Charnwood Forest Landscape Partnership Project
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Charnwood Forest Landscape Partnership Project Explore, Understand, Care For ...and Create! A plan for participation through combined arts, heritage and cultural activities Contents 1.Introduction - page 3 2. Process - page 6 3. What is the Forest? - Exploring Multiple Perspectives - page 7 4. What Will it Mean to ‘Understand’? - page 10 5. On-line and Off-line Approaches to Future Engagement - page 11 6. Locations Within the Forest - Temporal and Spatial - page 13 7. What Does ‘Explore’ Mean? - page 18 8. Barriers and Bridges - What People Said - page 27 9. Common Ground on Common Ground - page 28 10. Contributing to Care For - page 29 11. Honey Pots, Hidden Assets and Heritage - page 32 12. Case Study - Mountsorrel - page 36 13. The City Classroom - Leicestershire’s Cultural Education Partnership - page 37 14. Community Arts and Heritage Programme - Options - page 39 15. Recommendations - page 40 16. Collaborations and Partnerships - page 43 17. Contributory Income and Income Generation Strategy - page 45 18. Outline - Five Year Plan - page 47 Grandparents from Scotland who visit Loughborough to look after grandchildren during holiday periods. Enjoy using Bradgate Park for open space for children to run around in and like having a cafe stop to feed kids and for comfort breaks. Also visit Mountsorrel Heritage Centre and Stonehurst Farm as they are both easy to access, easy parking and cater for children. Would like to leave car behind and walk to places that are cater for children. They look forward to visiting the new ‘Outwoods Park’. 1 2 1. Introduction This report is very much a starting point for a process. So where do we start? Through process that we see growing in much the same definitions or dialogue?Through research or way as our forest area itself has grown. developing relationships? Through a focus on definite plans or an elucidation of process? In relation to the area of the forest there are clearly planned developments that marry Of course all these factors are important but human intervention with a natural environment perhaps the first place to begin is with the as well as a process of organic growth that has specific focus of the brief for this aspect of the a complexity that goes far beyond any single overall plan. What role can participative plan. This marriage is and has been creativity play? supportive, productive and destructive, shaping the area from wilderness, through Creative projects can be used to define the history, to a complex environment of multiple forest area and bring hidden histories to the uses and facets. The blend of these facets to fore and/or re-present them to wider audiences form and define the area of the Landscape in new and interesting ways. Creativity can Partnership Scheme is extraordinarily rich - also be used to guide people around the forest in terms of the natural environment, human or pull together disparate groupings of assets histories, heritage and enterprise, the geologi- within the forest to form contiguous areas for cal and paleantological record and in terms of people to explore. By engaging people through what this place means to so many people. creative projects in forest centered or focused learning, their relationship can become deeper The Landscape Partnership Project has clearly as it is embedded in participative memories defined goals for many interlocking aspects and feelings. This learning can be developed of its development over a five year period but into more active engagement and passed on this is really a much longer term initiative. It is through generations to form new or reclaim about developing a partnership and an lost traditions. approach that will extend far into the future to sustain a regard and practical respect for this A participatory arts approach engages people site of national and world significance. in new activity but a longer term embedded community arts based approach adds another The development of engagement, participation layer, developing new organisational skills and and awareness, involvement, knowledge, commitment to longer term goals. Art in this support and commitment from a widening context, whilst having outputs and aesthetic range of people - park dwellers, surrounding qualities of its own, is a vehicle for a whole communities and visitors from further afield is, range of other outcomes. vital for the future of the area. Equally important is raising the priority of these things Knowing who the participants, audiences and with the multiplicity of corporate bodies, collaborators are is as important as authorities, agencies, private owners and knowing what to focus on as subjects to groups that contribute to or impact on the explore, activities and projects to run. Regional Park area. Understanding and working within the contextual realities of the area and local urban That’s all an enormous canvas to work with in environments is central to the approach we terms of a heritage focused participatory arts recommend. Mother, early 30s, LE11. Daughter – 5 and Son – 2 Visits Bradgate Park often as it is a familiar place which is easier to visit with two children, easy parking though not too happy with the one rate of payment. Also visits Mountsorrel Heritage Trail because it is easy to access, free parking, indoor and outdoor and also a short route for kids to easily complete. Does not attempt to visit other sights as they are not familiar and does not want to face difficulties when venturing out with two young kids. ouldW like the landscape to remain untouched. She enjoys undirected play where her children discover, ask questions and use imagination. Though does not always have answers so would like easy access to information eg: information panels at Bradgate Park. 3 2. Process This report, its ideas, research, findings, We can use this model to shape and create a suggestions and recommendations were led balance between the three core aims to form by Kevin Ryan, Khyati Koria-Green, Ashok themodalities of programme development. Mistry and James Chantry and developed through a wide range of conversations with This is important as funding usually relies on people from diverse backgrounds living or engaging people as audience members or working within the forest area and its satellite participants. However, the impact of communities. ‘audience’ activity needs to be understood and kept in check to avoid adverse impacts on the Clearly this whole Landscape Partnership forest environment. programme has not come out of a vacuum of pre-existing activity but rather sits within an None of the answers rests within a single active matrix of existing and potential report - and everything we write about here relationships working towards forming a should be considered in terms of its impact coherent network of collaboration and support. on the environment of the forest. Increases in In developing our thinking it was impossible road use, social impacts, impacts on flora and to seperate the existing and historical project fauna, pollution. We cannot consider any and programme connections Charnwood Arts creative project in isolation from its effects, has with the area and we make no apology for both desired and undesired outcomes. including such references and the potential of what we can contribute to the partnership Equally, we come to this work in an already knowledge rich environment - Charnwood Arts pre-exisiting programmes natural and human history, the geology and such as Where We Live and What We Know, fossil record, local heritage knowledge and Drawing on Age and its parent project of preservation, mapping and interpretation by People Making Places are all highly relevant. scores of groups, organisations and individuals Equally our experience of working on local including the remarkable Charnwood Roots heritage projects and our core group role project. within the Leicester(shire) Cultural Education Partnership are all significant in relation to this How this knowledge can be better connected, report. But of course we must look well beyond transmitted, engaged with and brought to life is this to consider an approach which brings at the core of this call for creative solutions. If it many other players into focus, creative and can be made more accessible, become known community, corporate and individual. and valued, through active and informed engagement with the environment by a wider In terms of ways of creatively fulfilling the three range of people, we join our partners in core themes of the Landscape Partnership believing that this landscape will be better project (Understand, Explore and Care For) we protected for future generations. can divide activity into three main types: passive projects, active projects and “No one will protect what they don’t care about knowledge centred projects. It is important to and no one will care about something they stratify the types of projects in order to have never experienced” understand and control the impact of projects on the forest environment. David Attenborough Male and Female, 70ish, LE12 This couple have never owned a car and use bikes or walking to get around. They regularly go for walks through easily accessible woodland areas and use country roads for bike rides. Not especially interested in visiting unknown sites that cannot easily be reached by foot or bike, tend to avoid crowded places. Familiar with some of Charnwood’s heritage, lived in Shepshed all their lives so familiar with the changing landscape within their lifetime. 6 3. What is the Forest? - Exploring Multiple Perspectives Charnwood Forest is a space...it is our What does it meant to be a Midlander, British, relationships with it that make it a place. English or European in the context of the forest and all of the people that historically might The word Forest is, for most people, a concept have lived there. We can generate awareness that describes or brings to imagination an area of the tribes, settlers, landowners, of geographical integrity and related flora and smallholders and peasants that would have fauna that has a tangible presence.