing community, economic, and connection to creative and place-based place connections with their local canal built, wildlife and social heritage • More resilient and sustainable community networks, collaborations and partnerships working closely together in sharing learning and resources to provide activities and opportunities for canal communities

LP09 Canal Heritage Trails Target • The canal corridor Led by: • The research, • 8 heritage trails • Numbers A series of illustrated trails will be researched, audience community has improved • Education Officer (CS) development and published of trails groups: skills, knowledge and design of the series downloaded developed and designed for use by different age Supported by: • 100,000 people and groups to encourage people to explore the built People living understanding of their will begin in July families engaged • Numbers of • Graphic designer canal heritage and the natural heritage. People adjacent to local heritage through a 2021 trails printed will be able to download a pdf or view the trail the canal wide range of activities • Project Team • The trails will and distributed and have a greater sense online. In particular: • Work placements and be completed by • Feedback of ownership and sense of A small number of printed trails will be made Commuters, Design Intern December 2022 from their place available at key Project events and sites. specialist and publically participants interest • A more diverse range of promoted from groups, people enjoy participation 2023 families in community-based with young events and activities children, that lead to greater walkers, community cohesion, cyclists physical and mental health and wellbeing

LP10 Stroudwater Navigation Archive Volunteer Target • A more diverse range Led by: • Equipment • Starts in February • 10000 documents • Archive Cataloguing and Researching audience of people are engaged in • Community and Materials 2021 and continues catalogued and shared materials groups: training, work placements Engagement (Conservation, throughout project • 100 new stories catalogued and internships and Archive volunteers are working to catalogue People living Programme Manager cataloguing, delivery written and online • Records of 10,000 archive documents from the archives of have improved skills, equipment for adjacent to the (CS) • 2 training workshops stories and the Company of Proprietors of the Stroudwater confidence and interpretation canal Supported by: to be held at research Navigation (CoPSN). The archive forms one of the commitment towards life- and promotion In particular: Gloucestershire projects most important canal archives in single ownership long learning and better • Education Officer of the archive): life chances Archives each year, with undertaken in the country. Through this Project the existing Volunteers • Archive volunteers a capacity for 6 people and shared voluntary activities of the Stroud Navigation Special interest • The canal corridor Archives Charity (SNAC) will be expanded and groups community has improved • Gloucester Heritage TOTAL: to be trained at each • Records archive material will be researched and promoted Enthusiasts skills, knowledge and Hub technical workshop of number alongside the wider work of the Project. A new understanding of their specialists and 10 new archive of Archive series of training workshops will be delivered local heritage through a archivists volunteers Volunteers by the Archive volunteers. The workshops will wide range of activities and volunteer • Archive Intern and/or • Volunteers tell us train new volunteers in the process of accessing and have a greater sense time apprentice that their involvement the archives, interpreting archive materials and of ownership and sense • Volunteer Manager has increased their • Feedback conducting research projects. Volunteers will of their place skills, knowledge and from identify stories and research connections from • A more diverse confidence volunteers the archive. These stories and connections will be range of people used to inform interpretation, exhibitions, talks, enjoy participation in publications and marketing communications. community-based events and activities that lead to greater community cohesion, physical and mental health and wellbeing

LP10 Stroudwater Navigation Archive Learning Skills Target • A more diverse Led by: • Professional • Programmes • 40 people complete • Record Workshops audience range of people are • Education Officer (CS) fees (Hub scheduled March archive skills course numbers of groups: engaged in training, Practitioners): 2021 and March with qualification. workshop Archive Learning workshops will be held for our Supported by: volunteers and the wider community to develop People living work placements 2022; • Archive course participants • Activities Officer skills and confidence in accessing, handling and adjacent to the and internships and • Accreditation accredited with AQA or and record accessing archive techniques for the Stroudwater Canal have improved skills, • Inclusion and process complete equivalent. numbers of confidence and Participation Co- qualifications Archive material. Accreditation for the course will by December 2021 • Volunteers will tell commitment towards ordinator awarded be developed with AQA or equivalent. us that they have In particular: life-long learning and The course will be a 6-week programme including • Mentor Team developed skills. • Feedback Volunteers better life chances. Heritage Hub research and training sessions and • SNAC archive from course and potential guided walks. We will hold 4 archive learning • The canal corridor volunteers participants volunteers and community has improved workshops during the Project. • Gloucester Heritage special interest skills, knowledge and Reference documents: Hub technicians groups understanding of their MOU Gloucester Heritage Hub local heritage through a • Archive Intern and/or wide range of activities apprentice and have a greater sense of ownership and sense of their place • A more diverse range of people enjoy participation in community-based events and activities that lead to greater community cohesion, physical and mental health and wellbeing LP11 Stroudwater Navigation Archive Learning Skills Target • A more diverse range Led by: • Professional • Programmes • 40 people complete • Record Workshops audience of people are engaged in • Education Officer (CS) fees (Hub scheduled March archive skills course numbers of training, work placements Archive Learning workshops will be held for our groups: Practitioners): 2021 and March with qualification workshop and internships and have Supported by: volunteers and the wider community to develop People living 2022; • Archive course participants improved skills, confidence • Activities Officer skills and confidence in accessing, handling and adjacent to the • Accreditation accredited with AQA or and record and commitment towards accessing archive techniques for the Stroudwater Canal • Inclusion and process complete equivalent numbers of life-long learning and Participation Co- qualifications Archive material. Accreditation for the course will better life chances by December 2021 • Volunteers will tell be developed with AQA or equivalent. ordinator awarded In particular: • The canal corridor us that they have The course will be a 6-week programme including • Mentor Team developed skills • Feedback Volunteers community has improved Heritage Hub research and training sessions and • SNAC archive : from course and potential skills, knowledge and guided walks. We will hold 4 archive learning volunteers participants volunteers and understanding of their workshops during the Project. special interest local heritage through a • Gloucester Heritage wide range of activities Reference documents: groups Hub technicians and have a greater sense MOU Gloucester Heritage Hub • Archive Intern and/or of ownership and sense of apprentice their place • A more diverse range of people enjoy participation in community-based events and activities that lead to greater community cohesion, physical and mental health and wellbeing

LP12 Stroudwater Navigation Archive Taster Target • A more diverse range Led by: No additional • Archive Tasters • 20 archive taster days • Record Sessions audience of people are engaged in • Community cost and annual Public • 4 public archive number of Archive taster sessions will be held at Gloucester groups: training, work placements Engagement events will be events taster sessions and internships and have Archives for community groups, schools and School, Programme Manager held in 2022 and • Record improved skills, confidence • 700 people engaged volunteers. An annual archive taster session will colleges and (CS) 2023 according number of and commitment towards to Heritage Hub be made open to the public universities • Education Officer (CS) participants life-long learning and better events calendar and Tours of the archives, object handling and People living and profile life chances Supported by: schools booking demonstrations of conservation techniques will adjacent to information • The canal corridor • Gloucester Heritage requirements about who introduce participants to the richness of the canal the canal community has improved Hub Technicians visited archive material of the Stroudwater Navigation Visitors and skills, knowledge and • Archive Volunteers Archive. People will also learn how to use primary tourists understanding of their • Headcounts data for research projects. local heritage through a • Intern for SNAC and Reference documents: wide range of activities • Activities Officer photographs In particular: and have a greater sense MOU Gloucester Heritage Hub • Gloucester Heritage • Feedback Gloucester of ownership and sense of Hub technicians and surveys Schools, their place Volunteers, • Archive Intern and/or • A more diverse range of Gloucester people enjoy participation apprentice people and in community-based communities, events and activities that specialist lead to greater community interest groups, cohesion, physical and BAME groups mental health and wellbeing Interpretation Activities Action Activity: Target What change will Costs in TimetableResources Targets & measures Method(s) of code detailed description audience there be? project budget of success evaluation IP01 Canal Archive Exhibition Resources Target • Greater community Led by: • Equipment • Design and • 1 mobile exhibition • Records This travelling exhibition will celebrate the audience ownership and • Education Officer (CS) and materials compilation begins kit and marketing of number Stroudwater Navigation Archive material. It groups: stewardship of the canal Supported by: (Foamex in February 2021 resources produced of events will be portable and ready to be assembled in People living corridor by people and • Participation and display, pop- • Development with 6 pop-up banners attended different venues. Images showing highlights from adjacent to communities through Inclusion Co-ordinator and production • 4 resources boxes • Records the canal archives will be beautifully presented the canal inspired curiosity, • Education Officer during 2021 with all produced and loaned of number celebration of cultural alongside pop-up banners displaying stories In particular: • SNAC archive team resources available to 16 community of times the from the archive. Sets of attractive postcards and heritage assets to be used from partners during the resource boxes Partner • Graphic Designer and posters will be available, using illustrations and expression through January 2022 project are used/ organisations, • Archive Intern created for the exhibitions. creative arts loaned community • Design Intern • Improved health and Four resource boxes containing archive handling groups, wellbeing for people and objects and information will be made available special communities through for loan, as well as being used for Project event, interest their involvement in talks, workshops and exhibitions. groups canal restoration, creative interpretation and re- connection with their local heritage and sense of place

IP02 Outdoor Canal Based Permanent Target • Greater community Led by: • Didactic • Design • 75,0000 people • Photographs Interpretation audience ownership and stewardship • Community interpretation development engaged • Surveys with groups: of the canal corridor by Engagement Beautiful well-designed signage and budget of begins in July 2021 • Feedback will show users people and communities Programme Manager interpretation panels will be designed, produced People living • Interpretation will a positive increase in through inspired curiosity, (CS) and positioned along the new stretch of canal adjacent to be installed along people’s happiness, to tell passers-by about the canal heritage and celebration of cultural Supported by: the canal panels and the new towpath as satisfaction, wellbeing wildlife with clear sign-posting for where to find and heritage assets and • Commissioned Visitors and plaques is it opens during the and connection to more information. Bespoke solar powered audio expression through creative didactic interpretation tourists included posts will be installed with new commissions arts designer Project delivery in place within the of canal-themed poems, stories and songs, In particular: • More accessibility and • Project Partners 2022 and 2023 Project capital recorded memories and community recordings, Commuters, deeper understanding soundscapes. specialist of the built and natural costs. interest Reference documents: environment through Activity groups, MOU Radio Droogdok formal and informal canal- budget: families based interpretation for • Professional with young people and communities. fees (for 4 children, • Improved health and audio posts walkers, wellbeing for people and cyclists, including communities through tourists and recordings, their involvement in visitors design and canal restoration, creative build): interpretation and re- connection with their local TOTA heritage and sense of place IP03 Canal Trail Annual Event Target • Greater community Led by: • Professional • Programme • 3 Annual Canal Trails • Number of This two-day organised canal trail event will audience ownership and stewardship • Destination and fees development held. Audiences tell us trails held guide people’s discovery of the canal heritage by groups: of the canal corridor by Events Co-ordinator (practitioners): and organisation that they learnt about • Number of people and communities integrating key canal heritage sites with creative People living (CS) from February canal heritage and downloaded through inspired curiosity, activities along a set route. adjacent to Supported by: • Equipment 2021 including had an enjoyable time. trails and the canal celebration of cultural rail partnership Feedback will show The trail will fully utilise the connections • Community and materials headcounts and heritage assets and development and a positive increase in made through the Canal Rail Partnerships and In particular: Engagement Team (signage): to estimate expression through commissioning people’s happiness, Community Hub developments. Maps of the Families creative arts • Environmental Project participants with young Assistant practitioners satisfaction, wellbeing trail will be developed and made available and • More accessibility and • Other (boat • Photographs children • SVCC Team • Publicity and and connection to downloadable. Activities along the route will deeper understanding trips, toilets, • Feedback • Volunteer Manager promotion of the place engage audiences with the canal heritage and of the built and natural printing): forms and • Station Hub rooms events from Feb • 30,000 people the work of the Project including; storytellers and environment through one-to-one team 2021 engaged poets; wildlife expert stations; volunteer lock and formal and informal canal- surveys with • Community boat demonstrations; archive installations; Radio based interpretation for • Events will be participants Hut ‘Canal FM’ transmissions from the towpath; people and communities Volunteers held in May 2021, • Tourism and community created flags and banner displays. • Improved health and 2022 and 2023 Hospitality Intern The guided Canal Trail will provide a route wellbeing for people and • Work placements for participation from families who would not communities through normally come to the canal. their involvement in canal restoration, creative interpretation and re- connection with their local heritage and sense of place

IP04 Citizen History Online - Canal Archive Project Target • Greater community Led by: • Publicity and • Summer • 30 Citizen Science • System logs 10,000 pages of archive canal material from audience ownership and stewardship • Education Officer (CS) promotion: Intern sets up sessions and 300 of numbers of the Stroud Navigation Archives Charity will be groups: of the canal corridor by Supported by: digital project people trained and participants people and communities photographed and uploaded to the Zooniverse People living • Digital Content Intern • Staff Travel: Summer 2021, directly engaged with • Volunteer through inspired curiosity, website by our Archive Volunteers. This will adjacent to (CS and SNAC) and subsequent the sessions training the canal celebration of cultural interns to continue allow anyone, anywhere to be able to register • Archive Volunteers TOTAL • 10,000 pages of records and heritage assets and development; to take part and assist our volunteers in the Schools, coordinated by SNAC archive input and • Records of expression through creative intro sessions analysis of the archive material. Analysis of the colleges and Archive lead 5,000 people directly volunteer time arts throughout project archive material will contribute to the overall universities. engaged worldwide and volunteer • More accessibility and according to archive project and will inform interpretation In particular: feedback deeper understanding schools and group development. Local, of the built and natural schedules • Records A Digital Content Internship position will set regional, environment through of numbers up the Citizen History project, train our archive national and formal and informal canal- of archive volunteers and promote the work through international based interpretation for uploaded running 10 introductory sessions per year. enthusiasts, people and communities schools and • Improved health and volunteers wellbeing for people and communities through their involvement in canal restoration, creative interpretation and re- connection with their local heritage and sense of place IP05 Exhibition 42 Temporary Towpath Target • Greater community Led by: • Equipment • Development • 42 temporary • Records of Interpretation audience ownership and stewardship • Community and materials and print: Archive interpretation panels numbers of Temporary interpretation boards will be group: of the canal corridor by Engagement (including identified and installed and kept community displayed at each of the 42 sub-project work sites. People living people and communities Programme Manager frames) printed for sites. updated groups and through inspired curiosity, Sub-project plans people The temporary boards will display information adjacent to (CS) TOTAL: • 20 community groups celebration of cultural printed May 2021 involved about the project, promote our major funders the canal Supported by: and 200 people directly and heritage assets and and sponsors, celebrate the project progress In particular: Community • Frames installed engaged • Feedback expression through creative • at each new • People tell us that from towpath and highlight local connections. Local Commuters, arts Volunteers on Sub communities will also be invited to contribute specialist Projects Teams sub-project site they have learnt about users More accessibility and as they begin and stories, postcards and photographs for the interest • • Canal Workforce canal heritage and the deeper understanding communities invited display boards. Volunteers working on the canal groups, Volunteers work happening in their of the built and natural to contribute restoration will be encouraged to be curators of families • Inclusion and community. environment through community contributions and their own diaries of with young Participation Co- • Contributions formal and informal canal- the restoration projects. children, ordinator continue based interpretation for throughout project Reference documents: walkers, people and communities. • Activities Officer cyclists delivery Mini Brief 6 • Improved health and wellbeing for people and communities through their involvement in canal restoration, creative interpretation and re- connection with their local heritage and sense of place

IP06 Creative Performance Interpretation Target • Greater community Led by: • Professional • New commissions • 18 new commissions • Records of Podcasts and Broadcasts audience ownership and stewardship • Community fees undertaken from • 75,000 people numbers of A series of new creative performance group: of the canal corridor by Engagement (practitioners May 2021 to May engaged with recordings recordings interpretation will be commissioned. Inspired by People living people and communities Programme Manager and post, 2023 and video broadcast • Records of adjacent to the the canal and natural heritage these will include through inspired curiosity, (CS) • Post production online numbers of canal. eight new canal stories, eight poems and two celebration of cultural Supported by: following each people who Visitors and and heritage assets and commission access the new characters. These creative interpretation • Activities Officer performances will be recorded and turned into tourists. expression through creative • Publicity and recordings • Artists and podcasts and other accessible mediums for Schools, arts promotion designed Practitioners online broadcasting and sharing. This will allow colleges and • More accessibility and to coincide with the Project to reach new audiences. universities deeper understanding marketing strategy In particular: of the built and natural throughout project local artists, environment through historians, formal and informal canal- poets and based interpretation for performers, people and communities. schools, • Improved health and community wellbeing for people and groups and specialist communities through interest their involvement in groups, canal restoration, creative museum interpretation and re- visitors connection with their local heritage and sense of place Participation and Inclusion Activities Action Activity: Target What change will Costs in TimetableResources Targets & measures Method(s) of code detailed description audience there be? project budget of success evaluation PIP01 Canal Community Adoption Scheme Target • Increased wellbeing, Led by: • Equipment • Community • The entire canal • Records of Using the Canal and Rivers Trust (CRT) framework audience community ownership, • Community and Materials: groups linked length is adopted. 10 numbers of we will encourage, support, and recruit local groups: connection and belonging, Engagement with Lengthsmen community adoptions community community groups, including schools, to adopt People living by a larger and diverse Programme Manager beginning February registered and 10 groups and sections of the new canal. adjacent to range of new people and (CS) 2022 and adoptions communities linked people involved communities, who develop registered by end of with Lengthsmen During the Project activities we will establish the canal Supported by: • Feedback community, economic, project delivery ongoing relationships with community groups In particular: • Participation and • 10 canal based from towpath creative and place-based who are interested in adoption, and link them Volunteers, Inclusion Co-ordinator introduction activities users connections with their with a Volunteer Lengthsman. Walks and talks schools and • Volunteer and 10 canal based • Records of local canal built, wildlife with the Volunteer Lengthsmen will be invited community Lengsthmen mapping and survey numbers of and social heritage and supported to introduce the community groups • Education Officer activities events and group to the canal activities, canal wildlife and • More resilient and • Activities Officer • 40 seasonal activities activities other features of their stretch of canal. We will use sustainable community • Facilitated by CRT run by adoption undertaken the CRT registration process and online mapping networks, collaborations adoption scheme groups. by adoption and partnerships working officer to carry out mapping and survey activities with • Feedback will show groups closely together in sharing • Community Group adoption groups. We will also work with adoption a positive increase in learning and resources Leader groups to plan new seasonal activities on their people’s happiness, to provide activities and • Canal side schools stretch of canal. satisfaction, wellbeing opportunities for canal through SAS and connection to communities • Volunteer Manager place

PIP02 Community Canal Consultations Target • Increased wellbeing, Led by: • Equipment • Community • 36 community • Record Interactive consultations will keep communities audience community ownership, • Community and materials: Consultations consultations numbers of up to date on all aspects of the project, including groups: connection and belonging, Engagement will take place • 9000 people engaged consultation how to participate in scheduled and future People living by a larger and diverse Programme Manager throughout events • 10 community leader opportunities such as canal volunteering and adjacent to range of new people and (CS) project delivery • Record communities, who develop beginning April tool kits community events. Community leaders will the canal • Participation and numbers of community, economic, 2021. This involves • People tell us that be equipped with knowledge and toolkits to In particular: Inclusion Co-ordinator participants creative and place-based organising venues they feel involved and promote opportunities to their communities. Community (CS) connections with their and publicising included within the • Feedback The consultations will take place throughout the Leaders and local canal built, wildlife Supported by: the consultation. Project from project. We plan to hold 2 annual 2-day events in Community and social heritage • Whole Project Team Consultations will participants both Stroud and Stonehouse and 2 annual 1 day Groups be supported and events in Whitminster, Easington, Saul, Frampton • More resilient and feedback gathered and Brimscombe. sustainable community networks, collaborations and shared after and partnerships working each consultation closely together in sharing learning and resources to provide activities and opportunities for canal communities PIP03 Engaging Target Groups Through Existing Target • Increased wellbeing, Led by: • Equipment • Engagement • 20 community groups • Records of Local Community Organisations audience community ownership, • Participation and and materials: process begins and community leaders numbers of We will create a register of canal community groups: connection and belonging, Inclusion Co-ordinator February 2021 engaged community organisations, organise meetings with groups Under- by a larger and diverse (CS) and continues • 200 people directly groups and community leaders and co-develop and plan represented range of new people and Supported by: throughout to May engaged in planning engaged and communities, who develop 2023 involved with new canal activities with community groups. people. • Community activities community, economic, the Project This will be a process of engagement with People living Engagement creative and place-based • 20 groups plan a community-based organisations and community adjacent to the Programme Manager bespoke activities • Feedback connections with their forms from leaders to ensure target groups are fully and canal • Activities Officer programme local canal built, wildlife Community meaningfully engaged with the range of In particular: and social heritage. Groups opportunities and activities in the Project Community • More resilient and including volunteering, wildlife, construction, groups that sustainable community creativity, informal and formal learning support networks, collaborations opportunities, enterprise, events and other disadvantaged and partnerships working informal activities. and vulnerable closely together in sharing Reference documents; adults learning and resources Mini Brief 7 to provide activities and opportunities for canal communities

PIP04 Target Group Voices - Canal Accessibility and Target • Increased wellbeing, Led by: • Professional • Ongoing • Towpath feasibility • Feedback Inclusion audience community ownership, • Participation and fees (Technical throughout project study shared and from users and We will provide a series of workshops for steering groups: connection and belonging, Inclusion Co-ordinator Support for 2021-2023 considered by the community groups – individuals invited to participate at Under- by a larger and diverse (CS) mapping and board groups community consultations and events – to represented range of new people and Supported by: accessibility): • Multi user solutions • Board communities, who develop maximise inclusivity and accessibility of the canal people. • Community implemented meeting community, economic, corridor and to empower our target groups with People living Programme minutes creative and place-based • People will tell us that a strong voice throughout the project and build adjacent to the Coordinator connections with their the canal is accessible community cohesion. canal. local canal built, wildlife • Accessibility Advisor and inclusive Sessions in situ to explore accessibility and 1. In particular: and social heritage inclusion, to feedback on towpath, buildings Disabled • More resilient and and didactic interpretation accessibility. An people, people sustainable community accessibility steering group will be facilitated with young networks, collaborations to review and make recommendations to the children, and partnerships working project board. people living closely together in sharing 2. Sessions to explore multi-use of towpath, and working learning and resources conflict resolution and change-thinking. The in the canal to provide activities and steering group will be facilitated to develop and corridor, opportunities for canal implement solutions for cyclists, pedestrians and towpath users, communities dog-walkers. people and community groups living in target areas PIP05 Float My Boat - Canal Corridor Community Target • New skills, confidences Led by: • Professional • The detail of • 30 community • Headcounts Carnival audience and qualifications for a • Destination and fees the events will workshops • Photographs A flagship annual water-based community arts groups: larger and more diverse Events Co-ordinator ers, be organised • 6 exhibitions • Feedback programme will animate the canal with highly- Under- range of new people (CS) ,000 from February • 3 community events from visual artworks, performances, exhibitions, radio- represented and communities, who Supported by: nt 2021, working in have overcome complex partnership with 1500 people directly participants projects and costumed parades. people. • Volunteer Manager ials • barriers to participation, by SVA. engaged We will hold 10 community-led creative People living providing a wide range of • Community workshops with community groups each year adjacent to the • 3000 people engaged formal and informal canal Engagement Team of the Project to collaborate on costumes, floats canal : Enrolment for heritage activities and • Participants will tell us and creative projects in preparation for the • Community Volunteer workshops will In particular: opportunities. Team that they feel inspired festival. The Arts programme will attract national BAME, begin from April and that they have • Improved self-esteem, and international attention through an open People and • Stroud Valleys each year with learnt about the canal self-agency and raised call to artists. Artists will be supported in gaining Community Artspace ts workshops being heritage expectations by a larger bursaries from sponsors. groups living • Artists and osts held in May and and diverse range of new • Feedback will show We will work in partnership with Stroud Valleys in the target practitioners ,000 June during 2021, people and communities a positive increase in Art space to support the artists, performers areas, people 2022 and 2023. who improve their • Corporate Partners people’s happiness, and community groups in the development living and mental and physical satisfaction, wellbeing and delivery of the community Float My Boat working in the • Income Development well-being, through These will and connection to carnivals. canal corridor Manager meaningful participation culminate in an place including • SVCC Team An exhibition in the first year of the project in a wide range of safe and exhibition delivered Gloucester will connect canal communities in Stroud and supported canal activities in November Gloucester. The Float My Boat community communities 2021 and a well- carnival event will then run in the second and • Increased wellbeing, publicised Float My third year of the project. community ownership, Boat carnival event connection and belonging, Reference document: in July 2022 and by a larger and diverse July 2023. MOU Stroud Valleys Artspace range of new people and communities, who develop community, economic, A progression plan creative and place-based will be completed connections with their by end of project local canal built, wildlife delivery and social heritage • More resilient and sustainable community networks, collaborations and partnerships working closely together in sharing learning and resources to provide activities and opportunities for canal communities PIP06 Community Volunteers Steering Group Target • Increased wellbeing, Led by: No additional • Group set up • 12 Community • Records of All volunteer roles involving work with the audience community ownership, • Participation and cost May 2021 meets Volunteer Steering numbers of community (including Volunteer Lengthsmen) groups: connection and belonging, Inclusion Co-ordinator quarterly Group meetings volunteers will be invited to a Community Volunteers People living by a larger and diverse (CS) • 240 volunteers participating Steering Group to learn, share and plan adjacent to the range of new people and Supported by: directly engaged communities, who develop community activities. The Steering Group will canal • Volunteer Manager community, economic, • Volunteers tell us be run by the Participation and Inclusion Co- Under- (SDC) creative and place-based that they feel better ordinator with support from the Project Volunteer represented connections with their informed Manager. The Group will support Project activities groups. local canal built, wildlife and plan for longer term maintenance, outreach In particular: and canal adoption activities. and social heritage Volunteers, • More resilient and schools and sustainable community community networks, collaborations groups living and partnerships working and working closely together in sharing in the canal learning and resources corridor to provide activities and opportunities for canal communities

PIP07 Policies, Procedures and Best Practice for All project staff • More resilient and Led by: No additional • Reviews February • Policy and procedure • Feedback Project Activities and volunteers sustainable community • Community cost 2021, February framework agreed by from staff and Project staff from across the partnership will networks, collaborations Engagement Manager 2022. February all partners each year volunteers (CS) work with the community engagement team to and partnerships working 2023. • Positive reports from develop new procedures, policies and practices closely together in sharing • Volunteer Manager staff and volunteers on that will provide a strategic framework and learning and resources (SDC) how changes to policy facilitate expanding community engagement to provide activities and Supported by: and procedure have to deliver the Project activities. This will include opportunities for canal • Legal and compliance impacted on their work new policies and procedures for volunteering communities specialists and skills including safeguarding policy, risk assessment • Project Manager procedures, first aid and accident processes. The • Professional aim is to have consistent and robust best practice Facilitation Specialists and clear procedures across the partnership. provided by the partnership

PIP08 Pathways to Participation Programme Target • New skills, confidences Led by: • Equipment • Peer mentors will • 20 peer mentors • Records of This programme is designed to ensure that audience and qualifications for a • Participation and and materials: be recruited and trained numbers of target under-represented audiences are groups: larger and more diverse Inclusion Co-ordinator trained in April 2021 • 60 individual participants Under- range of new people (CS) and April 2022 supported and offered opportunities to take nal pathways to • Feedback part in the project. Activities will include focused represented and communities, who Supported by: • Pathway participation forms support for people with multiple barriers to people have overcome complex • Peer Mentor Team programmes programmes will • Participants canal participation, including 1:1 mentoring, barriers to participation, by completed In particular: • Activities Officer begin in July 2021 achieve their support to co-produce a plan or personal Vulnerable providing a wide range of • Inclusion Intern (running until the • Participants tell us personal pathway according to interests and outcome adults and formal and informal canal end of the Project) that they feel more • Environmental participation ambitions. Individuals may progress in to young adults heritage activities and with engagement confident to take part Manager objectives and volunteering, training and work through a series age 18+, opportunities in Project activities. activities taking are involved in of engagement, supported sessions and the including • SNAC Archive Team Feedback will show place from May their own enterprise development programme. adults living • Improved self-esteem, • Canal Engineering 2022 a positive increase in evaluation. Reference document: with or self-agency and raised Manager people’s happiness, Mini Brief 8 recovering expectations by a larger • Volunteer Manager satisfaction, wellbeing from drug and diverse range of new and connection to and alcohol people and communities place. addiction, who improve their disable adults, mental and physical Participants go on from long-term well-being, through the programme to unemployed, meaningful participation become involved in the adults in a wide range of safe and Project. homeless or supported canal activities in sheltered • Increased wellbeing, housing, community ownership, people with connection and belonging, or recovering by a larger and diverse from long range of new people and term illness, communities, who develop people living community, economic, with the effects creative and place-based of poverty, connections with their people living local canal built, wildlife with loneliness and social heritage BAME adults, asylum seekers and refugees

PIP09 Creative Canal Interpretation Workshops For Target • New skills, confidences Led by: • Professional • The workshops • 10 community • Records of Community Groups audience and qualifications for a • Community fees will be promoted to groups engaged and numbers of Artistic interpretation workshops designed to groups: larger and more diverse Engagement (Practitioners: community groups 100 people directly participants engage community groups with their canal Under- range of new people Programme Manager from February 2021 engaged • Feedback represented and communities, who (CS) heritage and their personal expressions of spirit nt • A detailed • 40 creative workshops forms of place. people. have overcome complex Supported by: programme of barriers to participation, by ials: • 10 community • Headcounts Forty creative sessions will be supported at People living • Activities Officer sessions will be providing a wide range of exhibitions • Photographs community hubs and on the towpath across a adjacent to the • Participation and organised with formal and informal canal • 75000 people range of disciplines including textiles, towpath canal. Inclusion Co-ordinator community groups, heritage activities and engaged with photography, art in nature, stories and poems with the first In particular: • Community opportunities workshops taking exhibitions from the towpath, spirit of place flags and Community Volunteers banners. groups that • Improved self-esteem, place from April • People tell us that self-agency and raised • Artists and 2021 Community hubs will host monthly exhibitions of support they have been inspired expectations by a larger practitioners the art produced in the community workshops. disadvantaged • Exhibitions of the by the workshops and and vulnerable and diverse range of new • Station Hub Group that they have enjoyed Reference documents: art produced will adults people and communities contributing to the Mini Brief 9 take place monthly who improve their from May 2021, Project mental and physical until the end of the well-being, through Project meaningful participation in a wide range of safe and supported canal activities • Increased wellbeing, community ownership, connection and belonging, by a larger and diverse range of new people and communities, who develop community, economic, creative and place-based connections with their local canal built, wildlife and social heritage

PIP10 Community Canal Rail Trail Exhibitions Target • Improved self-esteem, Led by: • Other costs • From April 2021 • 24 days rail/canal • Headcounts Community Rail Partnership accreditation will be audience self-agency and raised • Destination and : we will support heritage exhibition • Photographs awarded to Gloucester, Stonehouse and Stroud groups: expectations by a larger Events Co-ordinator adoption groups material workshops • Feedback branch line. Community adoption groups will be People living and diverse range of new (CS) and work towards and 120 people directly onal forms with supported and engaged through an adoption adjacent to the people and communities Community engaged • Community Group participants action plan. canal who improve their Leaders Rail Partnership • 12 platform mental and physical ers): Accreditation In the context of the community rail partnership Visitors and Supported by: exhibitions (across 3 well-being, through accreditation, a series of station activities and tourists • Local community stations) meaningful participation • Activities Officer exhibitions will link Stroud, Stonehouse and In particular: ent groups will be in a wide range of safe and • Participation and • People tell us that Gloucester communities through their canal People and rials: identified and supported canal activities Inclusion Manager they have been inspired heritage and shared experiences. Communities enrolled and by the exhibitions and • Increased wellbeing, • Artists and workshops will take We will run twelve 2-day workshops for local living in Target workshops and that community ownership, practitioners place from October community groups, engaging them to develop areas they have enjoyed connection and belonging, 2021, October 2022 exhibitions. Twelve sets of exhibition posters will National and • Community Group contributing to the by a larger and diverse and October 2023 then be printed and installed at each station. international Leaders Project range of new people and Support and toolkits will be provided for 3 tourists • From October communities, who develop community groups wanting to run their own 2021, exhibitions Train users community, economic, community rail exhibition. will be delivered creative and place-based quarterly Reference documents: connections with their MOU Gloucestershire Community Rail throughout the local canal built, wildlife Project Partnership and social heritage • More resilient and sustainable community networks, collaborations and partnerships working closely together in sharing learning and resources to provide activities and opportunities for canal communities PIP11 Nicer on the Water Community Fêtes Target • Improved self-esteem, Led by: • Equipment • Nicer on the • 5 community water • Headcounts Annual community-led water based events run audience self-agency and raised • Participation and and materials: water planned events during the • Photographs by local communities in their place, as the Project groups: expectations by a larger Inclusion Co-ordinator £2,275 with community project • Feedback opens up the waterways. The fêtes will feature People living and diverse range of new (CS) groups according • Other (general • 2500 people directly forms with water-based activities such as canoeing and adjacent to the people and communities • Community running costs to canal waterway engaged participants kayaking as well as boat trips including accessible canal who improve their Engagement kick start): accessibility • Feedback will show and organisers boating. In particular: mental and physical Programme Manager £5,000 development a positive increase in well-being, through (CS) • One-to-one We will provide support to communities to plan People and during summer meaningful participation people’s happiness, surveys with and run the first 2 events for 5 communities along communities Supported by: TOTAL: £7,275 in a wide range of safe and months: satisfaction, wellbeing community at the canal. Groups will be supported with a Canal living and • Activities Officer supported canal activities 2021- Ryeford and connection to events Event Delivery Toolkit. working in the • Destination and place • Increased wellbeing, The Nicer on the Water community fêtes will Canal corridor, Events Co-ordinator 2022 and 2023 - community ownership, celebrate the opening up of the canal as the specialist Eastington and connection and belonging, • Community Group Project progresses. interest Brimscombe; groups, by a larger and diverse Leaders 2023 and beyond families range of new people and • Boating Community - Whitminster and with young communities, who develop and enterprises community, economic, Frampton. children, • Community young people, creative and place-based volunteers disabled connections with their people and local canal built, wildlife their families and social heritage • More resilient and sustainable community networks, collaborations and partnerships working closely together in sharing learning and resources to provide activities and opportunities for canal communities People and Nature Activities Action Activity: Target Outcome: What change Costs in TimetableResources Targets & measures Method(s) of code detailed description audience will there be? project budget of success evaluation PN01 Environmental Training for Volunteers Target • Greater knowledge and Led by: • Volunteer • Environmental • 36 people/ • Training Environmental training courses will be held audience understanding of the • Environmental training: awareness training volunteers trained records for new and existing volunteers to ensure groups: state of wildlife and the Manager (GWT) will continue in environmental • Volunteer they have a good understanding of the law People living environment in the canal/ • Community bi-annually awareness feedback river corridor throughout the and best practise. This will include training in adjacent to Engagement • 30 volunteers trained • delivery phase arboriculture, ecological survey techniques the canal • More engagement by Programme Manager in arboriculture, Environmental and wildlife identification so that canal users In particular: people and communities (CS) • All other training ecological surveying survey and and local communities understand the range New and with nature leading to • Volunteer Manager will coincide and identification monitoring of biodiversity within the project site. Where existing improved health and (SDC) with project • 15 volunteers trained data appropriate, volunteers will be trained in wellbeing requirements volunteers, Supported by: in using equipment and • Canal use of brushcutters, scythes and herbicides. schools, • Activities Officer 10 volunteers pursue walkovers Approximately 13 people will be trained as universities, further training in • Education Officer ‘Environmental lengthsmen’ who will be nature lovers survey techniques responsible for monitoring a stretch of canal. • Environmental and all target • 13 volunteers trained Manager audiences in wildlife monitoring • Environmental Project • Volunteers tell us that Officer they feel skilled and • Maintenance Manager well-equipped to carry Assistant out their tasks. They • Participation and report that they have Inclusion Co-ordinator greater knowledge and • Mentor Team understanding of the state of wildlife and • Site Manager the environment in the canal/river corridor

PN02 Working with Nature Volunteers: Target • Increased biodiversity Led by: All costs are • Vegetation • 50 working with • Volunteer Vegetation Projects audience within the Stroudwater • Environmental Project included works will take nature volunteers training records Navigation (‘the canal’) Our Working with Nature Volunteers will work groups: Officer (GWT/SVP) within the place across the participating. • Volunteering and River Frome corridor Project capital delivery phase at alongside Project Staff to work on projects to People living • Community Volunteers tell us that attendance within 15 years budgets the appropriate plant vegetation and create new ecological adjacent to Engagement they feel skilled and records connectivity along the canal corridor. Key tasks the canal • Minimal negative time of year (e.g. well-equipped to carry Programme Manager • Volunteer for our Working with Nature Volunteer Workforce environmental impact Himalayan Balsam out their tasks. They In particular: (CS) feedback include: planting up to 4km of hedgerow; during the construction clearance between report that they have Existing • Volunteer Manager creating 2km of wildflower rich towpath verge; phase of the canal April and July). Tree greater knowledge and • Feedback volunteers. restoration (CEMP)(2020-23) (SDC) scrub planting; planting trees; pollarding and and hedge planting understanding of the from towpath New/ with adaptive environmental coppicing trees; treatment of invasive non-native Supported by: to be completed in state of wildlife and users potential management over the species; translocation of existing fen habitat from the winter months the environment in the volunteers long term • Environmental • Habitat defunct canal into missing mile. Volunteers will Manager (GWT) of the project canal/river corridor Condition Nature lovers • More connectivity of be trained in hedgerow laying and management, Feedback will show Assessments and all target wildlife habitats in the • Activities Officer • pollarding and coppicing as appropriate. a positive increase in audiences will Severn Vale and schemes • Education Officer • Environmental people’s happiness, benefit for habitat protection Survey Data • Maintenance Manager satisfaction, wellbeing • More multi-functional • Participation and and connection to place natural spaces and blue Inclusion Co-ordinator • 30,000 trees and green infrastructure for • Site Manager shrubs planted by health and wellbeing and volunteers. 4km of new networks where nature hedgerow and 2km of can thrive flower rich towpath • Greater knowledge and planted by volunteers understanding of the state of wildlife and the • Volunteer work environment in the canal/ results in decreased river corridor coverage of Himalayan • More engagement by balsam and other people and communities INNS. Volunteer with nature leading to planting results in improved health and more connectivity of wellbeing wildlife habitats

PN03 Working with Nature Volunteers: Target • Increased biodiversity Led by: All costs are • Creation of the • 50 working with • Volunteering within the Stroudwater Habitat Creation/Enhancement Projects audience • Environmental Project included 4 new biodiversity nature volunteers records Navigation (‘the canal’) and within the areas will be participating Volunteers will work alongside staff to create group: Officer (GWT) • Feedback River Frome corridor within and enhance habitats along the canal corridor People living Project capital undertaken across • 30,000 trees and and evaluation 15 years • Community and ensure a net gain for biodiversity. Specific adjacent to budgets the delivery phase scrubs planted by from the Engagement projects include; pond and fen creation; wetland the canal • Minimal negative aligning with volunteers community creation; wet and lowland meadow creation; In particular: environmental impact Programme Manager the engineering • Feedback from and visitors in-river habitat restoration works at Bonds Mill Existing during the construction (CS) projects phase of the canal volunteers will show • Wildlife and Stroud Cricket Club; Enhancement of volunteers • Volunteer Manager restoration (CEMP)(2020-23) a positive increase in monitoring existing rhine system to create areas of still New/ (SDC) with adaptive environmental people’s happiness, • Achieve water; Installation of fences, gates and cattle potential management over the Supported by: satisfaction, wellbeing Environmental handling facilities. volunteers long term • Activities Officer and connection to Bank Nature lovers place. Positive reports • More connectivity of • Environmental Accreditation and all target wildlife habitats in the from the community Manager Fixed photo audiences will Severn Vale and schemes and visitors about • benefit for habitat protection • Maintenance Manager biodiversity creation monitoring and improvements to of habitat • More multi-functional • Participation and creation areas- natural spaces and blue the area Inclusion Co-ordinator baseline and green infrastructure for • Volunteer planting at six monthly health and wellbeing and • Site Manager results in more intervals networks where nature can • Severn Rivers Trust connectivity of wildlife thrive • Stroud Wildlife Survey habitats in the Severn • Greater knowledge and Group Vale and increased understanding of the state of biodiversity. Volunteers wildlife and the environment identify an increased in the canal/river corridor number and frequency • More engagement by of species using the people and communities new habitat creation with nature leading to areas improved health and wellbeing PN04 Working with Nature Volunteers – Built Target • Increased biodiversity Led by: All costs are • These activities • 50 volunteers • Training within the Stroudwater included Habitat and Wildlife Mitigation Projects audience • Environmental will be delivered participating records Navigation (‘the canal’) and within the across the delivery Built habitat project along the canal and river group: Manager (GWT) • Volunteers tell us that • Volunteer River Frome corridor within Project capital corridor. Volunteers will work with Project staff People living phase on a they feel skilled and feedback adjacent to 15 years • Community budgets seasonal basis. to create and construct up to 116 bat boxes, 150 well-equipped to carry • Wildlife the canal • Minimal negative Engagement Conversion of bird boxes, kingfisher banks, 3 insect houses out their tasks. They monitoring and 6 amphibian hibernacula. Volunteers In particular: environmental impact Programme Manager pillboxes will take report that they have • Protected will also convert 2 pillboxes to bat roosts. Existing during the construction (CS) place in the winter. greater knowledge and phase of the canal species These will be placed in strategic sites to allow volunteers Volunteer Manager Bird boxes will be understanding of the restoration (CEMP) • surveys monitoring of their use by wildlife. Volunteers built throughout state of wildlife and New/ (2020-23) with adaptive (SDC) will also contribute to reducing the impacts of the project but the environment in the potential environmental management restoration of the project through assisting with Supported by: will be installed to canal/river corridor volunteers over the long term installing water vole fencing and the trapping and • Activities Officer avoid the nesting Nature lovers • The new built translocation of water voles to a new receptor site • More connectivity of • Volunteer Manager season. and all target habitat created by within the Project Boundary. wildlife habitats in the audiences will Severn Vale and schemes • Education Officer volunteers increases the connectivity and benefit for habitat protection • Environmental Project range of species in the • More multi-functional Officer Severn Vale natural spaces and blue • Maintenance Manager green infrastructure for health and wellbeing and • Participation and networks where nature can Inclusion Co-ordinator thrive • Site Manager • Greater knowledge and understanding of the state of wildlife and the environment in the canal/river corridor • More engagement by people and communities with nature leading to improved health and wellbeing

PN05 Wildlife Monitoring & Surveys Target • Greater knowledge and Led by: • Training for • Many ecological • 10 surveys undertaken • Training Volunteers will carry out ecological surveys in audience understanding of the • Environmental : surveys and by volunteers on an records the canal/river corridor. Information collected group: state of wildlife and the Manager (GWT) seasonally annual basis • Volunteer People living environment in the canal/ restrained so any by volunteer and professional surveys and • Community nal • 10 volunteers assisting feedback adjacent to river corridor training will take assessment reports will be shared with local and Engagement ys): with protected species • Volunteer the canal • More engagement by place in the months regional environmental organisations. This will Programme Manager surveys per year timesheets lead to greater knowledge and understanding of Schools, people and communities leading up to the (CS) • 50 volunteer days • Protected the state of wildlife and the environment in the colleges and with nature leading to survey window so • Volunteer Manager • 30 people/volunteers species records canal and river corridor. universities improved health and that volunteers get wellbeing (SDC) the opportunity to trained in ecological • Numbers Volunteers will assist and where necessary In particular: Supported by: carry out surveying survey techniques and of surveys receive training in Phase 1 habitat assessments, Existing • Activities Officer in the field wildlife identification completed invasive non-native species identification, and new • Volunteers identify an protected species monitoring, notable local volunteers, • Education Officer • Surveys for increased number and species identification, river and water monitoring nature lovers, • Environmental notable and frequency of species and monitoring of built habitat post construction. schools and Project Assistant protected species universities to take place every using the new habitat • Maintenance Manager year across the creation areas Assistant delivery phase • Volunteers tell us • Site Manager that they have greater knowledge and understanding of the state of wildlife and the environment in the canal and river corridor

PN06 Citizen Science: Wildlife Monitoring Target • Increased biodiversity Led by: • Equipment, • Camera trap • 30 people participate • Records Camera traps set-up at key sites along the canal audience within the Stroudwater • Environmental training and footage will be in the analysis and of numbers and river corridor will capture images of wildlife. group: Navigation (‘the canal’) and Manager (GWT) recorded all year classification of people People living River Frome corridor within round from April participating These images are uploaded to Mammalweb • Community • 12 people take part adjacent to 15 years 2021. Specific where anyone, anywhere can assist in the Engagement on volunteer elver • Species the canal analysis and classification of the wildlife images. • Greater knowledge and Programme Manager seasonal events will monitoring project records Identification of the wildlife will help establish a Schools, understanding of the be targeted such as (CS) Volunteer survey Volunteer colleges and state of wildlife and the mating and young • • baseline for the Project and will assist in ongoing • Volunteer Manager universities environment in the canal/ or migration time demonstrates records monitoring of changes in abundance and range. (SDC) river corridor the Project supports • Volunteer Elver traps to be installed on eel pass structures In particular: • Elver monitoring • More engagement by Supported by: eel migration and feedback and monitored between April and the end of Families, new is seasonal and people and communities • Activities Officer aligns with initiatives September. Volunteers will be trained in eel audiences, will take place • Number with nature leading to underway by rivers and National • Education Officer between April and of people biology, reasons for decline as well as how to improved health and wildlife trusts capture, process and release eels at a trap (in Lottery • Environmental Project September once engaging wellbeing • Volunteers identify partnership with Severn Rivers Trust). players, Officer new lock gates and with Project local people, eel passes are in a similar (or greater) Reference documents: • Conservation Intern website young people and/or Apprentice place (likely to be number and frequency MOU Severn Rivers Trust including of species along the Community Groups from mid-2021) those • canal and river corridor • Participation and studying • Volunteers tell us Inclusion Co-ordinator sciences that they have greater • Community knowledge and Volunteers understanding of the • Severn Rivers Trust state of wildlife and the environment in the canal and river corridor

PN07 Engage with Nature: Health and Wellbeing Target • More multi-functional Led by: All costs • Benches will be • People tell us that • Annual Activities audience natural spaces and blue • Environmental e.g. benches sited along the canal they feel more engaged surveys Project design will ensure the canal acts as group: green infrastructure for Manager (GWT) and hides route to coincide with nature • Towpath People living are included green infrastructure within the landscape. health and wellbeing and • Community with towpath • Feedback will show counters within the Circular nature trail walks will start at each adjacent to networks where nature can Engagement creation a positive increase in Project capital • Recognised new community hub and will cater for all ages the canal thrive Programme Manager • Nature walks to be people’s happiness, budgets improvements and abilities. Volunteers build six benches to Visitors and • Greater knowledge and (CS) planned out from satisfaction, wellbeing through tourists be installed at appropriate sites along the new understanding of the Supported by: the beginning of the and connection to Building towpath to encourage people to stop and enjoy In particular: state of wildlife and the • Activities Officer delivery period to place with Nature the canal environment. A bird hide and four Local people environment in the canal/ • Education Officer get people outside • People make use of accreditation temporary nature observation hides (shared use river corridor and so they can Families • Environmental Project the Bird Hide, nature with engineering viewing structures) will provide appreciate the Nature lovers • More engagement by Officer observation hides and people with more opportunities to engage with Canal visitors people and communities changes being benches wildlife. with nature leading to delivered by the improved health and project (subject to wellbeing H&S restrictions)

PN08 Community Orchard Restoration and Target • More connectivity of Led by: • Training for • Work parties will • 15 people participate • Training Management audience wildlife habitats in the • Environmental volunteers: meet regularly in the orchard records Community volunteers will join members of staff group: Severn Vale and schemes Manager (GWT) across the delivery restoration including • Volunteer for habitat protection and project volunteers in the restoration of a People living • • Costs of phase beginning people who have never feedback More multi-functional • Community relict orchard in Whit minster. adjacent to trees and March 2021 engaged with natural natural spaces and blue Engagement • Volunteer the canal fences are • The Community heritage before The community will assist with scrub clearance, green infrastructure for Programme Manager timesheets In particular: included Orchard will be • The working tree work, mistletoe clearance, hedge planting, health and wellbeing and (CS) Local people Gloucestershire • Annual fencing and gate construction. Community networks where nature can within the completed and in Supported by: traditional orchard is surveys of the volunteers will be trained in working at height, Families thrive Project’s use by 2023 • Activities Officer adopted and managed orchard pruning, grafting, budding and other orchard Young people capital budget • Greater knowledge and • Education Officer by the community. The • Events husbandry skills. They will help planning TOTAL: Nature lovers understanding of the Orchard becomes self- records new, rare and heritage fruit trees and bushes • Environmental Project Whitminster state of wildlife and the sustaining within 5 years and receive training in sustainable orchard Officer • Community community environment in the canal/ enterprises including juice, cider, jams and relish river corridor • Community Orchard • The community tell Orchard us that they have learnt committee set production. The orchard will become a working • More engagement by Volunteers new skills and that the up and annual Gloucestershire traditional orchard managed by people and communities • Gloucestershire orchard is a positive and accounts show the community. with nature leading to Orchard Trust well-used community orchard is Reference documents: improved health and space. Feedback will becoming Mini Brief 10 wellbeing show a positive increase self-funding in people’s happiness, satisfaction, wellbeing and connection to place • 3 community events to he held annually

PN09 Wild for Nature Accredited Courses Target • Greater knowledge and Led by: • Equipment • Two courses will • 2 accredited courses • Records of We will run two mixed group courses each year audience understanding of the • Community ials: be delivered each with GWT participants group: state of wildlife and the of the Project in collaboration with GWT and Engagement year of the Project • Course participants • Feedback People living environment in the canal/ the Sladebanks Woodland Team and the ‘Of Programme Manager (2021-2023). One for will tell us that they from adjacent to the river corridor Course We Can’ programme for disabled young (CS) adults and one for enjoyed the course participants canal • More engagement by young people people. This activity aims to work with disabled • Sladebank Woods activities, learnt new Under- people and communities • Records of people with multiple and complex needs, Team • Each course will skills and developed with nature leading to certification for whom accessing nature is difficult. These represented be five half days of their knowledge groups improved health and Supported by: issued twice-yearly accredited activities will use the canal-based nature wellbeing • Environmental Project • Participants gain restorative benefits of working with wildlife to In particular: activities Officer entry level certification support participants to create a better future for Disabled in using tools, health themselves and their families. people, young • Participation and people aged Inclusion Co-ordinator and safety, working Reference documents: with others, working 16-24, towpath • Volunteer Manager MOU Sladebanks Woodland users, people independently, and community • GWT identifying plants and groups living animals in target areas Volunteer Activities Action Activity: Target Outcome: What change Costs in TimetableResources Targets & measures Method(s) of code detailed description audience will there be? project budget of success evaluation VP01 Access to Volunteering Programme Target • A more diverse range Led by: • Equipment • Training for • Our volunteer profile • Volunteer This programme will provide facilities and audience of people are engaged • Participation and and materials volunteers will show more a more numbers support to increase access to volunteering. groups: in volunteering leading Inclusion Co-ordinator (toilet hire and throughout project diverse group of people and profile Volunteer Ambassadors will be trained in People living to greater community (CS) welfare units): delivery; welfare are volunteering on the monitoring inclusion and participation practice. Welfare adjacent to cohesion, physical • Volunteer Manager units available Project • Volunteer and toilet facilities will be provided at key the canal and mental health and (SDC) r from project start • 60 volunteer satisfaction wellbeing February 2021 volunteering events through the hire of a mobile Under- Supported by: ambassadors trained in surveys and toilet. Good welfare facilities including toilets and represented • New volunteer • Activities Officer • Mobiloo at key inclusion feedback changing facilities will be made available at other pathways link people events throughout people • Canal Engineering • Feedback will show volunteering sites. Volunteer personal travel plans to training and work project delivery; In particular: Manager a positive increase in will be supported by the Participation Manager experience, improving personal travel people’s happiness, Volunteers • Community through community rail initiatives, integrated their skills, confidence and plans and bursaries satisfaction, wellbeing Potential Engagement transport and other options such as lift share and commitment towards life- begin April 2021 and connection to volunteers Programme Manager bike loan schemes. A travel bursary will provide long learning and offering place support to volunteers in financial hardship including the potential of better life • Maintenance Manager vulnerable through reimbursing volunteering travel costs. chances • Site Manager adults, BAME • Greater knowledge and groups • Inclusion Intern understanding of the local heritage through a wide range of volunteer activities which inspire peoples’ participation and result in a greater sense of heritage ownership and sense of their place

VP02 Canal Restoration Workforce Volunteering Target • New volunteer Led by: • Volunteer • Recruitment • 91 Canal Restoration • Volunteer A taskforce of volunteers will be trained to audience pathways link people • Volunteer Manager support: beginning Volunteers numbers work on practical canal restoration projects groups: to training and work (SDC) February 2021 • 17 volunteers monitoring and tasks including heritage lock restoration; People living experience, improving Supported by: and and then ongoing recruited into a Team • Volunteer their skills, confidence and throughout project the construction of new locks; digging the adjacent to • Volunteer Team : Leader role and trained time sheets commitment towards life- new channel of the Missing Mile; towpath the canal leaders • Feedback will show • Volunteer long learning and offering reconstruction; wet and dry dredging; clearing In particular: a positive increase in satisfaction the potential of better life and restoring sections of the canal. Volunteers people’s happiness, and skills chances Existing and new volunteers will be encouraged Potential satisfaction, wellbeing surveys • Greater knowledge and to become Team Leaders, which is a vital role for volunteers and connection to the encouragement of all volunteers, enabling understanding of the place groups to operate in an autonomous nature. local heritage through a The TL is allocated the task, given any necessary wide range of volunteer health and safety paperwork, arranges the activities which inspire availability of tools and materials, organises peoples’ participation and transport to site, will be first aid trained and is result in a greater sense of responsible for mentoring and safeguarding. heritage ownership and sense of their place VP03 Volunteer Lengthsmen Target • New volunteer Led by: No additional • Recruitment • 7 Volunteer • Volunteer Following the restoration of sections of canal, audience pathways link people • Volunteer Manager costs beginning July 2021 Lengthsmen recruited. numbers these volunteers will be allocated a canal groups: to training and work (SDC) and then ongoing Up to 16 Volunteer Lock monitoring section will have responsibility for vegetation People living experience, improving • SVCC throughout project Keepers • Volunteer their skills, confidence and management, general up-keep and for working adjacent to Supported by: • 23 volunteers trained time sheets commitment towards life- with canal adoption groups. the canal • Volunteer adoption • Volunteer long learning and offering • Feedback will show Volunteer Lengthsmen will be trained to maintain In particular: groups satisfaction the potential of better life a positive increase in their section of the canal and provided with the Existing and and skills chances people’s happiness, PPE equipment and materials necessary for their potential satisfaction, wellbeing surveys • Greater knowledge and activities. volunteers and connection to understanding of the Volunteer Lock Keepers will be required at each Local place local heritage through a of the 8 restored and new locks – they will be Community wide range of volunteer introduced as restoration progresses. Groups activities which inspire peoples’ participation and result in a greater sense of heritage ownership and sense of their place

VP04 Volunteer Canal Ambassadors Target • A more diverse range Led by: • Volunteer • Recruitment • 15 volunteers • Volunteer This new role will give volunteers the opportunity audience of people are engaged • Volunteer Manager support: beginning July 2021 recruited and retained numbers to become involved in various aspects of the groups: in volunteering leading (SDC) • Equipment and then ongoing • Feedback will show monitoring project. Volunteers will support the delivery team People living to greater community Supported by: aterials: throughout project a positive increase in • Volunteer with planning and delivering activities. They will adjacent to cohesion, physical • Volunteer people’s happiness, time sheets and mental health and support the team with online communications, the canal Ambassadors will be • Publicity and satisfaction, wellbeing • Volunteer wellbeing public engagement, setting-up equipment and In particular: working alongside Promotion: and connection to satisfaction materials at events as well as other project and Existing and • New volunteer Project Staff place and skills administrative support tasks. potential pathways link people • Communications and surveys volunteers to training and work Marketing Officer experience, improving Young People • Activities Officer their skills, confidence and commitment towards life- long learning and offering the potential of better life chances • Greater knowledge and understanding of the local heritage through a wide range of volunteer activities which inspire peoples’ participation and result in a greater sense of heritage ownership and sense of their place VP05 Corporate Canal Volunteering Days Target • A more diverse range Led by: No additional • Corporate • Approximately 10 • Volunteer This programme will build on current activity audience of people are engaged • Volunteer Manager costs Volunteering corporate volunteering numbers and enable local companies to become active groups: in volunteering leading (SDC) sessions to take sessions to be delivered monitoring participants in the Project. A series of practical People living to greater community Supported by: place throughout each year of the Project • Volunteer conservation, restoration and maintenance days adjacent to cohesion, physical • Project volunteers the Project 2021- • Corporate volunteers time sheets and mental health and 2023. Opportunities will be coordinated by the Volunteer Manager the canal • Project team-leaders feedback that they • Volunteer wellbeing will be advertised to allow staff to come for a day to work on the In particular: would like to continue satisfaction • Environmental to local companies Project as a team. Local • New volunteer to engage with the and skills Manager from February 2021 Corporate volunteers will improve their companies pathways link people Project surveys to training and work • Communications and understanding and appreciation of the canal Corporate • Feedback will show experience, improving Marketing Manager heritage and they will be exposed to the volunteering a positive increase in their skills, confidence and project strategic themes whilst benefitting from days reach people’s happiness, commitment towards life- stimulating team activities. an audience satisfaction, wellbeing long learning and offering which is and connection to the potential of better life often hard place chances to reach for volunteering • Greater knowledge and activities - understanding of the working age local heritage through a adults often wide range of volunteer with young activities which inspire families peoples’ participation and result in a greater sense of heritage ownership and sense of their place

VP06 Volunteer Recognition and Celebration All Project • A more diverse range Led by: • Other : • Events taking • An average of 50 • Event A series of local events of various sizes to Volunteers of people are engaged • Volunteer Manager place throughout or more volunteers attendance celebrate the work of our Project volunteers and in volunteering leading (SDC) the Project attending celebratory records to greater community events each year of the to thank them for all they do. These will include • Participation and • Feedback cohesion, physical project social events, celebrations and awards, Known Inclusion Co-ordinator forms and as Stroud Sessions, evenings giving volunteers and mental health and • Volunteers will report surveys opportunities to meet with each other and find wellbeing increased happiness out about other aspects of the project and to and that life feels more meet Project Staff. worthwhile as a result of involvement in the project VP07 Volunteer Recruitment Outreach Events Target • A more diverse range Led by: • Equipment • Throughout the • Sufficient numbers • Feedback/ A series of local events and outreach to promote audience of people are engaged • Volunteer Manager and materials: project (2021-2023) of volunteers recruited surveys from volunteering opportunities on the Project. A groups: in volunteering leading (SDC) to support the Project new volunteers Roadshow kit will be taken to existing local and People living to greater community • Participation and • Volunteer activities indicating how regional events to attract new volunteers and to adjacent to cohesion, physical Inclusion Co-ordinator support: new volunteers promote the Project. the canal and mental health and (CS) heard about wellbeing the Project 12 Volunteer-led open day events will introduce Under- Supported by: • Publicity and volunteering local people to volunteering. represented • New volunteer pathways • Activities Officer Promotion: link people to training opportunities Two annual ‘Meet the Volunteer’ recruitment people • Education Officer and work experience, events will use stands and displays on the In particular: • Other costs improving their skills, • Communication and Towpath to promote volunteering opportunities Current (open day confidence and Marketing Officer to local audiences and to promote the Project. volunteers c commitment towards life- • Project volunteers and potential long learning and offering T volunteers the potential of better life chances

VP08 Volunteer Recruitment Marketing Campaign Target • A more diverse range Led by: No additional • Throughout • Volunteering activities • Feedback/ The Marketing and Communications Officer will audience of people are engaged • Volunteer Manager costs project (2021-2023) successfully delivered surveys from work with the Volunteer Manager to develop groups: in volunteering leading (SDC) and target numbers new volunteers a schedule of volunteer recruitment that will People living to greater community • Marketing and reached with wide indicating how use targeted promotional material in different adjacent to cohesion, physical and Communications and interest new volunteers methods and locations to suit specific audiences. the canal mental health and well- Marketing Officer (SDC) heard about being. the Project Volunteer recruitment drives will be planned Under- Supported by: volunteering to support specific volunteering activities. This represented • Participation and opportunities campaign will be supported by having volunteer people Inclusion Co-ordinator role profiles published online alongside blogs and In particular: case studies of current volunteers. Current This will tie in with our ambassadors campaign, volunteers driven by Communications and Promotion and potential activities, that aims to identify champions who will volunteers promote the work of CCC and volunteering efforts. Communications and Marketing Activities Action Activity: Target Outcome: What change Costs in TimetableResources Targets & measures Method(s) of code detailed description audience will there be? project budget of success evaluation CM01 Brand Strategy, Messaging and Design Tools Target • Over 2 Million people Led by: • Publicity and • Beginning • Brand recognition • Brand Building on the existing brand, we will develop a audience will become aware of • Communication and Promotion February 2021 and recall recognition full suite of core marketing materials and graphic groups: the Cotswolds Canals Marketing Officer (SDC) (design • Consistent use surveys tools to use throughout the life of the project. A All audience restoration and its Supported by: and brand of brand across all • Monitoring consistent brand message will include language, groups broader benefits to • Graphic Designer guidelines): communications of partner national waterways tone of voice and guidelines on design and brand, In particular: communications heritage conservation to be shared with partners. As part of this we’ll Core suite • Print costs (use of brand through a wide reaching, develop a look and feel for each of our priority to present a covered in identity) focussed and diverse audience groups, to ensure that our marketing is consistent print budget communications strategy engaging and relevant. look and feel below for everyone • 24,000 will be inspired, TOTAL: who comes in engaged and will contact with directly participate in CCC. Sub- the canal restoration brands will be through the use of a wide designed to range of contemporary reach target and imaginative audiences (i.e. communication tools development • Greater community of content for ownership and young people stewardship of the etc.) canal corridor by people and communities, through community engagement and inclusive communications, which will inspire curiosity and support people to celebrate their cultural and heritage assets • The Cotswold Canals becomes a canal visitor destination and continues to be promoted through a range of established and sustainable communication and marketing channels and strategies which involve all delivery partners CM02 Design and Print Marketing Materials Target • 24,000 people will be Led by: • Publicity and Throughout Project • People give us • Surveys/ We will produce, print and distribute a wide audience inspired, engaged and • Communication and promotion Delivery positive feedback feedback from variety of literature including fliers, posters, groups: will directly participate Marketing Officer (SDC) (design and about printed literature users banners and printed maps for walks and All audience in the canal restoration print and leaflets trails. This includes designing, producing and groups through the use of a wide materials): range of contemporary distributing two new leaflets about wildlife and In particular: and imaginative canal heritage. Content will communication tools be designed to appeal to • The Cotswold Canals all existing becomes a canal visitor and target destination and continues audiences. to be promoted through Each a range of established communication and sustainable will have clear communication and objectives for marketing channels and informing and strategies which involve all engaging delivery partners people

CM03 Press Media and Printed Publications Target • Over 2 Million people Led by: • Publicity • There will be • During the duration • Monitoring We will raise national and international audience will become aware of • Communication and and regular news of the project 2 Million of media awareness of the project through press and PR groups: the Cotswolds Canals Marketing Officer (SDC) promotion: stories, targeted people will become coverage restoration and its activities. The Marketing and Communications All audience at local, regional, aware of the restoration including broader benefits to Officer will produce exciting and informative press groups and its broader benefits online national waterways specialist, national releases, press briefings and photo opportunities to national waterways In particular: heritage conservation and international • Monitoring for local and national media platforms quarterly. heritage conservation Content will through a wide reaching, media throughout of mentions This includes entries for canal publications be designed focussed and diverse the duration of the • 750,000 people will in partner including Trow, Canal Boat, Towpath Talk and to appeal to communications strategy project have deepened their communications Waterway’s World. An annual project update will understanding of all existing • 24,000 will be inspired, be included in the Council’s annual newsletter and target engaged and will the Cotswold Canals sent to every household in the Stroud District audiences. directly participate in heritage and see the and content will be made available for parish and Each the canal restoration impact and value of the community newsletters. communication through the use of a wide CCC restoration project Content will be produced for all partner will have clear range of contemporary communications channels, working together with objectives for and imaginative PR officers from all organisations. This includes informing and communication tools internal and external. engaging • Greater community All content will be planned in advance using a people ownership and stewardship content calendar for the year ahead, taking into of the canal corridor by account wider engagement, events, decision people and communities, making timetables and national events. through community engagement and inclusive communications, which will inspire curiosity and support people to celebrate their cultural and heritage assets • The Cotswold Canals becomes a canal visitor destination and continues to be promoted through a range of established and sustainable communication and marketing channels and strategies which involve all delivery partners

CM04 Digital, Technical and Social Media Target • Over 2 Million people Led by: • Publicity • Throughout • 24,000 people will • Monitor Production of a short film introducing the project, audience will become aware of • Communication and and Project Delivery directly participate in through groups: the Cotswolds Canals Marketing Officer (SDC) promotion: our activities, events social media for us on the website landing page, but also at • Content will be all events related to the project. No more than 2 All audience restoration and its and canal-based analytics broader benefits to timetabled weekly minutes, the video/animation will include partner groups projects monthly national waterways and monthly in line to track logos and provide a high level overview to last the In particular: • Aim to grow social heritage conservation with the content measures such lifetime of the project. Content will media platforms across through a wide reaching, calendar as number Cotswold Canals Connected social media will be designed the lifetime of the focussed and diverse of likes be kept fresh and interesting through Twitter, to appeal to communications strategy project and share; Facebook and Instagram accounts. These all existing • 24,000 will be inspired, geographic channels will allow meaningful engagement with and target engaged and will reach and our audiences by using a range of creative and audiences. directly participate in numbers exciting content e.g. videos, photographs and Each the canal restoration of people graphics. We will develop an e-newsletter to align communication through the use of a wide reached with PR and communications – issued monthly – will have clear range of contemporary using content as agreed in the calendar. objectives for and imaginative • Records of numbers of SDC and partners social media accounts will also informing and communication tools participants be used to promote events and latest news to engaging • Greater community across project reach as wide an audience as possible. people ownership and stewardship of the events and All content will be planned in advance using a canal corridor by people activities content calendar for the year ahead, taking into and communities, account wider engagement, events, decision through community making timetables and national events. engagement and inclusive communications, which will inspire curiosity and support people to celebrate their cultural and heritage assets • The Cotswold Canals becomes a canal visitor destination and continues to be promoted through a range of established and sustainable communication and marketing channels and strategies which involve all delivery partners CM05 Project Websites and Blogs Target • Over 2 Million people Led by: • Publicity and Throughout Project • Numbers of unique • Monitor visits The Cotswold Canals Connected website will audience will become aware of • Communication and Promotion Delivery (2021 web visitors: to website be an easy-to-use online hub for the project. groups: the Cotswolds Canals Marketing Officer (SDC) (website -2023) Yr. 1: 5,000 through restoration and its management Google It will be maintained and kept up-to-date to All audience Yr. 2: 10,000 support project participation and information groups broader benefits to and Analytics national waterways maintenance): Yr. 3: 25,000 quarterly sharing. Four webcams will transmit feeds of In particular: heritage conservation £15,000 project capital work progress via the website. Content will • User through a wide reaching, Partners will contribute content each week to be designed TOTAL: feedback focussed and diverse blogs, project news, events and volunteering to appeal to £15,000 through communications strategy opportunities and partner organisation websites all existing surveys will also be updated with project information. and target • 24,000 will be inspired, • User audiences. engaged and will feedback Each directly participate in through social communication the canal restoration media through the use of a wide will have clear • Monitoring of range of contemporary objectives for most popular and imaginative informing and pages and user communication tools engaging data people • Greater community ownership and stewardship of the canal corridor by people and communities, through community engagement and inclusive communications, which will inspire curiosity and support people to celebrate their cultural and heritage assets • The Cotswold Canals becomes a canal visitor destination and continues to be promoted through a range of established and sustainable communication and marketing channels and strategies which involve all delivery partners CM06 Thank You Lottery Events Target • Over 2 Million people Led by: No additional • Events will take • 100 participants • Record There will be opportunities for special talks audience will become aware of • Communication and cost place annually • Events generate keeping and site visits to coincide with specific stages of groups: the Cotswolds Canals Marketing Officer (SDC) during the Project media interest in the • Feedback sub-projects, run by volunteers and engineers to Visitors, restoration and its • Community delivery Project from broader benefits to engage people with the restoration process. We tourists and Engagement • Events are publicised participants national waterways • Events will be want to promote these special events to lottery lottery players Programme Manager to promote the Project • Monitoring heritage conservation organised by the players and will invite people to show a lottery In particular: (CS) and to promote the of media through a wide reaching, Communications ticket as entry to the events. Special events for Lottery Supported by: Lottery focussed and diverse Team in lottery players will include: players from • Volunteer Manager communications strategy partnership with • standing in a completed lock before it across all • Project Manager the Community fills with water our audience • 24,000 will be inspired, engaged and will • Activities Officer Engagement • bridge and lock opening celebrations groups and target directly participate in Team. They will • be the first to walk new stretches of canal audiences the canal restoration be advertised through the use of a wide and promoted range of contemporary in advance. The and imaginative events will be communication tools publicised to • The Cotswold Canals promote the becomes a canal visitor Project and the destination and continues Lottery to be promoted through a range of established and sustainable communication and marketing channels and strategies which involve all delivery partners Project Management and Governance Activities Action Activity: Target Outcome: What change Costs in TimetableResources Targets & measures Method(s) of code detailed description audience will there be? project budget of success evaluation PMG01 Project Monitoring and Evaluation Programme Project • Project staff will gain Led by: • External • Start-up meeting • High-quality N/A We will develop and deliver high-quality, staff and insight and skills in • Monitoring and tor: February 2021 evaluation and record consistent and robust methods to evaluate volunteers planning and delivering Evaluation Officer (SDC and then ongoing keeping across the the project and measure the outcomes. We Funders high-quality monitoring Supported by: • Costs for throughout the Project will ensure that best practice methodology is and evaluation and • All project team-leads internal Project • A final Project understand how this can used across the project. All Project leads and • Monitoring and evaluation Evaluation Report be used to review and sub-teams will be involved in monitoring and evaluation mentor are included produced evaluation workshops throughout the project improve activities and in project and resources will be shared across teams. A demonstrate the impact staff costs. dedicated Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, of our work. These skills supported by a Learning Mentor, will coordinate will build capacity and and collate resources and best practice across expertise for partner the Project. A final end-of-Project Evaluation organisations Report will be produced.

PMG02 Project Governance and Partnerships Partner • Skills, expertise and Led by: No additional • Throughout • Meetings held • Minutes from The CCC Project Board is the core governing body organisations resources will be shared • Project Director (SDC) costs Project (2021-2023) regularly meetings of the project, responsible for overall governance Wider across the Partnership Supported by: showing and financial accountability. Representatives Stakeholders • A robust governance • Project Partners evidence of recommend- from the key project partners sit on the Board. Project Staff structure provides the • Project deliver ations, The CCC Consultative Group meets quartile and Project with a strong partners decisions, comprises of other delivery partners and key decision-making • Key stakeholders actions and stakeholders. This Group reports to the Project framework across partner ideas shared Board and it a key method of communication organisations across the Project. PMG03 Sharing Best Practice National • Sharing and developing Led by: No additional • Throughout • 5 key reports written • Feedback Project staff will host and undertake visits and stakeholders knowledge, skills and • Monitoring and costs Project (2021-2023) • 10 national surveys produce reports to share our learning widely. including awareness of best practice Evaluation Officer (SDC) presentations made • Counts of National and approaches Reports will be published online. We envisage our Supported by: 1000 National downloads of lottery, canal • Activities Facilitator knowledge sharing will cover topics including; • Other Projects and stakeholders more reports and rivers community engagement, inclusion and Organisations will learn • Canal Engineering aware of the benefits, • Project staff trust mentoring; volunteering; Engineering innovation; from our successes and Manager learning and best reflection habitat creation, and co-produced interpretation. Technical challenges, making them • Community practice project This will inform other canal and river restoration specialists better equipped to plan Engagement methodology projects, heritage, tourism and community Other canal and deliver their own Programme Manager projects. We will publish reports online. and habitat projects and programmes • Destination and restoration Events Co-ordinator projects • Environmental Manager • Participation and Inclusion Manager • Project Engineer • Volunteer Manager PMG04 Staff and Volunteer Induction and Training Existing • People will be linked Led by: • Volunteer • Coordination • 60 team lead and • Training Project staff will be supported to complete a volunteers to appropriate training • Volunteer Manager training of the training volunteers trained in records rich and exciting range of CPD tailored to New staff and according to their (SDC) (Health and programme with emergency first aid. • Feedback their specific roles. and our volunteers will volunteers role. This will improve • Project Director (SDC) safety, first aid, internal and 15 team leaders are on training skills, confident and safeguarding): external providers be supported through a comprehensive in key roles, • Community qualified to administer from staff and commitment to life-long will take place volunteering training programme tailored to group leaders, Engagement first aid at work volunteers learning from March 2021. their role. This will include formal skills and board Programme Manager • Staff and • 20 people are trained The CPD steering development covering first aid, health and safety members (CS) Volunteer to be peer mentors and mentoring training as well as inclusion, leader training group will meet Supported by: • All volunteers and safeguarding and supervision training. A CPD (Inclusion, quarterly from • All volunteers and staff receive awareness steering Group will record and monitor staff and mentoring, April 2021 and the Project staff training in safeguarding volunteer training across the Project. ): group will oversee • Participation and and support and inclusivity A new induction process will introduce staff and Inclusion Co-ordination the staff and • All peer mentors are volunteers to their roles and workplaces as well volunteer training confident, safe and as maintaining a consistent and best-practice • Supervision Coach programme able to implement best model for inclusion, equal opportunities, duty • External Training practice peer to peer of care and health and safety. Specialists • Key role holders (staff, boards and mentoring programm key volunteers) will receive the necessary training according to their role by June 2021 including health and safety and first aid training • Mentor training will take place in spring 2021, 2022 and 2023 • Supervision sessions will be held throughout the Project on a bi-monthly basis

PMG05 Staff Recruitment Experienced • Highly-skilled Led by: • Recruitment: New posts will • All posts filled by • Recruitment We will advertise and recruit a team of specialist and skilled professional staff will • CCC Project Director be recruited from experienced and records staff to deliver the Project. All new roles will be professionals provide the required • Project Board February 2021 qualified professionals expertise to deliver the publically advertised and we aim to recruit the Supported by: Project outputs and best person for the role through a fair, systemic • All Project Partners recruitment process. New roles will be based at outcomes • Communications and the appropriate Project partner organisation. Marketing Officer