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For each e-bulletin we will interview a Parks for People project discussing the history, highlights, events and planned implications of the 5 outcomes for that project. The feature articles will be available on the Parks for People e-bulletin and past copies can be found here. This month it's Devonport Park, Plymouth
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
Stewart Park, Middlesbrough
Stewart Park is Middlesbrough's largest park and its Parks for People regeneration project follows the successful renovation of the city's other major park, Albert Park. On current evidence, the project's progress is coming along nicely, paying close attention to each of the five outcomes every Parks for People project has to take into account. In this article we are going to have a look at each of the outcomes and examine how Stewart Park is employing good practice to ensure they are fulfilled, and acting as a benchmark for other projects to work towards. But first, here is a little background information on the park and what its project aims are...
Stewart Park was given to the people of Middlesbrough in 1928 by Councillor Thomas Dorman Stewart, who intended it to be "a public possession, open and accessible to all the people for all time." It was landscaped by Henry Bolckow, one of Middlesbrough's ironmasters and the borough's first mayor. Today, the park covers about 120 acres and consists mainly of mature woodland on the south side, with open parkland on the northern side. There are two lakes which are home to a variety of birds including Canada and graylag geese, moorhens and coots. There is also many other animals to be seen in the park such as deer, llamas and peacocks. The park was also the birthplace of renowned explorer Captain Cook, who was born in a cottage once located on the site. The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum is situated in the park.
The project has two main aims: 1) To celebrate and interpret the great heritage of Captain Cook, Henry Bolckow and Thomas Dormand Stewart who gave the estate to the people of Middlesbrough and, 2) To restore and develop Stewart Park as a centre of horticultural excellence, with training and events.
So, how are they achieving the outcomes?
Outcome 1 – Increasing the range of audiences
Stewart Park has done a lot to achieve Outcome 1. Two new events spaces will see a marked increase in events taking place at the park, with music, drama and a variety of other performing arts now able to draw in a more varied demographic. They also received £150,000 from Play England's Play Builder scheme to build a play area that will attract more families with children. Families will also, no doubt, come to see the extensive range of animals that is to be added to with the creation of an animal husbandry programme and reptile enclosure. Cycling trails have been created around the park to attract serious cyclists as well as casual bike riders wanting to enjoy the grounds' scenery. The park has recently also been trailing a shop mobility scheme that offers elderly and disabled people shop mobility scooters to travel around the park. Again, this would have a positive impact on the range of audiences the park can accommodate for. Those running the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum were eager to expand and update the museum as they felt it was no longer large enough to accommodate modern displays. This update will likely attract families as well as education groups from local institutions and those further afield.
Outcome 2 – Conserving and improving the heritage
One of the criticisms of Stewart Park was that it had started to look a little rundown and tired, and one of the ways the Parks for People project is combating this is by restoring the heritage of the park. "We want to restore the park to its Victorian heyday", explained landscape development manager Liz Small. She continued: "Parts of the park had been filled in and it was losing its authentic look. We really want to get that back. "All the buildings in the park are Grade II listed and therefore renovation is the only option in improving their aesthetic value. The central lodge, Victorian workshops, carriage houses and old farm buildings are all due for a revamp, with several groups and organisations providing funding and expertise to assist the project. The buildings will be used for informal and formal historical interpretation; arts display space, craft and horticultural workshops and clubs. The estate buildings will include a visitor centre including exhibitions, volunteer base, animal centre, a shop, a tea garden (an additional project) and a horticultural and traditional skills vocational training base with restored walled gardens.
Outcome 3 – Increasing the range of volunteers
If there is one outcome that Stewart Park has excelled in then it is outcome 3. There is an awful lot happening at the park and they have brought in a wealth of outside help to ensure its delivery is of the highest standard. They have recruited volunteers through a variety of methods, including word of mouth, promotion at public presentations and through the Middlesbrough Council website. The Friends of Stewart Park is one such group that has done a lot of exemplary volunteer work for the park. They hold regular park meetings to help decide important issues and also do volunteer work around the park to assist in its maintenance. They act as natural ambassadors for the park and have even done a significant amount of archiving work into the park's history. The Young and Volunteer Rangers and community payback groups also play a significant role in the upkeep and maintenance of the park, in a similar way to the Friends of Stewart park group.
Another institution who has helped the project is Middlesbrough College. They have provided the park with trainees and apprentices to assist in the development of some of the buildings. For example, the farm buildings are being restored in an old-fashioned style by construction trainees from the college. This has also attracted further funding to help with the costs of renovation. Liz believes that the project as a whole has benefited tremendously from the outside investment. She said: "It has been essential to have the groups' involvement. They have their own viewpoints and a lot of experience and knowledge, and if you put it all together it will hopefully make the park a better place. It also makes it a lot more fun meeting new people and getting involved with new organisations. You learn a lot from doing it." The volunteers work alongside the park rangers, ensuring their work is of benefit to the park and that they learn as they go along.
Outcome 4 – Improving skills and knowledge through learning and training
Many of the volunteers and trainees outlined in outcome 3 also fall nicely into outcome 4 as well. All the volunteers who help with the park are naturally learning and receiving training in whatever area they are working on, such as the construction trainees from Middlesbrough College working on the farm buildings. The development of a vocational training centre will also offer a myriad of training opportunities. These will primarily be land-based training such as construction and heritage, but will also offer subjects such as catering. The walled garden has also been redesigned to present the chance for horticultural training. The park also works closely with the local Primary Care Trust to provide learning for adults with disabilities. This means that adults who have any kind of disabilities, physical or mental, can get involved with the park and can receive training and qualifications for the work that they do. This has also lead to further funding and employment opportunities for social care. "The training we do here is very important", Liz said. "We do some really great work, especially with adults with disabilities. They get to work as part of a group, meet new people and also gain qualifications at the end of it. They all seem to get a lot out of it."
Part of the park's focus is on animals and the project hopes to build on this. It is already home to a plethora of wildlife as mentioned above and there are plans to increase this with the production of a reptile house. The vocational training centre will also run courses and training on animal husbandry. There is also a view to develop an urban mammal wildlife centre on the grounds. The area is one of the few places in the country to still have water voles and therefore it is hoped a breeding centre will encourage population growth. It will also have a positive effect on biodiversity in the area.
Outcome 5 – Improving management and maintenance
Outcome 5 can be viewed as a culmination of the previous outcomes. As already discussed, both management and maintenance have been improved by the increased use of volunteers and apprentices working in the grounds. And with the continued good work of the park rangers and the guidance of Liz Small and Parks and Countryside Manager Jim Moody, the park will hope to regain their Green Flag status they held up until a couple of years ago. Aside from the physical help the park has received from organisations, they have also received funding from a number of sources such as Play England and Change 4 Life's Healthy Towns initiative. However, Liz believes that securing the extra funding was, in a large part, thanks to Parks for People. She said: "Parks for People has been key to unlocking a lot of additional investment and it has really helped with how the project is progressing as a whole. "That is praise indeed for Parks for People, and Stewart Park will serve as a great example to other parks and other projects just what is expected and what is ultimately achievable. The work on Stewart Park is still in progress but evidence is good that it is on the right tracks.
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Burslem Park, Stoke-on-Trent
At 22 acres, Burlsem Park in Stoke-on-Trent is one of the largest registered Victorian Parks in the UK and is listed Grade II on English Heritage's Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. However, it is in need of a little renovation and that's where Parks for People is helping out. In terms of physical restoration, the park is focusing on the repair of buildings and historic structures in the park, particularly the formal terrace garden, containing an Elizabethan bandstand and pavilion. Like anything, over time they have become a little run down, but project leader, Robin Belcher believes that they can be restored to their former glory. He said: "The terrace garden has not really had any investment or any work done to it and it's started to let the park down a bit. It is in serious need of a makeover but it can really become a jewel in the park's crown. "However, the physical aspect of the park is only one side of what's being improved at Burslem, with a great deal going on behind the scenes to enhance the overall experience of the park, as well as the Parks for People application  process.
One such technique used was the appointment of a park ranger before the Stage 2 application. It has been common for parks to appoint a park ranger after the Stage 2 application, but Burslem have decided to employ someone early on, and this has worked to their advantage. It has meant they have an extra person to deal with particular tasks and take the pressure off others who are working towards the Stage 2 application. The ranger has helped to organise several events such as Easter egg hunts, healthy living days and an annual music festival which runs over a whole weekend.
They also did a lot of work to assist in the monitoring and evaluation of data, such as building databases and developing volunteer surveys. This work took on an even more crucial role due to problems with visitor number collection. The park purchased a number of visitor counters that did not work properly and so they were unable to collect any baseline data. However, such problems have now been overcome and the baseline data has been successfully collected, albeit behind schedule.
It is work like this that Robin believes has validated the decision to appoint the ranger at an earlier stage. "There is a lot of work to be done at Stage 2 on the people side of the project, such as developing audience development plans and firming up on policies and visitor surveys. However, having the park ranger take some of the pressure off the process has run a lot more smoothly. "We realised at Stage 1 that to achieve the outcomes we need to look at the management structure and get someone in as soon as possible for the park ranger role. They've done some brilliant work and have been a huge benefit to the park and its Parks for People bid.
"With all the events and marketing they've been doing it has also brought more visitors to the park and has also helped us work towards the volunteering outcome. They have also done things we wouldn't have had the capacity to do otherwise, such as produce regular newsletters." So, one big advantage of having the park ranger was that they could take responsibility for certain tasks and take the pressure of others. One particular group who benefited from the appointment was the Friends Group, Burslem Park Partnership. They have a permanent office in the park and attend all the project team meetings and meetings with HLF, MPs and councillors to ensure any decisions are scrutinised thoroughly before being passed. The Friends Group also run fundraising events to raise money for park improvements and the ranger has assisted them in organising a variety of events and activities. Their working together has led to increased education and skills of both parties.
 There are a number of other groups who use and help out with park, helping to increase visitor numbers and diversity. These include the Groundwork Trust, the Prince's Trust and various training agencies who bring unemployed young people to the park for training and volunteering. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and the local primary school also run play scheme and activity days for local children, and Age Concern use the park weekly for exercise and healthy classes. However, despite the levels of outside involvement in the park, Robin believes there is always room for more. "We are always on the lookout for more opportunities to get people and organisations involved in the park. We want more relationships with local community groups such as church and scout groups." The park ranger has also been doing some work to try and make this happen and increase knowledge of the park in the local area by going into local primary schools, running lessons with the children and producing environmental education packs.
Robin is extremely pleased with the progress made so far by the team at Burslem, although there are a couple of areas he would like to see improved. "We need to work on attracting a more diverse range of visitors, maybe people with ethnic backgrounds and those with disabilities. This area has some of the highest levels of people with disabilities in the country and we need to take that into account. "We also need to change the perceptions of parks in non-visitors, particularly the safety aspect. A lot of people are concerned about anti-social behaviour in parks but the reality is very different. And we have a college and school very nearby, so there are bound to be young people hanging around."
Most of what Burslem Park is doing will sound familiar to a lot of Parks for People projects, but their decision to appoint their park ranger sooner rather than later may seem an alien concept to many. However, this has proved an insightful move and shows others that thinking outside the box can be beneficial in running a successful project.
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Hale Park, Halton
Hale village is a small, historic village near to Liverpool Airport, and is home to another of the Parks for People projects. The project is now in its second year and things seem to be coming along nicely. It is a relatively small, although Green Flag accredited park and the area was once an approach for the old Hale House which is no longer standing. Most of the physical work on the project was completed in year one, with around £300,000 of work being undertaken. This included renovations to paths, ditches and boundary railings, and improved facilities such as playgrounds and car parks. Although there is still more work to be done, on areas such as the management of hedges and trees, project leader Nick Martin is very happy with how the work has progressed so far. He said: “The work we’ve done so far is really encouraging. The park had become a little rundown and neglected but it has already come on leaps and bounds. When we saw the Parks for People project, we thought it could be a real opportunity and it has turned out to be just that.” 
Everything has been moving along smoothly at the project and at one point construction work was three months ahead of schedule, which, as Nick explains, was a massive help with other parts of the project. “It just so happened that the construction work we were doing started quickly and we had very few problems with it, which was great considering the particularly inclement weather we had at the time. And because the building work was ahead of schedule, we could focus on other areas of the park and spend more time getting those done properly.” One of the major additions to the Hale Park setup is the introduction of a Hale Heritage Champion. This position was created in February 2009 to promote events and champion the area, alongside enabling the Friends of the Park to have a much more sustainable group and organise their own events. This worked very well for a period of time until the post was vacated and it took a while for someone else to be appointed. During the downtime of the role, few events were organised and progress on the promotion and marketing front slowed somewhat.
However, since then someone else has stepped into the role and things are, once again, beginning to gather momentum. That person is Heather Charles, a local resident and member of the Friends group and she is relishing the role. She said: “There is a lot to do at the moment. I have only recently taken on the role and so I’m playing catch-up a little bit. I’m currently speaking with the previous Champion to sort out various issues but I’m enjoying it already. I’m really looking forward to getting my teeth into it.” However, despite only being in the role for s short period of time Heather is already in discussions about new projects and ideas for the park. “I’m talking to various people about a few projects such as a potential woodland area, nature walks, and the development of interpretation boards around the site.” Interpretation boards are dotted around the park and give information about various aspects of the park’s history. One interpretation board in particular that Heather is keen to develop regards the Childe of Hale.
 The Childe of Hale was a man named John Middleton who was born in the village in 1578. It is said that Middleton grew to an astonishing height of 9 feet, 3 inches and upon his death was buried in the church graveyard. Heather is also keen to establish links with nearby places such as Speke in order to attract more people to the park. As a member of the Friends Group, Heather already has a big hand in developments at the park with the organisation of events and running of training courses such as first aid, and that looks set to continue. The Friends Group themselves are a group of around 10 to 15 individuals, although Nick says they are never short of new faces. “It’s a very community-based group. If we need the help then there are always plenty of people eager to join and lend a hand even on a temporary basis. Hopefully they will continue to work alongside Heather to improve the park.” There is also a lot of school involvement with children being given history and geography lessons about the park’s heritage. Age-specific teaching plans have been developed for various schools in the area.
Although there had been a relative lack of events at park, partly due to the lack of a Champion, the annual Hale carnival took place, as it always does on the first Saturday in July. The carnival was a great success and featured a plethora of things to see and do. There were floats paraded through the village, climbing walls, maypoles and much more. However, perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the carnival was the Viking re-enactment which saw dozens of wannabee Nordics dressed in authentic Viking clothing staging battles, cooking food and crafting keepsakes. So what have all the improvements equated to? Have they actually made a difference? Well, visitor data from January 2008 to May 2010 suggests that they have.
Hale Park is not a pedestrian-only park; cars can pass through the gates as well, and it is in the number of vehicles travelling into the park that the real increase has come about. From 2008 to 2009 there was a small 2 per cent increase in pedestrians entering the park but a 29 per cent increase in the number of vehicles, a rise of 16 per cent overall. Over the previous two years it has been the month of June that has seen the most number of visitors, with 8,437 and 9,786 respectively. However, this year, April has already surpassed those visitor numbers (over 10,000), with May also attracting many more than it has done previously. It is too early to tell whether this trend will continue throughout the year, and thus top last year’s figures, but early signs are promising, and more evidence that the work being done at the park is really coming into fruition. “It is only a small park but it is such an interesting place”, Nick said. “Now it is finding its way into the public knowledge, and that’s exactly what we’ve been striving towards. Obviously there is plenty left to do but I feel we’re really on the right track.” 
So, Nick seems happy with the progress of the park and he has every right to be. There have been a few issues but every project will encounter some along the way. The introduction of the Champion role really seems to have been a catalyst for the progression and this was evident during the somewhat quiet period when the position was vacant. However, now a new and enthusiastic Champion has been appointed things are once again gathering pace, and Hale Park looks set to enjoy one of its best summers in recent memory.
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Devonport Park, Plymouth
One of the fundamental reasons for the Parks for People programme is to try and get more people into parks around England, and this forms the basis of the first of the five outcomes each project has to meet. However, it is also probably the most difficult outcome to evidence as it can be time consuming and data collected might not always be a totally reliable sample of park visitors.Despite this, the impact of the project on park audiences is now starting to be realised, and in particular by Devonport Park who have recorded excellent audience figures this year and seen a significant increase in audience numbers since 2007 when the audience development plan was put together as part of the Stage 1 bid.
 Back in 2007, the project reported that 20 per cent of local residents did not visit the park at all during that year, and this is a figure they desperately wanted to improve. Three years later and the project are delighted to report that the percentage of local residents who have not visited the park in 2010 has been reduced to nil. Granted, these results can only be based on a sample of the local population but they are still very encouraging, and that the park can boast such a statistic is very impressive. Furthermore, the number of residents who visit the park more than three times a year has also risen from 82 per cent last year to 85 per cent this year, showing that people are obviously enjoying visiting the park and the continued work that is being put in is encouraging them to return.
The audience development plan stated that back in 2007 the project wanted to increase the number of park users by a modest 15 per cent. However, results have shown that they have, in fact, increased park users by a massive 85 per cent, well exceeding the target set out by the audience development plan. The plan also included certain ‘hard to reach’ audiences the project was hoping to attract to the park, and these targets have also been exceeded. The number of young people visiting the park has increased by 60 per cent, partly due to the relocation and refurbishment of the play area into a multifunctional play area.
Similarly, the project have seen a 32 per cent increase in park usage by older people. There are a number of care homes within a short distance of the park and so that, coupled with the opening of the Rose and Memorial Gardens, has contributed to this rise in usage. Increasing the types of audiences coming into the park was something project manager Chris Coldwell was keen to target. He said: “We were very proactive with reaching out to harder to reach groups. We actually went into some of the local care homes and youth groups to advertise and promote the park and we got a really good response.” The project also produced an educational park for local schools so they can learn a bit more about the heritage of the park in the hope that, subsequently, they will be more inclined to want to visit. 
One of the other key targets of the audience development plan was to increase the catchment area of the park and therefore pull people in from further afield. The statistics, once again, show that they have been successful in doing this. In 2007, the number of visitors travelling more than 15 minutes to reach the park was 13 per cent, but in 2010 it has risen to 20 per cent, indeed showing that the catchment area is on the increase. The numbers also showed that in 2007 91 per cent of respondents travelled to the park on foot, but in 2010 this has fallen to 74 per cent. More people are, therefore, travelling by vehicle which indicates they are coming from further away, again showing an increased catchment area. Chris explained that increasing the catchment area was one of the major targets they wanted to accomplish. He said: “We were a little concerned about the catchment area of the park as it was quite small, only about five minutes away, and so the most obvious way of getting more people in was to appeal to those further away.”
It is interesting to note that there has been a significant change in the reasons why people are visiting the park. Most people cite enjoying the fresh air but the number of visitors citing the play area has increased from three per cent in 2007 to 39 per cent this year. Those visiting because of the beauty of the local area increased from four to 43 per cent, and those citing the flowers increased from seven to twelve per cent. There are several other reasons as to why Chris believes more people are now coming to the park, one of which is the safety aspect. Chris explained: “People used to find the park very dark and intimidating. There wasn’t a crime problem or anything like that but there definitely was a perception that it wasn’t safe. And part of this was down to a lack of supervision. However, we now have a warden and have opened the park up considerably which has improved visibility. A lot of people have now said how much more welcoming the park feels and how they would feel more comfortable going through it, which is a massive step forward for us.”
Another way the park has had a lot of success in bringing people into the park is through volunteering. A Friends Group has been established that now has over 230 members and has their own website and newsletter. They also have their own Facebook page which has seen interest from a number of young people. There are a lot of volunteers involved with the gardens in particular, with 30 volunteer gardeners and a special care home volunteer gardeners group. They have been very successful in this area as one of the gardens was submitted for the Britain in Bloom award. Chris has been delighted with how well their volunteering programmes have worked. He said: “The volunteering has been one of the greatest successes of the project. We have had so many people getting involved and it has added so much to the park. It has improved the look of the park but has also increased community involvement.” There are also rehabilitation volunteer schemes, such as for physical and mental rehabilitation, but also for those in drug rehab. They come into the park and help with the gardening and the general upkeep of the park. “One of the biggest things people get out of it is that they get out into the fresh air”, Chris said. “It helps people to keep active and keep fit, but they also find it very rewarding and it has a big impact on their self esteem. It can also help people work towards future career prospects such as horticulture.” 
All this has culminated in some very impressive audience statistics, many of which have exceeded the targets set by the audience development plan. The overall satisfaction level is one of the biggest indicators of how well the project is progressing and Devonport Park set an ambitious target of 75 per cent. This was particularly ambitious considering in 2007 the satisfaction level was at only 19 per cent. Last year this had risen significantly to 45 per cent which still left a way to go to meet their target. However, this year’s data shows that the satisfaction level has increased to 76 per cent, which is a huge rise over the three years and has met their high target.
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