Canal Restoration to Connect Our People and Regenerate Our Communities
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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.