Dean Castle and Country Park. Business Plan. January 2015

Transcription

1 Dean Castle and Country Park Business Plan January

2 CONTENTS PART 1: BACKGROUND AND SCOPE Executive Summary Outline of the Project Work being undertaken by other Project Teams Scope of the Business Plan... 9 PART 2: SITE SIGNIFICANCE AND CONTEXT Context Where We Are Now Significance of the Site Existing Threats to the Heritage of the Site Wider Project Benefits PART 3: 2021 VISION Where will we be by The Concept The Market The Management Operational and Revenue Finance Branding and Marketing Stakeholder and Community Support PART 4: AUDIENCE PROFILE National Trends The 2012 Scotland Visitor Survey The 2013 Dean Castle Country Park Survey The Growing Importance of Empty Nesters and Singles Potential Visitors from Home Potential Visitors from a Holiday Base Educational Group Markets Barriers to Access Conclusions PART 5: COMPARABLE AND COMPETING ATTRACTIONS

3 27. Country Parks and Nature Based Attractions Other Parks/ Gardens with Heritage and Visitor Facilities Conclusions PART 6: VISITOR PROJECTIONS The Challenge in Predicting Visitor Numbers The Impact of the Pricing Model Estimates Based on Penetration Rates of the Main Market Sectors Comparison to Other Attractions Fluctuations PART 7: ACTION PLAN AND FINANCIAL PLAN FOR DELIVERING THE RURAL LIFE OBJECTIVES Introduction Action Plan Capital Costs and Funding Sources Year Revenue Estimates PART 8: ACTION PLAN AND FINANCIAL PLAN FOR DELIVERING CULTURAL HERITAGE OBJECTIVES Introduction Action Plan Capital Costs and Funding Sources Year Revenue Estimates PART 9: ACTION PLAN AND FINANCIAL PLAN FOR DELIVERING THE HERITAGE LEGACY OBJECTIVES Introduction Action Plan Capital Costs and Funding Sources Year Revenue Estimates PART 10: ACTION PLAN AND FINANCIAL PLAN FOR DELIVERING ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF DEAN CASTLE AND COUNTRY PARK Introduction Action Plan Capital Costs and Funding Sources Year Revenue Estimates PART 11: FINANCIAL PLAN OVERVIEW Hours of Operation

4 52. Funding Overview Year Revenue Projections (excluding capital costs and 5 year grant aided activity costs) Breakeven / Financial Risk PART 12: PROJECT DELIVERY Operational Team PART 13: PROJECT TIMETABLE PART 14: RISK REGISTER APPENDIX 1: SWOT ANALYSIS APPENDIX 2: PATHWAY TO OUTDOOR LEARNING Introduction to Outdoor Learning Policy Context Current Provision Future Provision: A Pathway Approach Who Do We Need To Involve APPENDIX 3: DEAN CASTLE AND COUNTRY PARK MARKETING ACTION PLAN

5 PART 1: BACKGROUND AND SCOPE 1. Executive Summary The Dean Castle and Country Park (DCCP) Business Plan has been prepared to support the various aspects of the project which will seek external funding of over 6 million. It has been designed to fully integrate with East Ayrshire Leisure s Business Plan which is reviewed annually. The aim of the DCCP project is to create a nationally significant heritage visitor attraction in the heart of South West Scotland that will contribute to the regeneration of Kilmarnock and the wider region. The Business Plan identifies areas that will grow income streams and make our programmes and activities more financially viable within the timeframe of the Business Plan. This is set within the context of continuing to provide free access to many of our current programmes including entry to the Castle and Country Park. Customer satisfaction surveys over the years and increasing visitor numbers tell us that the Castle and Country Park are highly valued by customers and services and facilities are perceived to give very good value for money. The castle is a major museum and visitor attraction in the region and the country park comprises some of the area s finest countryside and is in itself an example of sustainability, having had former industrial uses, which the Council has transformed into a valued community asset. Throughout the development of this project and as we pursue this plan, it is essential that we retain this customer focus. This Business Plan shows how we will operate and grow this visitor attraction and help it become a major centre for Scottish tourism, featuring a dynamic mix of cultural, industrial and rural heritage facilities and activities, underpinned by quality learning experiences. As a result of the development we will help in the regeneration of Kilmarnock and the wider region. It will create a unique experience of high quality that will celebrate Scottish Life, past and present. The Business Plan points us to the period when the project delivery has been completed and to the future operational activities that will turn our vision into a reality. The project has been built around key sustainability factors surrounding, staffing, funding and likely income generation capability around aspects of the new development. The investment has allowed us to be creative, realistic and ambitious. 5

6 2. Outline of the Project The overall vision for the Dean Castle and Country Park Development Project is to create a 5 star visitor attraction which will maximise the opportunities that the site has to encourage visitors to participate in, appreciate and value their local heritage. In line with East Ayrshire Leisure s Business Plan and reflected in the Action Plans and Management and Development Plan for DCCP, this vision will be realised through the development of four aims: Aim 1: To restore key aspects of the historic designed landscape creating a sympathetic setting for the Castle and built features which is respectful of the past whilst contemporary in design, encouraging greater appreciation of our local heritage. This aim includes the creation of a workshop area for a stonemason training programme, collection conservation and the Dean Castle Textile Team. These buildings are currently being used as estate workshops which significantly detract from the setting of the Castle. The buildings are prone to flooding and vandalism and need to be upgraded to protect their historic features. The proposal is transfer all estate facilities to a more discreet area of the Country Park. This aspect of the business is being developed as part of the Castle Development Programme and is not part of the Parks for People Project. It also includes the restoration of the Edwardian Landscape which makes up the setting for the Castle, Dower House and Laundry House. This includes restoration of Lady Howard De Walden s Pinetum, the graveyard and the planting around the key historical buildings. Other outputs associated with this aim are: Restoration of the designed landscape of the formal gardens through the implementation of formal garden designs in keeping with the historic landscape. This will include the uncovering and restoration of an old well. Extension of the existing education pack to include social and cultural heritage 6

7 Aim 2: To develop a centre for rural life which provides opportunities for recreation and education within a rural setting whilst reflecting on modern and traditional industries, farming and conservation practices. This aim will focus on the restoration and redevelopment of the current building, which will provide the base for the Countryside Development team. This area of the Country Park attracts the greatest number of visitors, but is focused on a petting zoo, picnic area and adventure playarea. The aim of this centre is to promote and interpret the history of rural life in Ayrshire whilst integrating modern sustainable green building technologies. To meet this aim, the project will also include the implementation of smaller conservation projects to raise the awareness of traditional skills and to allow visitors to develop these skills. Aim 3: To conserve and enhance the landscape value of Dean Castle and Country Park by introducing proactive and innovative management which will improve the recreational and educational opportunities whilst encouraging greater biodiversity The main focus of this aim is the redevelopment of the existing Visitor Centre into a Centre for Educational Excellence and a Visitor Orientation Hub. This will include an education room, an upgraded lecture theatre and residential accommodation for conservation holidays, outward bound school trips and private lets. It will also include a more visible and attractive café and a more accessible and informative orientation point for all visitors to the Country Park. The aim will also look at the proactive management of the woodland resource through a programme of felling, thinning and planting, the creation of a lagoon system and implementation of a water vole reintroduction programme. Construction of 6km of path will also be included to allow greater responsible access to the woodlands and to provide better connections to other local attractions including Craufurdland Castle and the Whitelee Windfarm. 7

8 Aim 4: To modernise and restore the castle and collections, providing greater access and interpretation around the visitor experience. The main focus for this aim is to conserve the stonework and roof areas of the castle and to enhance the interpretation and display of the Castle interior. Central to future developments will be increased access to collections and to areas of the castle. It also allows us to conserve key collections to allow greater public access. The revised operating arrangements will allow greater interaction with our world famous collections, an annual exhibition/redisplay programme and integrated education programmes, all linked to the visit to the castle. This project will be subject to funding bid to HLF. Historic Scotland have pledged support for the project. East Ayrshire Council has already committed significant funds to supporting the project bid and is separate from the Parks for People Programme. 3. Work being undertaken by other Project Teams As part of the project development and delivery stage a range of critical work streams have been and created and will be fully developed in the coming months. These key pieces of work have informed the plan and as they are completed will allow us to revisit and update as appropriate. Key areas of work included to date: Design and Build Plan Biodiversity Action Plan Access Action Plan Conservation Management Plan Activity Plan Interpretation + Display Plan (complete when castle element is added) Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy The Business Plan development team worked closely with all the various project teams to ensure that our future operational plan reflects the findings from the specialist research that was carried out. 8

9 4. Scope of the Business Plan The Business Plan presents all areas of the Dean Castle and Country Park as a coherent operating framework. It outlines how we will deploy staff, and make the visitor attraction financially sustainable. This is set within the context of a challenging period for the public sector where services are being reduced or cut back. Rationale The project is designed to maximise the opportunities that Dean Castle and Country Park has to encourage visitors to participate in, appreciate and value their local heritage. Dean Castle and Country Park is an important asset to the local community and is increasingly becoming popular with UK and overseas visitors. When visitors get a glimpse of what is on offer at the Castle and Country Park they are amazed and surprised. The Country Park has often been referred to as a 'Hidden Gem'. It is already a major attraction but with the restoration and enhancement of existing buildings and focus on the important heritage and natural features of the estate we will be able to make it better able to cope with the increased visitor traffic. The project also includes extensive habitat management to protect and enhance the ancient woodland within the site, as well as more comprehensive interpretation and education. Benefits There are very considerable public benefits to be derived from well managed cultural and natural attractions, including; health and well-being benefits, education, biodiversity, tourism, business and community ventures within the Country Park, partnerships, volunteering and skills development. Public parks, cultural facilities and greenspaces are a vital element in the Scottish Government and East Ayrshire Council s drive to support and support community development. The development of Dean Castle and Country Park is closely aligned to the East Ayrshire Community Plan and bringing benefits to local people and visitors to the area. Risks, Threats or Barriers This business plan outlines the potential risks, threats and barriers associated with this project. A detailed SWOT analysis will be carried out for each aspect of the project and this will inform our future travel. 9

10 Key Stakeholders The document will outline the key stakeholders involved in the development and future management of the project and their role. Analysis of Customers This section of the Plan aligns closely to the Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy for the development of the project. In 1997 a system for estimating visitor numbers was developed based on manual counts and customer surveys. The methodology employed, gathered electronic visit information for access to visitor centre and multiplier of three was applied to provide an indicative figure. The Castle has a hand click count taken by Visitor Service Assistant. This provides an accurate figure, which has been fully audit tested. The data gathered for both park and castle has allowed us to measure the trend in visitor numbers. Dean Castle and Country Park visitor numbers have been included in the Moffat Centre Visitor Attraction Monitor since This allows an element of benchmarking in terms of visitor attractions in the region and visitor attractions in the sector. The castle figures form part of our Scottish Government s Museum indicators and is benchmarked across Scotland. 10

11 Analysis of competition The competitive landscape for the project will also be explored particularly looking at the strengths and weaknesses of direct and indirect competitors and the competitive strengths and weaknesses of this project. In Scotland there are 50 designated country parks. This includes the regional and national parks and various private and public estates. A benchmarking exercise has been carried out to determine the facilities and services offered by each of these country parks, their visitor numbers and the income streams. A similar exercise has been carried out with outdoor activity centres and other key heritage sites. How we differentiate or make ourselves distinctive is important. It is clear however that we have an incredibly strong offer from both a cultural and natural heritage perspective. The cultural offer across Ayrshire and South West Scotland is also competitive but the strength of East Ayrshire s offer lies in the fact that it is free and open all year round. It is also supported by a range of other cultural and countryside offers operated by East Ayrshire Leisure. The castle is seen as being central to this offer and provides a valuable tourist asset that supports and enhances other attractions. Marketing Plan The Marketing Plan for the Dean Castle and Country Park is fully incorporated into the Marketing Plan of East Ayrshire Leisure (Appendix 3). The accompanying Action Plan outlines in detail the measures that we will take to achieve the objectives set out in this Business Plan. The Marketing Plan explains our strategies for cross selling and promotion across the Trust s areas of business and highlight the ways in which we will define our target market and engage audiences/visitors from out with East Ayrshire whilst also sustaining and growing our loyal local visitor/user numbers. Key focus areas specific to the Dean Castle and Country Park are: 1. Analysis of current users 2. Strategies for sustaining and enhancing current usage/visits 3. Strategies for targeting new users/visitors from out with East Ayrshire 4. Annual impact surveys 11

12 Anticipated Financial Impact The Plan has two elements: the project delivery phase and the operating phase. The delivery phase presents the team with many challenges and will revolve around managing loss of income due to closure. The operating phase takes us to the period that we can start implementing the vision outlined in the Plan and promote what will become a new and improved visitor attraction. The operating Business Plan creates a framework that will deliver on our sustainability agenda both from a financial and environmental perspective. PART 2: SITE SIGNIFICANCE AND CONTEXT 5. Context In December 2012, East Ayrshire Council received a first round pass in the Heritage Lottery Fund s Parks for People Programme. This pass provided a grant to develop a 4.1 million project for Dean Castle and Country Park. A project team was established consisting of internal and external specialists to pull together all aspects of the project which would lead to a successful second round application. In July 2013, East Ayrshire Leisure was established and took over Project Management of the initiative on behalf of East Ayrshire Council including the preparation of an Outline Business Case for the proposals. East Ayrshire Council Corporate Infrastructure Services will Project Manage the implementation of the capital programme for the project. East Ayrshire Leisure manages the DCCP and castle on behalf of East Ayrshire Council whilst the ownership remains with the Council. This Business Plan will be reviewed annually. 6. Where We Are Now Dean Castle and Country Park is the only Country Park in the local authority area of East Ayrshire. It is situated on the northern edge of Kilmarnock with good pedestrian and cycle networks connecting to the town centre and neighbouring communities. It is a very urban greenspace with housing estates on 3 edges and close links to local schools and community groups. It extends to 80 hectares. 12

13 The Country Park is made up of formal gardens, amenity planted woodland, semi natural woodland, ancient woodland, standing water, riparian corridors and farmland. It is split into three distinctive but interconnected areas: Cultural Heritage, focusing on the formal and designed gardens which form the setting for the 14th Century Castle and associated buildings; Rural Life, which encourages visitors to explore the wilder parts of the Country Park demonstrating all aspects of rural life; Industrial Heritage, which allows us to explore the rich and diverse industrial history of the estate. Within the estate, there are five key buildings. The Visitor Centre houses the gift shop, auditorium and tearoom and is the base for the Countryside Development Team. The Dower House provides offices for service management and is also East Ayrshire Council's premier conference centre. The 14th century castle is the focal point for the Country Park. Free daily tours are offered of the unique collections of armour, weaponry, tapestries and musical instruments. The Laundry Houses at the back of the castle provide workshops for estate ground staff and museum conservation teams. The Field Centre, originally quarryman's houses is the base for the Urban Farm. Within the East Ayrshire Open Space Strategy it is classified as type one: parks and gardens in line with the NPPG17. Dean Castle and Country Park is a free facility. Dean Castle is a Category A listed group of buildings including The Keep and Palace. The Keep dates from the late 14 th to early 15 th century and The Palace from the 15 th century. The Castle burnt down in Restoration took place during 1905, although the ruined building stood with the stonework mainly intact up to this point. Further and more extensive conservation work took place between 1933 through to 1937 by the 8 th Lord Howard de Walden. The Castle and world famous collections were then gifted to Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council in Significance of the Site In 1974, a policy and priorities investigation was undertaken throughout the then Kilmarnock and Loudoun District under section 173 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act It was discovered that there was a shortfall of approximately 340 acres of open space and amenity areas within the district. It was therefore suggested that some of this shortfall be made up with the creation of a District Park. About this time, Lord Howard de Walden was in the process of gifting Dean Castle with 40 acres surrounding the Castle to the Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council to be preserved and managed for the benefit of the citizens of Kilmarnock and the general public, as subjects of outstanding historic or architectural or aesthetic interest. The castle and collections were gifted in its entirety. 13

14 While the District Council was considering the creation of a District Park, the Countryside Commission for Scotland s revised information sheet 4, a policy for Country Parks was also studied and as a result, a survey of this type of development was undertaken throughout Ayrshire and Western Scotland. Preliminary talks were held with the Countryside Commission for Scotland, the Nature Conservancy Council, the Scottish Tourist Board, the Scottish Sports Council, the Forestry Commission and various other national bodies and representatives of Strathclyde Regional Council. On 21st December 1977 the Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council accepted the recommendation that a Country Park should be established at Dean, centred on the Castle and 40 acres of woodland. Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council extended the Country Park by purchasing additional land. The Country Park now extends to 80 hectares and is now managed by East Ayrshire Leisure on behalf of East Ayrshire Council. Dean Castle and Country Park was designated as Scotland's 14th Country Park in After departmental reorganisation in 2010, a draft conservation and development management plan for the Country Park was prepared and after community consultation was approved by Council and published as part of the Country Park's 30th anniversary celebrations in The Country Park is host to over 80 free public events every year which in 2012 attracted over 16,000 visitors. Also in 2012, over 18,000 school pupil visits were arranged and the visitor numbers exceeded 1 million. According to the Moffat Centre's barometer for monitoring visitor attractions, in 2012 Dean Castle and Country Park was the most visited Country Park in Scotland and in the top 10 most visited free visitor attractions. The Moffat Centre has worked on behalf of VisitScotland to compile the national statistical performance indicators of the country's cultural tourism attractions for the last 10 years. The annual Visitor Attraction Monitor supplies detailed data on around 700 participating Scottish attractions. Dean Castle and Country Park is a 4 star visitor attraction. In 2010, Scotland saw a decline on visitor numbers of 4.6% and in Ayrshire and Arran this figure was even more disappointing with a decrease of 21.2%. However, the national trend demonstrated that the category of outdoor attractions, which the Dean Castle and Country Park is classified under, had a positive outlook with a 10% rise in visitor numbers. Dean Castle and Country Park's figures increased by 114%. 14

15 Throughout the Country Park are buildings whose history can be traced back to the 14th and 15th Centuries, the focal point being the Castle and Dower House. The Keep was built about 1360 and the Palace and Courtyard Walls in the 1460s. The existence of the estate as a feudal unit can safely be assumed to have started in the late 12th or early 13th Century. The earliest extant Charter is of Robert I in 1316, by which he gave the lands of Kilbride and Kilmarnock, forfeited by John Balliol, to Robert Boyd. The Boyds had until then been small time lairds in the Largs area, but rose to great prominence because of their support of Robert the Bruce. The Castle was built by the Boyds. In 1734, the Castle was damaged by fire and much of it fell into ruin. However, parts of it remained in use as a residence by the Boyds and when they sold the estate to the Earl of Glencairn in 1748, this practice continued. The Gatehouse remained intact but early illustrations show the Palace roofless in the late 18th and early 19th Century. The Dower House to the west of the Castle was built between 1800 and Several of the built features within the estate make up a group of A listed buildings including Dean Bridge, Dean Castle, The Lodge House and the Boundary Wall. The Dower House and associated buildings are B listed. The Country Park also has a Pinetum dating from This was designed and stocked by Hilliers and was closely associated to the pinetum developed at Knoydart. The Pinetum was swamped by spruce planting in the 1970s and only 50 of the original trees exist. Restoration and expansion of the pinetum began in 2010 and has proven to be a very popular community initiative with over 100 trees being sponsored and taken care of by visitors. Other historical built features within the Country Park include the family graveyard where Lady Howard de Walden and her mother are buried, The Motte and Bailey which is thought to be the site of the original Kilmarnock Castle and the Walled Garden which is managed as a community allotment. There is also an old well towards the entrance of the Country Park and several ha ha walls. In early days part of the policies were used to extract coal and some early examples of this remain. When these operations ceased, the area was grazed by domestic stock. Over the last 40 years it has been over planted with conifers. Vast quarry operations were taking place throughout the middle of the 19th Century when stone, coal and fireclay were extracted. The quarry had been operational in one form or another since the stone to build the keep at the Castle was extracted in In 1872, the effective economic life of the quarry came to an end and so it was flooded and landscaped to create an ornamental lake. It was drained in 1900 and quarrying operations were again started, but during the First World War, it was again flooded and it remained that way until 1950 when it was infilled with ash and over planted with larch. Only a small part of this area is still covered in larch. In the 1980s much of it was harvested to create a recreational area with small paddocks for domestic animals, a field centre which provides the base for the urban farm and the Quarry Pond. 15

16 The Country Park extends to 80 hectares and is designated as a Listed Wildlife Site within the Scottish Wildlife Trust's inventory of important sites for natural heritage. Of these 80 hectares, nearly 30 have been designated as Ancient Woodland within the Inventory of Semi Natural and Native Woodlands. Despite being a very urban environment, the Park provides excellent opportunities for wildlife photography and watching. Dean Castle and Country Park has witnessed a number of land use techniques over many centuries which have led to a moderately complex mosaic of habitats in a relatively small area. The 80 hectares still has evidence of ancient woodland shown through historical maps and databases and through the existence of ancient woodland indicative plant species such as wood anemone and wood sorrel. This landscape has been shaped over the years by historical planting fashions associated with the owners of the estate. Many of these features still exist in the more formal part of the Country Park and are obvious by the presence of lime tree avenues, individual and specimen shrubs and trees that were planted for their showiness or uniqueness, walkways and viewing points. Built on this is the abundance of soft wood plantations that were once planted for their timber value, but have never been harvested and have been left to go wild with an understorey of bramble. This mosaic coupled with the urban nature of the Country Park has limited the presence of rare or notable biological species. However, it does not limit the diversity of species including a huge variety of nesting and migrating birds, a wealth of aquatic and land invertebrates, amphibians and mammals. This variety of species makes it an ideal place for visitors to enjoy being close to nature and to learn about the plants and animals around them. As outlined previously, there are a number of different habitats present in a relatively small area. Hedgerows around the formal grounds tend to be primarily made up of beech in keeping with the designed landscape of the historical estate. However, as you move away from the formal grounds the hedges are wilder and more in keeping with agricultural practices and include a range of trees including hawthorn, blackthorn and wild rose. The 2 river courses through the Country Park, the Craufurdland Water and the Fenwick Water join at the meetings to form the Kilmarnock Water. The quality of the watercourses is high with a good mix of riparian habitat including open banks, woodland and rush. There are currently four standing water bodies within the Country Park, all of which are small. There is a remote wildlife pond which is not accessible to the general public and plays host to a great variety of invertebrates including dragonfly and damselfly species, as well as newts, frogs and toads. There is a small conservation pond which is primarily used in the spring and summer for pond dipping with schools and other groups. Although this pond has a range of aquatic species, its size results in it drying up relatively early in the season. The third very small pond lies in the fenced cottage garden connected to the east of the castle. Despite its small size, this pond is very rich in aquatic life and provides a good resource 16

17 for environmental education. The final standing water body is the quarry pond. This pond is the largest and deepest by far of all the ponds. It has no inlet or outlet and as such the water level fluctuates significantly throughout the year. The Quarry Pond is a popular attraction with the general public due the resident mallard and other domesticated duck populations. It is also popular with the breeding herons that wade around the edges. Many species of invertebrates from small aquatic larvae to large moths and dragonflies have been recorded. As it is unlikely that an observer would see more than 25% of the species in any one year, the estimated number could be in excess of 3,000. Dean Castle and Country Park has a significant population of the rare orange spot ladybird. Butterflies such as Green-Veined White, Peacock and Red Admiral abound in the areas where wild flowers have been allowed to flourish. Dragonflies such as the Large Hawker hunt the streams and pools together with the dainty damselflies. These are also found along the river. Beetles abound in the woodland and a variety of other species are found on the open grassland. Birds and animals especially rely on this food chain, as a considerable number exist in and around the park or pass through it at times. Some 367 different species of plants have been recorded from the huge and impressive Common Beech to the tiny speedwells Sweet and Horse Chestnut occur in the park as do Hazel, Hawthorn, Rowan and several species of Oak. There are rushes, several willowherbs and a host of different grasses. Plants with names like Opposite- Leaved Golden Saxifrage delight those who enjoy a variety in plant hunting. Over forty species of fungi have been recorded, from the bracket fungi that grow out from the trunks and bases of trees, mushrooms on the pasture land, to the many varieties that grow from the woodland floor. Dean Castle and Country Park is an ideal site for bird watching. Great Spotted Woodpeckers search the trees for food. Tree creepers search the mature trees, climbing mouse-like up the trunks. The wren is a common breeding bird in the Country Park competing with other songbirds such as Blackbird and Song Thrush. Rooks, Crows, Magpies and Jackdaws are common with the more occasional Raven making a regular appearance. Blue and Great Tits, Long-Tailed and Coal Tits are also present. The delightful Goldcrest, with its high-pitched squeak, searches the conifers for food. Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs enjoy the environment of woodland clearings and hedgerow to search for insects. Greenfinches, Bullfinches and Chaffinches are common and Goldfinches are plentiful when thistle seeds abound. Stock Dove and Wood Pigeon are common. The bright blue flash of Kingfisher s wings is often seen over the water. Common Buzzard, Sparrow Hawk and Kestrels frequent the area. Tawny Owls hunt the mice and voles by night 17

18 Mammal life is considerable and varied. Hedgehogs are around but are by no means plentiful. Bank and Common Voles, together with Shrews are more often heard than seen, scuttling in the undergrowth. Wood Mice are fairly common and prevalent throughout, as are the smaller carnivores such as the Weasel and Stoats that live on them. Moles are found in the woods and the grassland. Foxes and Badgers frequent the park. At dusk and dawn Daubenton s bats hunt the water just above the surface of the pond and rivers. Brown Long Eared, Pipistrelles and Natterers can be seen in the clearings and the rarer noctule bat has been recorded. Grey Squirrels are plentiful causing losses to bird life and damage to trees. Otter spraints or droppings have been found along the river. 8. Existing Threats to the Heritage of the Site In 2011, a Management and Development Plan was adopted by East Ayrshire Council for Dean Castle and Country Park. This was developed through extensive community consultation with staff, visitors and locals and is underpinned by an extended phase 1 habitat survey and building audit. The management plan identified several issues which potentially could threaten the value of the site. Although nearly 30 hectares of the Country Park are included in the Ancient Woodland Inventory, from 1910 and up until the start of the Second World War an extensive planting programme was undertaken, creating plantations of single species. Mixed soft wood planting was carried out throughout the estate leaving only remnants of the ancient woodland resource. This extensive planting of non native species and the lack of proactive management has led to the decline in the integrity of the native woodland. Through a programme of tree felling, thinning, underplanting and woodland extension, the woodland will become more dynamic in ecological terms. The other main issue that has been highlighted is the deterioration of the buildings and the pressure that increased visitor numbers is having on them. When the Country Park was established in 1981 visitor numbers barely exceeded 20,000. Major renovations took place in 1995 to create better visitor facilities, but even at this time numbers were only 50,000. Now with over 1 million visitors there is a distinct need for investment to protect the heritage of the estate. During the past two years The Keep area of the castle has experienced varying degrees of water penetration through one of its facing walls. This has been an issue that the Collection Care Team/Corporate Infrastructure Property Officers at East Ayrshire Council/Leisure have managed. As this became more of an issue and was further compounded by mortar sections flaking off the walls, East Ayrshire Council 18

19 commissioned a full and comprehensive stonework and lime mortar survey, to determine the cause of the problem and recommend a solution for this critically important building. This become a significant area of concern and urgent restoration work has been undertaken to ensure that collections can continue to be displayed in this important heritage site. The 2011 VisitScotland assessment highlighted the buildings and in particular the toilet facilities as the only negative feature within the Country Park, although it did make comment on the opportunities for improved interpretation. 9. Significance of Collections The Castle publicly displays and stores a series of highly impressive objects of international significance. The collections held within Dean Castle represent well over 150 years of collecting. For any local authority these collections can be regarded as extraordinarily varied and of incredible importance and kudos. The National Audit of 2001 placed East Ayrshire s collections in the top 20 of the largest collections of international, UK and national significance in Scotland (including the National museums who selected East Ayrshire Council as their strategic partner due to the strength and depth of the collections held by the authority). The collections at Dean Castle therefore represent not only an incredible resource, the foremost draw in terms of tourism to the town and an enhancement to Kilmarnock s international reputation, but it also embodies an unrivalled cultural legacy towards which East Ayrshire Council has a duty of care to ensure that it can remain a source of pride to the generations of local people who will inherit it. 10. Wider Project Benefits In 2004 the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) categorised almost 20% of the population of East Ayrshire as deprived - the sixth highest local authority in Scotland. In terms of access, East Ayrshire is the second most deprived area in the West of Scotland. More recently, the 2006 SIMD has reported that the proportion of East Ayrshire s population defined as deprived has reduced slightly to 18%. Nonetheless, East Ayrshire is still the eighth highest in Scotland. Levels of social deprivation in East Ayrshire underline the importance of high quality and accessible greenspaces. Ayrshire benefits from having an attractive and high quality environment. The landscape character, biodiversity, natural environment, historic, and cultural heritage of the area all provide a sense of place and local distinctiveness. The care of the processes that contribute to excellence 19

20 in the environment, such as good air and water quality, can cumulatively also support quality of life. As pressures on the environment evolve and increase, the need to manage change requires a more direct approach to safeguard and enhance the diversity of local environments. Recent research has found that natural environments offer low-cost preventative and remedial opportunities for public health. Good health initiatives are now understood to be crucial in controlling healthcare costs and East Ayrshire Council has developed a number of programmes to promote healthier lifestyles. The Country Park provides a pleasant and accessible setting for combating the effects of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, such as obesity, high blood pressure and depression. Dean Castle and Country Park is alive every day with people jogging, walking, cycling and even working with personal trainers. As one of Scotland's most visited attractions, Dean Castle and Country Park provides a place for escape and learning for people throughout Central and Southern Scotland. It allows people to feel as if they are in the countryside and experiencing nature, whilst in the middle of a very urban environment. Improved transport links to Kilmarnock make the country park and castle far more accessible to a wider audience. However, increased rain, storm damage and flooding, increased visitor numbers and undermanaged woodland has led to the degradation of this important natural resource. The management plan aims to bring the Country Park into more proactive management, encouraging biodiversity enhancement, sustainable forestry, renewable energy, transport management and recycling. Involving the community in all of these initiatives will increase awareness and encourage appreciation. The loss of Diageo as a major employer in the area has contributed significantly to the economic status and viability of Kilmarnock. Dean Castle and Country Park has a major role to play in the regeneration of the town across the four interconnecting themes for economic transformation; Kilmarnock Vibrant Heart - creating a town centre that is lively, attractive and safe for residents; Business Nurture - developing a business community that is engaged, encouraged, accommodated and respected; Education Innovation - creating a lifelong learning community with unique opportunities and first class facilities for study; Visitor Attraction - developing a high quality visitor experience based on heritage, culture, shopping and hospitality. 20

21 Dean Castle and Country Park has a role to play in all of these by providing green and blue corridor links in and out of the town centre, by providing opportunities for small to medium local enterprise, by making further links to the Curriculum for Excellence and supporting the needs of primary, secondary and tertiary education providers and by providing a very high quality cultural and heritage experience. Dean Castle and Country Park also contributes significantly to the Central Scotland Green Network vision where By 2050, Central Scotland has been transformed into a place where the environment adds value to the economy and where people s lives are enriched by its quality. Published in 2011, the Central Scotland Green Network Vision document recognises the importance of the quality of the physical environment to the target of sustainable economic growth. It recognises that if Central Scotland is to be successful in encouraging people and businesses to stay in or come to the area, its environment, both urban and rural, must be improved. With increasing levels of personal and business mobility, having a region that is economically competitive with other parts of Britain and Europe has never been more important. The physical environment must and will play a vital role in that competitiveness. The vision for Central Scotland is also based on the important contribution that the environment can make to the lives of everyone who lives here. A good-quality environment offers opportunities for promoting a sense of well-being, a healthy lifestyle, active travel (encouraging walking and cycling to school, shops or work instead of driving), and safe and successful communities. Building on what has already been achieved, the aim is to deliver across Central Scotland a high-quality green network that will meet environmental, social and economic goals designed to improve people s lives, promote economic success, allow nature to flourish and help Scotland respond to the challenge of climate change. As Ayrshire's top tourist attraction, the Country Park has an important role to play in the Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Strategy which was launched on the 14th February The strategy outlines ambitious plans to grow the value of the industry in the area over the next 5 years. With plans to increase visitor spend by 70 million, visitor numbers by 350,000 and to increase employment supported by the sector by 900 jobs, the Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Strategy is the result of strong collaboration, building consensus amongst stakeholders on the future direction and priorities of the sector. The Countryside Development Team over the last 5 years has led the way in terms of environmental education. In 2009, the service developed a new education programme which was based on the Curriculum for Excellence for Scottish Schools. This programme includes 70 lesson plans on a range of natural and social topics including Victorian Landscapes, Adopting Local Greenspaces, Human Impact on the 21

22 Environment and a range of ecological topics. This pack is now used by schools throughout Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Glasgow. It provides the basis for school pupil visits to the Country Park and was used for over 18,000 young people from schools in The Collection Care Team has been responsible for looking after and displaying one of Scotland s most diverse and important local museum service collections. During the past 10 years they have successfully refurbished all of our museums and created a service area that has been consistently ranked as being in the top four services in Scotland. The service has been committed to innovation and in recent years through with our partners in the south west Scotland have established and ran the highly successful online collection website that attracts over 200,000 visits each year. PART 3: 2021 VISION 11. Where will we be by 2021 By 2021, Dean Castle and Country Park will be a 5 star visitor attraction which will maximise the opportunities that the site has to encourage visitors to participate in, appreciate and value their local natural, social and cultural heritage By 2021, Dean Castle and Country Park: Will be a nationally important 5 star visitor attraction which contributes significantly to the regeneration of the region Will provide exemplary habitat management which will enhance the biodiversity and landscape Will tell the story the natural, social and cultural heritage of the area in an inspirational, innovative and creative way Will provide a centre for educational excellence supporting the needs of nursery, primary, secondary and tertiary educational establishments Will provide opportunities for skills development in a range of rural skills and crafts Will promote local and regional SMEs through partnership working in the food, craft and countryside networks Will encourage active and passive recreational pursuits to encourage dynamic and healthy lifestyles 22

23 12. The Concept The concept is to create a 5 star visitor attraction that will conserve and interpret the natural, cultural and social heritage of the area and use them to create an outstanding facility in a high quality landscape. Instead of being a recreation of a fixed point in time, it will celebrate Ayrshire Rural and Cultural Life past and present. It will also have a vibrant social offer provided by an interactive event, education and training programme, innovative interpretation and a high quality catering facility that will give it mainstream appeal. The quality of the natural and built environment and the commercial elements of the project will be fully integrated and will be key to the overall regeneration of the area. Dean Castle and Country Park will be a vibrant attraction which will provide a family friendly day out with a wide variety of activities for visitors of all ages and abilities. The expectations of visitors have become more sophisticated and the Country Park will reflect this through the quality of facilities on offer and the range of activities that we will programme. 13. The Market It is anticipated that Dean Castle and Country Park will attract a greater diversity of market segments than it currently does. Families are and will continue to be a core audience. The Country Park will have enough critical mass of activities to attract families with older children and will also provide a safe, clean and welcoming environment that will appeal to younger families. In addition, it will also have considerable appeal to an older audience, especially the baby boomer generation that constitutes the increasingly large and important empty nester demographic segment; providing a heady mix of nature, recreation, culture, heritage and good food and drink. Bringing these visitor groups together presents the Dean Castle and Country Park with a significant audience development opportunity for the future. Only about a third of households nationally have children in them and this is declining. The older market by contrast is both growing and has a higher level of discretionary spend. Dean Castle and Country Park will also attract heritage visitors, people who are enthusiastic about nature, genealogy and history. Amongst them will, unquestionably, be visitors from abroad who are drawn to the heritage of the site and beautiful surroundings. Added to this will be visitors with a love of outdoor pursuits who will be attracted by the range of opportunities and activities provided by the path network and landscape. 23

24 It is also likely that the Country Park will continue to attract a large proportion of local people who use the park for walking, socialising, exercising and just getting some fresh air. The area from which these local people are attracted will be widened by the diverse and innovative programme of activities on offer. This range of visitors will make Dean Castle and Country Park a natural, social, cultural and recreational hub and will have an important impact in terms of secondary spend in the area. 14. The Management Dean Castle and Country Park will continue to be managed by East Ayrshire Leisure on behalf of East Ayrshire Council. There are two routes open to East Ayrshire Leisure in terms of how we manage our residential education space and the catering facilities of the site: to run it all ourselves or to contract various operations to another organisation, either through a management contract or a lease arrangement. Our Plan is that we contract out the catering for the delivery phase of the operation and then take this in house when we enter post-delivery. Either way, East Ayrshire Leisure will retain control of the entire site and vision and will decide what activities and tenants /operators are appropriate, whilst ensuring that the conservation, educational and interpretative aspects of the vision remain to the fore. 15. Operational and Revenue Finance The projections made in this business plan suggest that the Dean Castle and Country Park will be able to operate with its current level of subsidy, whilst expanding its reach. This is based on an assumption that the full capital costs are met with grant support and income is slowly increased each year of operation. The financial section of this plan is based on the assumption that East Ayrshire Leisure will operate the majority of the operations themselves with elements being leased to third party organisations or businesses when and if appropriate. 16. Branding and Marketing The branding for Dean Castle and Country Park will reflect the vision for the site and will be fully integrated into the East Ayrshire Leisure Marketing Plan. The financial plan linked to the capital programme includes a substantial budget for marketing and PR that will enable Dean Castle and Country Park to maintain a high profile across its main markets. 24

25 17. Stakeholder and Community Support Dean Castle and Country Park has an exceptional level of support from the community of East Ayrshire and beyond. The local community has demonstrated a clear demand for a high quality open space and access to cultural provision and the continued development of the site. It is envisaged that the management of Dean Castle and Country Park will be supported by a Friends Forum with community and stakeholder representatives with particular fields of interest and specialisms participating fully. Volunteer Development Group Heritage Development Group Activity Development Group Dean Castle and Country Park Friends Forum Education and Training Development Group Outdoor Access and Recreation Development Group Biodiversity Development Group 25

26 PART 4: AUDIENCE PROFILE This section of the plan analyses the market sectors from which Dean Castle and Country Park will attract its audiences and upon which visitor forecasts can be made. It also assesses the barriers that might deter audiences from visiting the Castle and Country Park and how they will be addressed. 18. National Trends In 2011 there were million tourism trips to Scotland (almost 7% up on 2010) and visitor spend was over 4.5 billion (almost 10% up on 2010). The domestic market accounts for 85% of tourism trips to Scotland, whilst overseas tourism accounts for 16% of tourism trips. The months of July to September are the most popular for holidays in Scotland amongst both GB and overseas visitors, when 31% of domestic trips are made and 41% of overseas trips are made where the USA as the biggest overseas market (accounting for 15% of the overseas spend). Average spend per night is for overseas tourists, for English tourists and for Scottish tourists. Volume and value of tourism in Scotland 2011 Country of Residence Trips 2011(m) % of total Nights 2011 (m) % of total Spend 2011 ( m) % of total % % % Scotland % % % England % % % Wales % % % Total GB Visitors % % % Total Overseas % % % Tourism in Scotland

27 Average Length of Stay and Spend 2011 Length of Stay (nights) Spend per Trip Spend per Night Scotland England Wales All GB All Overseas Average - All Visitors Tourism in Scotland 2011 The following table provides a summary of activities undertaken whilst on a tourist trip to Scotland. The table provides the percentage of tourists to Scotland who engaged in particular activities in 2011/12. Of particular interest is the percentage of people visiting gardens and park at 36% of visitors undertaking this activity. The existing and potential offer at Dean Castle and Country Park relates to this activity. However, it is worth noting the proportion of visitors who visited a visitor centre (33%), Museum (38%), Centre based walking (40%) and Trying Local Food (52%) as these will all be relevant for the Castle and Country Park. 27

28 Tourist Activities Undertaken Activity % General sightseeing by car/coach/on foot 52% Trying local food 52% Visited a historic house/stately home 47% Visited cities 47% Shopping 45% Centre based walking 40% Visited cathedrals/churches/abbeys 38% Visited museums/art galleries 38% Visited country park/garden 36% Longer walks (more than 2 miles) 35% Visited a visitor/heritage centre 33% Visited a beach 29% Visited a scenic/historic railway 29% Visited a whisky distillery 20% Went on a guided tour 20% Scotland Visitor Survey 2011/12 28

29 The table below highlights that around 45.3 million visitors were made to Scottish visitor attractions in By far the greatest number of these trips 28.8% (or 13.1m) was made to Scottish parks and gardens. The scale and scope on offer at parks/gardens, plus the tendency for them to offer free admission are factors in their popularity. Performance by Attraction Type Category %change 10/11 % change 06/12 Parks/Gardens 12,103,731 12,637,864 12,626,845 12,965,371 12,076,471 13,064, % 7.9% Heritage Centre 6,434,378 6,452,790 6,228,916 1,632,184 1,400,866 1,331, % n/a Castle / Fort 3,457,913 3,545,850 3,213,043 3,472,613 3,493,756 3,720, % 7.6% Historical House / Palace 1,354,063 1,375,356 1,251,910 1,508,884 1,484,882 1,524, % 12.6% Other Historic Property 641, , ,997 1,664,431 1,640,431 1,628, % n/a Scottish Visitor Attraction Monitor It is also important to look at the performance of these types of visitor attractions over a time period to determine a trend in performance. The table outlines the change in visitors from 2006 to 2011 at parks/gardens and historic sites. It should be noted that the analysis for the 2010 Scottish Visitor Attraction Monitor involved a change in the way that attractions were categorised. Heritage/visitor centres were split into three categories ( figures show Heritage Centres only) and Historic Monuments and Other Historic Properties merged into a single category ( figures reflect this merger). Therefore, latest two categories are not directly comparable, however the figures for 2010 and 2011 are. The above table highlights that parks/gardens have grown at a steady state over the period , although there was a fall between 2009 and 2010 of 6.8%. However, over the last six years the total percentage increase of 7.9% is greater than the 5.4% increase recorded across all Scottish visitor centres. Similarly, the increase in parks/gardens from 2010 to 2011 (8.2%) was greater than the average of all attractions (3.3%). 29

30 The following tables and charts provide further insight into the type of people visiting all attraction types across Scotland, looking specifically at visitor make-up and origin. Visitor Profile 2011 %Adults %Children Activity Attractions Wildlife/Animal Attractions Outdoors/Nature Attractions Transport-Related Attractions Other Historic Properties Museums/Art Galleries Industrial/Workplaces Heritage Centres Historic Houses/Palaces Scottish Crafts/Retail Attractions Places of Worship/Spiritual Attractions Gardens Castles/Forts Distilleries/Breweries/Wineries

31 The table below highlights that gardens and outdoor attractions have a higher proportion of domestic tourists, notably those from within the local (one hour drive) catchment. Similarly, gardens and outdoor attractions have a lower proportion of overseas visitors. The Castle s and museums have the ability to reach out and attract the visiting tourist and this presents opportunities for future growth and development in this area, allowing the Dean Castle and Country Park to have broad local and tourist appeal. Visitor Origin by Attraction Type % Locals % Other Scotland % Other UK % Overseas Distilleries/Breweries/Wineries Scottish Crafts/Retail Attractions Heritage Centres Castles/Forts Other Historic Properties Industrial/Workplaces Historic Houses/Palaces Places of Worship Activity Attractions Gardens Museums/Art Galleries Transport-Related Attractions Wildlife/Animal Attractions Outdoors/Nature Attractions

32 19. The 2012 Scotland Visitor Survey The 2012 Scotland Visitor Survey was conducted for VisitScotland by TNS with fieldwork from July to October. Over this period 1,427 overnight leisure visitors to Scotland were surveyed including 338 visitors to Ayrshire & Arran. The national tourism volume surveys (GB Tourism Survey and International Passenger Survey) recorded 0.78 million tourists visiting Ayrshire and Arran. This equates to around 5% of all visits taken to Scotland. 12% of visitors are from overseas with the largest proportions from the USA and Germany. The age profile of visitors to Ayrshire & Arran was 15% aged under 35, 39% between 35 and 54 and 46% aged 55 and over. Most visitors to Ayrshire & Arran describe their trip as being a visit based in a countryside location (33%) or touring Scotland (27%). 20. The 2013 Dean Castle Country Park Survey As part of the Monitoring and Evaluation section of the (HLF) funding process the project team looked at the existing profile of Kilmarnock and the areas surrounding the Dean Castle Country Park (DCCP). Kilmarnock has high levels of unemployment and social deprivation with the housing areas that border the DCCP being ranked highly in the Scottish Indices of Multiple Deprivation. The ethnic profile of East Ayrshire shows that over 98% of the local population define themselves as white. (Table 3a). This information allowed for comparison of a variety of demographics relating to ethnicity, gender, work status and age. From this it was possible to create a survey which would give comparative statistics of DCCP visitors. (Table 3). Survey Monkey was used to create a Visitor Survey that would enable the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. This initial generic Visitor Survey will be amended to assess other more specific criteria such as Educational Visits, Catering and Events. Initial face to face surveys were conducted on a voluntary basis by Ayr College students on visitors to DCCP during the Easter holidays. The survey was amended slightly for electronic responses and was then issued as a global link to all East Ayrshire staff and also to friends of the park through our Facebook page. Combined responses reached over 500 and included a list of people willing to be contacted in relation to any future plans for the park. Feedback and comments were also collated and analysed. 32

33 The questionnaire responses have been split in some cases to show comparisons between surveys received by and those completed face to face. The survey results in both sets of data show that nearly 90% of our visitors are already aware of the DCCP (Chart 1 and 1a) and come on short visits of up to 3hrs on average (Chart 2 and 2a). Over 50% of both survey groups travelled 5 miles or less to get here (Chart 3 and 3a) with the vast majority arriving by car or van (Chart 4 and 4a). Our demographics (Tables 1 7) show that in cases such as Ethnicity and Disability we are on par with the local average. Gender, Age and Work Stats splits may be an indication of survey bias as mentioned later in the report. SURVEY PAPER SURVEY 33

34 34

35 Tables 1 to 7 show our current demographics Summary of present Dean Castle Country Park visitor demographic Gender of DCCP visitors Table 1 Male 32.12% Female 67.88% Source: Dean Castle Country Park Visitor Survey

36 Age of DCCP visitors Table 2 under % % % % % % 65 or over 8.23% Source: Dean Castle Country Park Visitor Survey 2013 DCCP visitor ethnicity (Table 3) Ethnicity East Ayrshire (Table 3a) White Scottish 83.77% 94.22% Other white British 11.82% 3.94% White Irish 1.20% 0.57% Other white 0.80% 1.54% Asian 0.0% 0.26% 36

37 Chinese 0.0% 0.18% Black Scottish or other black 0.0% 0.02% Any mixed back ground 1.2% 0.25% Other ethnic group 1.2% 0.19% Source: Dean Castle Country Park Visitor Survey 2013 Source: National Records of Scotland (Census 2001), 2012 Visitors with a disability Table 4 Yes 4.21% No 94.99% Rather Not Say 0.80% Other (please specify) 0.40% Source: Dean Castle Country Park Visitor Survey 2013 Disability Table 5 Visual Impairment 16.67% Hearing Difficulty 5.56% Physical Difficulty 61.11% Learning Difficulty 16.67% 37

38 Other (please specify) 11.11% Source: Dean Castle Country Park Visitor Survey 2013 Present situation Table 6 Single 16.05% Living with partner 13.17% Married 59.26% Divorced/Separated 7.00% Widowed 1.44% Rather not say 3.09% Source: Dean Castle Country Park Visitor Survey 2013 Work status Table 7 Working full-time 61.30% Working part-time 20.67% Self-employed 2.64% Student 5.05% Unemployed 2.40% 38

39 Retired 7.93% Other (please specify) 2.16% 21. The Growing Importance of Empty Nesters and Singles The proportion of the population represented by older people is expanding at the expense of those who are younger. This is driven by greater longevity and the baby boomer generation moving through the age groups. The age groups have grown by 14% according to the 2010 census. In East Ayrshire, 16.8 per cent of the population are aged 16 to 29 years. This is smaller than Scotland where 18.4 per cent are aged 16 to 29 years. Persons aged 60 and over make up 24.6 per cent of East Ayrshire. This is larger than Scotland where 23.5 per cent are aged 60 and over. The impact of this growth in the third age and retired groups will be the number of people with free leisure time. These groups are also likely to prefer moderate journey times, parking access, plenty of on-site services or services within close proximity. They will have different expectations than the current generation in retirement who grew up in the austerity years of the 1930s and 1940s. Many of them will remember with some affection spending time in the Country Park as a child, but will have spent their adulthood taking holidays in more exotic places. In Scotland, the number of lone adult households is projected to increase by 49 per cent by In East Ayrshire, the number of lone adult households is projected to increase by 37 per cent, and the number of larger households in East Ayrshire is projected to fall, with the number of households of 2 or more adults with children decreasing by 29 per cent in the same period. Household Type Base Year Projected Number of Households % change in EA % change in Scotland adult adult with 1 or more children

40 3 or more adults or more adults with 1 or more children Total Households East Ayrshire Total Households - Scotland Household Type Base Year Projected Number of Households % change in EA % change in Scotland year olds year olds year olds year olds years Total Households East Ayrshire Total Households - Scotland However, families are a disproportionately valuable tourism segment because they make more and longer trips and spend more money. 22. Potential Visitors from Home Dean Castle and Country Park is well situated to attract a relatively large potential audience. Situated on the northern edge of Kilmarnock, there are over 60,000 people within 3 miles of the park. It is also within 24 miles from Glasgow and 70 miles from Edinburgh with excellent transport links to the entire Central Belt and the Ayrshire Coast. 40

41 The primary catchment is up to 30 minutes drive time away from Dean Castle and Country Park and includes the southern end of Glasgow, East Kilbride and much of the rest of Ayrshire including the towns of Irvine and Ayr. The population within this catchment is estimated to be over 800,000 people. There is already a significant proportion within the existing audience profile from East Kilbride, Glasgow and North Ayrshire and so it would be appropriate to exploit this audience base further. The secondary catchment extends to the north of Glasgow, Paisley and the main towns of South and North Lanarkshire and Inverclyde with an estimated population of over 300,000. The Country Park is within easy commuting distance form these areas, although signage from the west and east is relatively poor. The tertiary catchment is people who live within a minute drive. This would include Edinburgh, Dumfries and everything in between. This makes Dean Castle and Country Park within commuting distance for two thirds of the Scottish Population. Beyond a 90 minute drive, allows us to attract visitors from England and the North of Scotland. There are likely to be significant additional markets that can be attracted from these areas, particularly if we can focus some marketing around the M74 and M6 which provides the main transport links between Scotland and England. The improvement in the road network in recent years provides excellent opportunities to attract day trippers who will make the connections from further afield than 90 minutes for a high quality visitor experience. 23. Potential Visitors from a Holiday Base A second core market, in addition to day visitors, will be people who visit while they are on holiday in the area or staying with friends or relatives. More than 9% of our existing audience falls into this category. The national tourism volume surveys (GB Tourism Survey and International Passenger Survey) recorded 0.78 million tourists visiting Ayrshire and Arran. This equates to around 5% of all visits taken to Scotland. 12% of visitors are from overseas with the largest proportions from the USA and Germany. Most visitors to Ayrshire & Arran describe their trip as being a visit based in a countryside location (33%) or touring Scotland (27%).Top reasons for choosing to visit Ayrshire and Arran include the scenery/ landscape, an area that is known well, and to visit a particular attraction. Other reasons included having family in the area, or a recommendation to visit the area. 41

42 A high proportion of Ayrshire and Arran visitors had connections with Scotland (81%) compared to a Scotland average of 72%. Connections were most likely to be through family or friends living in the areas. Other connections included ancestors having lived here, or the visitor having lived in the area previously. The most popular activities on visits to Ayrshire and Arran were visiting the countryside, visiting a historic house/castle, and shopping. Other popular activities included sightseeing, and visiting country parks and visitor centres. The following table summarises tourist activity to the region. GB Tourist Visitor Numbers to Ayrshire and Arran Ayrshire and Arran Scotland Trips (%) Expenditure (%) Trips (%) Expenditure (%) England 38% 57% 46% 61% Scotland 61% 27% 52% 34% Wales 1% 16% 2% 5% Total GB (m) ,018 Tourism in Western Scotland

43 The average spend per trip for domestic trips to Ayrshire and Arran is 254, this compares to 226 at the national level. Overseas Tourist Visitor Numbers to Ayrshire and Arran Ayrshire and Arran Trips (%) Expenditure (%) Scotland Trips (%) Expenditure (%) USA 25% 35% 14% 15% Germany 16% 11% 11% 9% Spain 10% 5% 6% 5% France 6% 4% 7% 9% Ireland 6% 3% 8% 5% Canada 6% 9% 4% 6% Finland 5% 1% 2% 1% Australia 4% 6% 6% 7% Sweden 3% 1% 3% 3% Netherlands 5% 1% 6% 4% Rest of the World 15% 24% 33% 36% Total (m) ,494 Tourism in Western Scotland

44 The average spend per trip for domestic trips to Ayrshire and Arran is 348, this compares to 636 at the national level. 24. Educational Group Markets School groups are an important market for visitor attractions. Although, Dean Castle and Country Park currently attracts over 18,000 school pupil visits, there is a significant potential for improvement. Currently, this market does not provide a significant source of income. However, there are opportunities to improve on this through secondary retail spend, attracting schools from out with East Ayrshire and through the residential and experiential outdoor learning proposals within this project. Significant changes have affected the school visits market in recent years. They include increasing regulation and legislation for educational trips. Teachers are becoming increasingly cautious about organising trips as they carry liability for the safety and welfare of the children in their care. These issues are exacerbated at secondary school level where class based activity is prioritised. However, the introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence in Scottish Schools which is aimed at the child from 3 18 years provides far greater encouragement for learning through active participation. In East Ayrshire alone, there are 89 schools with over 16,000 young people attending. Within a 60 minute drive from Dean Castle and Country Park there are over 770 nursery, primary and secondary schools, coupled with the tertiary sector including Ayrshire College and Scottish Rural University College, this is a significant market that couple be explored further. 44

45 25. Barriers to Access The table below outlines potential barriers for the audience to access Dean Castle and Country Park and how it is envisaged that the park will lower them. The table is divided into 6 categories; Physical and Sensory, Intellectual, Cultural and Social and Financial. No. Challenge / Barrier Situation Market Segment Affected Potential Remedy Physical and Sensory 1 Getting to the site by train Kilmarnock train station is a 20 minute walk from Dean Castle and Country Park. This provides an excellent service to Glasgow, Ayr, Dumfries and Carlisle. More westward or eastward places are less convenient and people are likely to drive from there. 2 Getting to the site by bus The Dean Castle and Country Park is a 5 minute walk from the nearest bus stop which gives access to Kilmarnock Town Centre and Glasgow. This will connect the park to a high proportion of local residents and visitors staying in other parts of the region. 3 Getting to the site by car The M77 leads directly into Glasgow and onwards to Edinburgh. Signage from the north is good, but brown signage from the A77 south is very poor and non-existent from the road networks linking to the west and east. All visitors with easy access to the rail network All those living or staying within a reasonably tight travel distance The majority of potential visitors The quality of the rail services will feature in the marketing activity with potential partnerships with the main operator. The M77 makes the Country Park far more accessible to a wider audience. However, road signage to the park needs to be upgraded and extended in line with the new bridge on Dean road which will improve accessibility of the Country Park. 45

46 4 Parking Limited parking is available at Dean Castle Country Park and throughout the peak period Dean Road is full of parked cars. All visitors A parking audit has been carried out and it is envisaged that the existing car park will be realigned to increase the number of spaces. Overflow car parks are also being considered. 5 Physical access to areas and facilities within the Country Park by those with restricted movement There are currently several steep banks and eroding paths which make it difficult for access to the wider park. There are also limitations to the accessibility of the buildings Visitors with restricted mobility An access audit has been carried out with recommendations for all abilities trails, mobility scooter hire and improved interpretation. 6 People may be deterred from visiting the Country Park by the current reputation of Kilmarnock Kilmarnock has had significant bad press in recent years and may deter people who are not familiar with it All potential visitors There are significant regeneration programmes taking place throughout Kilmarnock which include economic regeneration, urban realm improvements and creative events programming. Joint promotion of all of these initiatives integrated into the development of the Country Park will contribute to the improved perception of the town and the facilities it has to offer. Intellectual 1 Making people aware that the Country Park is not just an urban park on the edge of Kilmarnock The branding and positioning of Dean Castle and Country Park will make it clear that it is about telling the story of one of the most significant greenspaces in South West Scotland All potential visitors It is essential that there is a sufficient budget for marketing built into this project with high profile events and publicity through the development and delivery stages. 2 Telling the story of the estate and surrounding area in an interesting Currently, information on site is old and inconsistent. It also lacks All visitors Imaginative and innovative interpretation will become a feature 46

47 manner on site interaction and doesn't take account of the range of abilities and interests using the park. of Dean Castle and Country Park. 3 Telling the story of the estate and surrounding are to people who are not physically present The existing website for Dean Castle and Country Park is not dynamic enough to meet the needs of visitors. However, it is complemented with an excellent Futuremuseums website and social media interaction Everyone East Ayrshire Leisure plan to make the on-line presence of its facilities much stronger and to make this the main conduit for information about Dean Castle and Country Park. 4 The educational nature of the attraction may not be well enough attuned to the National Curriculum to attract school visits Primary schools are the main market for school visits to Dean Castle and country Park. The park is such a central part of the heritage and identity of the community that it forms an attractive proposition for local schools Schools within a 60 minute drive East Ayrshire Leisure will review the existing education programme for the Country Park and extend it to incorporate all aspects of the heritage linked directly to the Curriculum for Excellence Cultural and Social 1 Visitor research suggests that lower socio economic groups are less likely to visit the Country Park. They may feel that the park is 'not for them'. There will be no financial barriers to using the site. The quality of the environment is likely to be attractive to most people of all socio economic groups. There is no reason why it should be a deterrent. Lower socio economic groups are highly represented in the area. The style of the visitor attraction, its ambience and the quality of the facilities on offer will all be intended to give the park appeal to a broad audience. The diverse heritage on the site is likely to be attractive to a variety of socio economic groups. 2 Visitors may feel that the Country Park is gentrified and is no longer for them. There will be no financial barriers to using the site. The quality of the environment is likely to be attractive to most people of all socio economic groups. There is no reason why it Core Audiences Ensure that the offer is populist in nature 47

48 should be a deterrent. Financial 1 The cost of using the site may be prohibitive The business plan assumes that no charge will ever be introduced for entry into the Country Park. There will be opportunities for visitor spend, but these will be optional and discretionary All visitors 26. Conclusions It is likely that the day visitor market will continue to form a core part of the audience for Dean Castle and Country Park. About 1.1 million people live within the primary and secondary catchment areas of the site, with a further 2 million within a further 30 minute drive (tertiary catchment area). For many potential visitors, Dean Castle and Country Park will form one of the reasons why they will visit Kilmarnock and the South West of Scotland. Ayrshire and Arran is already a successful day trip destination. The appeal of countryside and heritage attractions remains high. There should be a substantial market for a product that has popular appeal in an attractive setting. The population as a whole is ageing. The proposals for Dean Castle and Country Park should reflect this shift in the nature of society by providing and attraction that has appeal to young and old alike. Visiting friends and family is an important part of the tourism picture in the area. Dean castle and Country Park will be an attractive proposition for a day out for a large part of this market. Ayrshire and Arran is a key destination for the overseas market to the South West. This can be partly attributed to the proximity of Glasgow International Airport and Glasgow Prestwick Airport. The heritage angle of Dean Castle and Country Park could be a good product fit selling a classic Scottish experience to the overseas market. In combination with other local attractions including the Burns Monument Centre, The 48

49 Dick Institute and the Palace Theatre, it could give Kilmarnock a critical mass of attractions that will have significant appeal to tourists from abroad. As a focal part of the local community for many generations, the park can provide an excellent educational facility and a passive or active recreational site. The proposals for Dean Castle and Country Park will provide greater diversification within the local economy particularly within the tourism and creative industries, and will also pay particular attention to the economic benefits from the green economy. Attracting new residents, visitors and investors to East Ayrshire is a key feature of the regeneration of Dean Castle and Country Park and its associated facilities can only strengthen the appeal of Kilmarnock and Ayrshire. The proposals present a platform for the development of the key sectors of food and drink, tourism, the environment and creative industries. Strengthening East Ayrshire s economic resilience is vital the Dean Castle and Country Park can provide a new dimension of economic growth by focusing on key sector growth with enterprise development, employment, environment, tourism and business formation and growth. The proposal addresses a range of national strategic objectives, including: A suitable and sustainable location to encourage new investment, business formation and visitor activity Supporting the further redevelopment of Dean Castle and Country Park Attracting local and visitor use, and increasing spend in local businesses Supporting new job creation through business development Encouraging businesses to work together in a co-operative manner and complementary manner including shared services and cost efficiencies between other operators. The market assessment has confirmed that the staycation market remains the key driver for tourist demand, and has also uncovered a sizable proportion of Scotland population (circa 20%) reside within an hour s drive of the park. Nature based and heritage attractions are popular, primarily driven by the scale and scope of the activities onsite as well as being free or low cost activities. They are also popular family destinations and are known to attract sizeable visitor numbers in fact outdoor attractions are the most visited attraction followed by museums and galleries. 49

50 There is tremendous scope for the regenerated Dean Castle and Country Park, with the associated facilities, to attract in the region of 1.5 million visits per annum. All consultations to date reiterate the importance of the key features which have been built into the designs. Critical to the success of the proposal is the continued integration between the 3 main themes of the project. All of these themes can attract patronage in their own right, but importantly it will be the manner in which they work together to promote the entire venue which will ensure the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. What is clear from consultation and research completed to date is that Dean Castle and Country Park requires facilities which meet public demands. Improving the attractiveness of the park is critical to increase the length of stay, generate additional onsite spend and to ensure repeat patronage. PART 5: COMPARABLE AND COMPETING ATTRACTIONS 27. Country Parks and Nature Based Attractions The following table describes selected visitor attractions within a 50 mile radius of Dean Castle and Country Park which offer similar facilities and services. Visitor Attraction Location Description Ownership / Management Charging Policy Educational Arrangemen ts Visitor Numbers 2011 % change Eglinton Country Park North Ayrshire Country Park with trails, ruined castle, visitor centre, café and play area. Local Authority Free Site based ranger service 27,560-40% Culzean Castle and Country Park South Ayrshire Country Park with trails, castle, visitor centre, café and play area. National Trust for Scotland Entrance charge to grounds and Castle Site based ranger service and castle education programme 235,000 25% 50

51 Kelburn Castle Country Park North Ayrshire Country Park with trails, castle, visitor centre, café and play area. Private Entrance charge to grounds and Castle Site based ranger service and castle education programme 51,409-29% Calderglen Country Park South Lanarkshire Local Authority Free. Entrance fee for animal park District Ranger Service 777,186 81% Brodick Castle and Country Park North Ayrshire (Arran) National Trust for Scotland Entrance charge to grounds and Castle Site based ranger service and castle education programme 43,901-15% Heads of Ayr Farm Park Chatelheraut Country Park South Ayrshire Private Entrance charge Informal programme with park staff South Lanarkshire Local Authority Free District Ranger Service 612,769 24% Palacerigg Country Park North Lanarkshire Local Authority Free District Ranger Service 622,226-3% Mugdock Country Park East Dunbartonshire Local Authority Free District Ranger Service 617,362 14% Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park North Ayrshire / Inverclyde / Renfrewshire Partnership of 3 local authorities Free Site based ranger service 97,473-33% 51

52 28. Other Parks/ Gardens with Heritage and Visitor Facilities In total 46 parks and gardens were reviewed, only those which published their visitor numbers were reviewed at this stage, these are highlighted in the table below Name % Change Strathclyde Country Park 6,245,533 6,254,706 6,275,378 6,352,131 5,710,366 5,548,927-11% Drumpellier Country Park 962, , ,748 1,041,444 1,001, ,024 2% Calderglen Country Park 428, , , , , ,186 81% Palacerigg Country Park 638, , , , , ,226-3% Mugdock Country Park 543, , , , , ,362 14% Chatelherault Country Park 492, , , , , ,769 24% The National Park Gateway 212, , , , , ,621 55% Glentress Forest Park 251, , , ,999 n/a 301,000 20% Culzean Castle and Country Park 188, , , , , ,000 25% Forfar Loch Country Park 161, , , , , ,133 39% Aden Country Park 182, , ,309 n/a 165, ,962 21% Vogrie Country Park 250, , , ,000 n/a 170,000-32% Queens' View Visitor Centre 143, , , , , ,000-1% 52

53 Mabie Forest n/a 120, , ,000 n/a 135,000 James Hamilton Heritage Park 107, , , , , ,330 16% David Marshall Lodge 165, , , , , ,656-27% Crombie Country Park 143, , , , , ,000-17% Glen Nevis Visitor Centre 90,000 88, , , , ,000 22% Dalbeattie Forest n/a 105, , ,000 n/a 105,000 Gore Glen Woodland Park 100, , , ,000 n/a 100,000 0% Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, Castle Semple Centre 81,190 80,755 79,582 75,896 82,628 80,429-1% Glenmore Forest Park Visitor Centre 96, ,143 68,752 57,744 78,264 78,567-19% Forest of Ae n/a 50,000 50,000 55,000 n/a 55,000 Kelburn Castle & Country Centre 72,783 66,360 67,223 59,650 52,522 51,409-29% Roslin Glen Country Park 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 n/a 50,000 0% Logie Steading Visitor Centre 60,000 70,000 51,227 55,000 42,891 48,816-19% St Cyrus Nature Reserve 12,728 16,108 12,844 33,182 30,000 46, % Brodick Country Park 51,501 53,553 48,731 43,418 40,756 43,901-15% Glencoe Visitor Centre 46,257 42,058 35,654 37,747 33,317 39,795-14% Harestanes Countryside Visitor Centre 22,700 21,000 19,900 30,300 35,679 37,079 63% Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre n/a 48,644 46,657 47,555 48,712 34,195 53

54 Straiton Pond Local Nature Reserve 30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000 n/a 30,000 0% Caledonian Canal Visitor Centre 29,333 31,084 31,504 29,043 26,640 29,346 0% Eglinton Country Park 46,192 48,940 56,121 53,117 28,749 27,560-40% Cardrona Forest nr Peebles 14,325 15,570 13,499 15,514 32,580 25,000 75% Water of Leith Visitor Centre 13,375 14,614 17,034 16,561 16,975 16,663 25% Yair Forest 6,054 6,807 6,811 13,357 25,348 15, % Sands of Forvie National Nature Reserve 20,000 20,000 26,500 32,000 25,000 15,000-25% Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, Greenock Cut Centre 17,706 13,328 11,406 9,421 10,131 10,892-38% Beinn Eighe NNR Visitor Centre (SNH) 11,899 12,194 11,591 13,064 10,488 10,445-12% Knockan Crag Visitor Centre 11,250 18,750 10,000 10,000 n/a 8,485-25% Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, Muirshiel Centre 14,892 14,227 11,554 9,310 10,894 6,152-59% Hermaness Visitor Centre 1,293 1,129 1, ,000 5, % Linlithgow Canal Centre 4,802 5,897 5,006 5,358 6,768 5,395 12% Torridon Countryside Centre 6,815 7,705 6,866 7,053 n/a 4,620-32% Seadrift 1,489 2,288 3,158 3,500 3,629 2,677 80% 54

55 29. Conclusions There are a number of interesting findings related to some of the results shown above, these include: Culzean Castle and Country Park, achieved strong growth notably in 2011 when 235,000 people attended the Castle and Park Parks in North Ayrshire, including Kelburn Country Park (-29%), Eglinton Country Park (-40%) and Clyde Muirshiel Park (-59%), have all recorded substantial reductions in patronage over the period. It is noted that North Ayrshire Council reduced its Countryside Ranger Service in this period and this is likely to have played a major factor in the lower patronage at these parks. Burns Birthplace Museum, which was only opened in 2011, achieved 299,028 visitors in its first full year of operation it is worth noting the Museum attracted its one millionth customer in late July As well as exhibits and artefacts the museum has developed an events programme including local craft fairs and seasonal activities, and these have helped to sustain footfall across different seasons. Harestanes Countryside Centre has seen a huge rise in visitor numbers (63%). Harestanes has a similar offer to the proposals for Dean Castle Country Park in terms of the promotion of traditional rural skills. Sites which have seen the greatest rise have been nature based attractions which are free to the public. The above comparator review highlights that a number of parks have weathered the economic downturn very well and have managed to grow their audience over the 2006 to 2011 period. Those attractions which have struggled over this period have tended to be those which have not been invested in or have been affected by budget cuts. In summary, it is important that parks and visitor attraction are continually promoted, including capital and revenue support (such as events, programmes and activities) in order to broaden their appeal and contribute towards their long terms sustainability. 55

56 PART 6: VISITOR PROJECTIONS 30. The Challenge in Predicting Visitor Numbers It is never possible to know with certainty what the visitor numbers for an upgraded attraction will be. Other types of commercial or service operations like shops and restaurants are dominated by multiple chains. The same or similar offer is replicated in different circumstances and they tend to draw most of their custom from relatively local markets. Therefore it is generally easier to predict what their impact will be because the market conditions can be compared with other situations and the basic popularity is known. This is not the case with most visitor attractions. They are, by their nature, one-offs so their basic appeal is difficult to assess. As they commonly draw audiences from far afield, it is less easy to calculate what the impact of the catchment area will be. The main imponderable is whether the attraction captures the imagination of the public. A good illustration is the difference in performance of the Eden Project in Cornwall and the Earth Centre in Doncaster, which opened at a similar time. The Eden project immediately captured the imagination of the public and the opening figures where nearly double what was predicted. Whereas, the Earth Centre s where less than a third of what was predicted and it eventually closed. There is obviously a foundation for predicting future visitor numbers for Dean Castle and Country Park as it has been an operating visitor attraction for over 30 years and has been collecting visitor trends for that period. However, the proposals within this project will create a unique product in South West Scotland and will be attractive to a wide range of visitors from within our catchment area. East Ayrshire Leisure believes that it will continue to have wide appeal and the enthusiastic response of almost everyone who has been consulted about the project confirms this. 31. The Impact of the Pricing Model There are two basic pricing models for Country Parks and other visitor attractions in Scotland. One requires payment of an entry charge. This is the model which is used by properties owned by the National Trust for Scotland and private attractions such as Culzean Castle and Country Park, Finlayson Country Park, Drumlanrig and Kelburn Castle and Country Park. 56

57 The second allows free entry to the park. This is the normal model for local authority managed Country Parks and attractions. The nature of the pricing model has a major impact on visitor numbers and necessitates caution in interpreting the published visitor numbers of visitor attractions. 32. Estimates Based on Penetration Rates of the Main Market Sectors As described in the market analysis section of this report, there will be two key markets for the attraction: people visiting from home (day visitors) and people visiting while they are on holiday in the area (staying visitors). The staying visitor market is not especially good in the area and there is a distinct lack of suitable accommodation. However, the transport links to Glasgow should enable better penetration rates for this market sector. There is a substantial holiday market in Ayrshire and Arran and in Glasgow and it is likely that a substantial proportion of this market will find the idea of visiting Dean Castle and Country Park enticing. It will probably have particularly strong appeal to those who are staying with friends or relatives. According to the Visitor Attraction Monitor and Barometer for Scotland produced by the Moffat Centre, it is estimated that 35% of people staying in Ayrshire and Arran will visit Dean Castle and Country Park and that 5% of those who visit Glasgow will do so. As a free entry attraction, it is likely that a substantial proportion of the people who live within 60 minutes drive of the site will visit at least once a year. Obviously a significant proportion of people who live within 3 miles of the park will visit more than once a year with many visiting on a daily or weekly basis. As the distance from Kilmarnock increases, the proportion that is likely to visit the site will gradually diminish, as will the frequency with which they will visit. Based on these assumptions, it is estimated that Dean Castle and Country Park will continue to increase visitor numbers in the coming years with a target of 25% by 2021 from the 2015/16 baseline. 33. Comparison to Other Attractions The predicted number of visits would be relatively high compared to other Ayrshire and Arran visitor attractions such as Culzean Castle and Country Park and Kelburn Castle and Country Park. It would also be much higher than free attractions such as Eglinton Country Park and Chatelheraut Country Park. It would be lower than other major attractions in Glasgow such as the Riverside Museum. 57

58 Given the current visitor numbers for Dean Castle and Country Park and the increasing trend, this figure is relatively conservative. As envisaged, if the Country Park and Castle becomes much more of a destination than it currently is, this figure is likely to be exceeded. 34. Fluctuations East Ayrshire Leisure s belief is that the concept will have popular appeal and that it is highly likely that there will be significantly more visitors than estimated. Another factor to take into account is that numbers are likely to fluctuate substantially in the years after the work is completed. The experience of attractions that have opened in the last decade has been a sharp fall in the second year and to a lesser extent in the third, before numbers start to plateau. Dean Castle and Country Park has seen that trend in recent years with a rise of 114% between 2010 and 2011 and then more stable figures from then until now. It must also be noted that visitor numbers may fluctuate with the weather. Nature based visitor attractions do have high seasonal fluctuations. Dean Castle and Country Park will be designed to have significant indoor interesting features and facilities. This will help to reduce the seasonality of the attraction, although seasonal variations in visitor flow are inevitable. 58

59 PART 7: ACTION PLAN AND FINANCIAL PLAN FOR DELIVERING THE RURAL LIFE OBJECTIVES 35. Introduction This section of the plan describes the actions that will be taken to deliver the rural life aspects of this project. The Rural Life Objectives have been split into four sub-themes which will deliver the aim To develop a centre for rural life which provides opportunities for recreation and education within a rural setting whilst reflecting on modern and traditional industries, farming and conservation practices. These four subthemes are: Implementing a Pathway to Outdoor Learning This theme is described in full in Appendix 2 of this document. The aim of the Pathway is to provide a progressive and transitional flow of learning, informal and formal, from pre-5 until adulthood. The Pathway will outline the integral role that outdoor learning has in the 4 aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence, will signpost educational practitioners through training and provision of resources and will provide unique and innovative opportunities for community groups, organisations and volunteers. Throughout this project and the life of this Business Plan, there will be a change in the way that Outdoor Learning is delivered at Dean Castle and Country Park. This will allow us to react to national trends and policies in a way that is sustainable, whilst focussing on priorities. There will be an increase in activity relating to raising the profile of rural life in Ayrshire, including biodiversity, agriculture, forestry, fishing, local craft and food production as well as a continuing growth in the role of volunteers in all activities. During the Business Plan period, the key areas of activity for the outdoor learning pathway will be: Conversion of existing visitor centre building to create an education centre and visitor orientation hub which will provide overnight accommodation, workshop space for a range of activities, café and visitor information. Full details of this capital work are included in the building design report. Development in partnership with Ayrshire College an SVQ in Outdoor Learning which will be promoted to outdoor learning champions in Pre-5, primary and secondary establishments. This will provide a new, work based, cost effective training programme to enable education providers to fully integrate the requirements of the Curriculum for Excellence for Outdoors into their practice and to raise awareness of the importance of natural heritage and rural life. 59

60 Implementation of a Countryside Awards Scheme designed to promote learning and achievement in the outdoors. This progressive programme will combine adventure skills, personal and social development and learning about the natural world. This will allow us to offer a more sustainable, innovative and challenging programme to 11+ years young people, either in organised groups or as individuals. Further enhancement of the working holiday programme. Dean Castle Country Park currently works with Xchange Scotland and East Ayrshire Council in organising conservation based working holidays for young people. Over the last 3 years, this has attracted young people predominantly from mainland Europe and Singapore. As well as carrying out invaluable conservation improvements to the natural heritage, these working holidays are used as a mechanism to explore Scotland and to integrate with our local communities. The proposals are to widen the scope of these working holidays to a domestic market and include opportunities for year olds, 18+ year olds and family groups. The nature of the working holidays will also be widen to encompass other points of interest within Dean Castle and Country Park, including archaeology, rural skills, agriculture, horticulture, photography, food and drink and local craft. Supporting Small, Medium and Community Enterprises Our ambition through this sub-theme is to work in partnership with Ayrshire Food Network and Ayrshire Craft Network to promote the fantastic local produce that we have in Ayrshire and to raise awareness of traditional rural skills. During the Business Plan period, the key areas of activity will be: Creation of standalone pods that will be leased to small, medium and community enterprises at a competitive rate to encourage greater employment, promotion and development in rural industries. These pods will be planned to incorporate the principles of sustainability in their design and robustness of their construction. Development in partnership with the pod tenants, Ayrshire Food Network and Ayrshire Craft Network a series of training workshops and demonstrations with the general public and organised groups. An annual Festival to celebrate all aspects of rural life Developing the Ayrshire Rural Life Centre The development and promotion of Ayrshire Rural Life is fundamental to the development of the Dean Castle & Country Park. Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Poaching and Gamekeeping have been essential components of the economy for centuries and have been a way of life for 60

61 thousands of people over the years. This way of life has also contributed to the shaping of our environment and is responsible to some extend for the rich natural heritage that we have in Ayrshire. The key activities which will be developed during the lifetime of this business plan are: Creation of a Rural Life Centre which will tell the story of the traditional countryside practices which have shaped the Ayrshire economy, people s lifestyles and the environment. The Centre will be brought about through the restoration and extension of the existing field centre which will incorporate green technologies to reflect modern innovation and practice. The building will then be brought to life with interactive display. Development of a programme of training courses, workshops and demonstrations, focussing on traditional rural practices. Enhancing the Biodversity of Dean Castle Country Park Dean Castle Country Park was designated as a Country Park in 1978 under the Countryside Scotland Act It is East Ayrshire s only Country Park and one of five country parks in Ayrshire and Arran, two of which are publicly managed. It was opened to the public in 1981 by Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council and is now managed as part of the portfolio held by the Countryside Development team within East Ayrshire Leisure. Extending to 80 hectares, Dean Castle Country Park is an important wildlife site in Ayrshire as it is a relatively large area of open space almost completely surrounded by housing and roads and provides a haven for wildlife in an otherwise inhospitable area. Dean Castle Country Park has witnessed a number of land use techniques over many centuries which have led to a moderately complex mosaic of habitats in a relatively small area. The 80 hectares still have evidence of ancient woodland shown through historical maps and databases and through the existence of ancient woodland indicative plant species such as wood anemone and wood sorrel. Although, it is unlikely that any of the trees are older than 150 years. This landscape has been shaped over the years by historical planting fashions associated with the owners of the estate. Many of these features still exist in the more formal part of the Country Park and are obvious by the presence of lime tree avenues, individual and specimen shrubs and trees that were planted for their showiness or uniqueness, walkways and viewing points. Built on this is the abundance of soft wood 61

62 plantations that were once planted for their timber value, but have never been harvested and have been left to go wild with an understory of bramble. This mosaic coupled with the urban nature of the Country Park has limited the presence of rare or notable biological species. However, it does not limit the diversity of species including a huge variety of nesting and migrating birds, a wealth of aquatic and land invertebrates, amphibians and mammals. This variety of species makes it an ideal place for visitors to enjoy being close to nature and to learn about the plants and animals around them. With this in mind and based on the ecological survey work, a Biodiversity Action Plan has been prepared which specifically prioritises the habitats of Woodland, Wetland and Farmland. These habitats are no more important than others but are most prevalent in the Country Park and most in need of conservation attention and practical management. This is reflected strongly in the Ayrshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan and the Scottish Biodiversity Action Plan and allows us to prioritise nationally significant species including water vole, otter and farmland birds. The key activities which will take place during the period of the Business Plan are: Implementation of the Woodland Habitat Action Plan which focuses on proactive management of the woodland resource through a programme of selective felling, replanting and new planting schemes. A priority within this plan is to restore the bluebell banks associated with the historical ancient woodland sites. Implementation of the Wetland Habitat Action Plan which looks at both standing water and riparian habitats. Particular emphasis will be on enhancing, restoring and creating habitats which will maintain and attract locally significant species including water vole and otter. Implementation of the Farmland Habitat Action Plan which will introduce more sustainable farming practices into the management of the urban farm which will provide a more biologically diverse habitat as well as provide a best practice example to be used for demonstrations and workshops. Implementation of the Buildings and Structures Habitat Action Plan which aims to protect the existing biodiversity interest in our buildings and structures including bat roosts and bird s nests, as well as creating new opportunities to integrate habitat potential into the development of existing or new buildings. 62

63 Development of a wildlife surveillance scheme using remote cameras which relay footage, both live and recorded to key areas to allow visitors a greater insight into the variety of life within the Country Park. 36. Action Plan Sub-Theme Outcome Delivery Actions Targets where applicable Timescales Stakeholders HLF Objectives Pathway to Outdoor Learning A vibrant centre will be created which will provide opportunities for experiential learning and exploration Design and convert the existing visitor centre to residential and workshop space including an outdoor classroom and outdoor cooking area 50% occupancy in Year 1 with 3% annual increments to be opened in July 2017 East Ayrshire Leisure East Ayrshire Council Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the range of audiences Scottish Outdoor Education Centres Maximising Volunteering Educational providers will achieve an accredited qualification in outdoor learning to enable full integration into the Curriculum for Excellence Design and develop a training programme in partnership with Ayrshire College 10 trainees each year East Ayrshire Leisure East Ayrshire Council Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the range of audiences Private educational Maximising 63

64 providers Volunteering Ayrshire College Young people will gain knowledge and understanding of the natural environment through participation in an innovative and active outdoor learning experience. Develop and promote a Countryside Awards Scheme to be offered to 11+ year olds 10 placements per year East Ayrshire Leisure East Ayrshire Council Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the range of audiences Third Sector Groups Maximising Volunteering People will play a more active role in the development and conservation of Dean Castle Country Park, whilst learning about and exploring the heritage of Ayrshire Develop a package of Conservation Holidays aimed at a range of interest groups, families and volunteers 5 holidays per year with annual reviews to determine demand East Ayrshire Leisure East Ayrshire Council Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the range of audiences Xchange Scotland Maximising Volunteering Improved Management 64

65 and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage Support to Small, Medium and Community Enterprises Craft and local food pods will provide a market place to promote traditional crafts and local food production Design and build individual units which will be leased to small, medium and community enterprises focusing on local food production and traditional crafts 3 pods 2017 East Ayrshire Leisure East Ayrshire Council Ayrshire and Arran Food Network Increasing the range of audiences Ayrshire Craft Network Visitors will have the opportunity to take part in training workshops and demonstrations focusing on local food production and craft. In partnership with Marketplace tenants, develop a programme of workshops and demonstrations 5 workshops each year East Ayrshire Leisure Marketplace tenants Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the range of audiences Maximising Volunteering 65

66 Visitors from across south west Scotland and beyond will have the opportunity to take part in a Festival which celebrates everything which is great about Ayrshire Rural Life Work with local producers, crafters, storytellers, entertainers and other partners to develop an annual festival. 1 festival each year East Ayrshire Leisure Ayrshire and Arran Food Network Ayrshire Craft Network Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the range of audiences Ayrshire Vintage Tractor and Equipment Club Young Farmer s Institute Women s Rural Other rural life stakeholders Visitors will have a better understanding of the heritage of Work with Marketplace tenants and other partners to ongoing East Ayrshire Leisure Increasing the range of audiences 66

67 craft and food production in Ayrshire promote Rural Ayrshire as a brand. Marketplace Tenants Ayrshire Rural Life An interactive centre will tell the story of Ayrshire Rural Life through different media, displays and interpretation Restore and extend existing field centre to create the Centre for Rural Life which will include green technologies and innovative displays East Ayrshire Leisure East Ayrshire Council Increasing the range of audiences Improved Management and Maintenance Volunteers will have the opportunity to learn traditional skills Organise a programme of volunteer taster sessions to allow visitors to try their hand at traditional skills such as dry stane dyking, hurdling and hedge layering. 5 sessions each year East Ayrshire Leisure Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the range of audiences Maximising Volunteering Improved Management and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage 67

68 Biodiversity The woodland resource within Dean Castle Country Park will be managed in a responsible and dynamic way to ensure a rich diversity of flora and fauna, a sustainable forest resource and an attractive landscape setting for visitors. Implement Woodland Habitat Action Plan As per Biodiversity Action Plan East Ayrshire Leisure Improved Management and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage The wetland resource will be extended and improved to encourage a greater biological diversity that will attract locally significant species. Implement Wetland Habitat Action Plan As per Biodiversity Action Plan East Ayrshire Leisure Improved Management and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage The farmland within Dean Castle Country Park will be managed in a sustainable way that fully integrates the agricultural and environmental priorities. Implement Farmland Habitat Action Plan As per Biodiversity Action Plan East Ayrshire Leisure Improved Management and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage The buildings within Dean Castle Country Park will provide opportunities for Implement Buildings Habitat Action Plan As per Biodiversity Action Plan East Ayrshire Leisure Improved Management and Maintenance 68

69 biodiversity enhancement Enhancing the Heritage Visitors will have the opportunity to see the range of wildlife that lives in and visits Dean Castle Country Park Install a wildlife surveillance system to record and broadcast footage at key locations throughout the Country Park 1 system 2017 East Ayrshire Leisure Increasing the range of audiences 69

70 37. Capital Costs and Funding Sources cost heading description Predicted stage C costs Repair and Conservation Works habitat restoration work 536,350 Repair and Conservation Works Restoration and Upgrade of existing centre to create Centre for Rural Life 535,382 other physical works Education Centre and visitor orientation hub 1,121,868 Other physical works Creation of marketplace pods 105,200 Professional Fees Professional Fees associated with above 343,986 Training for staff Traditional skills training 5,000 Training for Volunteers Ecological / conservation/ rural skills / craft training 12,000 Equipment and materials Wildlife surveillance system 16,000 Activity Plan Aspects of the activity plan relating to rural life 80,500 Contingencies 255,940 Total 3,012,225 70

71 The primary sources of funding are expected to be from the Heritage Lottery Fund s Parks for People Programme and other external funding streams. This is an outline of potential funders, although only East Ayrshire Council contribution has been confirmed at this stage. Funder Amount East Ayrshire Council 98,469 East Ayrshire Leisure 51,556 Ayrshire Leader 100,000 Renewable Energy Fund 348,739 Heritage Lottery Fund 2,413,461 Total 3,012,225 71

72 38. 5 Year Revenue Estimates The following tables outline the income and expenditure of specific aspects of the programme which are then extrapolated into a 5 year profile. General running costs and staff costs, other than casual staff required for specific activities, are not included within these tables as they are calculated on a whole site basis. Therefore, these are included in the Financial Plan Overview in part 11 of this document. Group Residential Business Income and Expenditure EXPENDITURE SUMMARY ITEM COST PER DAY COST PER 2 DAY PACKAGE * ANNUAL COST BASED ON 10 SESSIONS/YEAR Employee costs assuming 2 casual outdoor learning instructors Catering costs based on breakfast, packed lunch, dinner and snacks Cleaning based on daily clean and weekly laundry service Activities assuming specialist facilitators TOTAL INCOME SUMMARY Income per child Income based on 70% occupancy Annual Income based on 10 sessions/year TOTAL NET INCOME

73 * 2 day package is based on a the Pathway to Outdoor Learning which focuses on short experiential sessions leading up to a 4 night package stay at a larger outdoor education centre as part of a transition process. This will be the target market group so as not to compete, but to develop a symbiotic arrangement with larger more established centres. Throughout 2013 a survey was carried out with schools in East Ayrshire, North and South Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and Glasgow. The following tables demonstrate the results of this survey: 73

74 74

75 From the survey it is clear that there is a demand for experiential learning, particularly within primary schools. Schools are most attracted by an urban setting which is within a reasonable travel distance from their school, but which offers outdoor learning, outdoor adventure and sports facilities. The facilities being proposed for Dean Castle Country Park are within a 60 minutes drive from 70% of the schools within the local authorities involved in the survey, offers opportunities for outdoor learning and outdoor adventure and is within a 5 minute walk from St. Joseph s Leisure Centre where a variety of sporting activities are on offer. St Joseph s Academy Leisure Centre is also managed by East Ayrshire Leisure Conservation Holiday Income and Expenditure EXPENDITURE SUMMARY ITEM COST PER DAY COST PER 4 DAY PACKAGE ANNUAL COST BASED ON 5 SESSIONS/YEAR Employee Costs Catering Cleaning Activities assuming external facilitators Total INCOME SUMMARY COST PER ADULT COST BASED ON 50% OCCUPANCY ANNUAL INCOME BASED ON 5 SESSIONS/YEAR Income NET INCOME 11,760 75

76 These figures are based on 50% occupancy and 5 sessions a year. This is a conservative estimate and it is anticipated that there will be a minimum of 10 sessions a year by year 5. The following table provides information from other UK organisations offering a similar service Organisation Description of Product Cost 2014 occupancy rate Comments National Trust for Scotland Offers a range of conservation working holidays in properties throughout Scotland. All holidays involve practical conservation Range from 110 for 1 night / 2 days to 299 for 5 days 85% This programme is made up of over 20 sessions which are predominantly fully booked by the end of the previous year. The programme is offered at 18+ participants only. National Trust (England and Wales) Offers a very comprehensive range of holidays including family breaks, short breaks, practical conservation and specialist interest activities Range from 155 to 290 depending on length of stay accommodation and activity 90% This is a comprehensive programme with a variety of interests to attract a range of age groups and abilities. There is nothing similar in Scotland. Field Studies Council Offers a range of Professional Development, Individual and family working and learning holiday programmes including natural history, practical conservation and arts. Family activities are not offered in their Centre in Scotland. 280 for a four day programme 65% Field Centres Council Centres are predominantly in England. There are 2 centres in Scotland. These centres focus on CPD and specialist educational visits. 76

77 Third Party Rents Organisation Nature of Lease Monthly Fee Annual Fee Heal the Earth Community allotment 46 Assloss Riding School * Commercial operation Marketplace Pods Local craft workshop Total 14,446 * Assloss Riding school rent is due for review in This rental provides a conservative estimate based on a room by room calculation. It doesn t reflect the current market conditions of commercial rents for business and land premises. 77

78 5 year projections (excluding capital costs and activities within external funded programme outlined in point 36 above) Item 2016/ / / / /21 Total Expenditure Staff Costs ,970 Catering ,753 Cleaning Activities Total 33, ,335 Income School Residential assuming a 3 year price freeze followed by 3% annual increments Conservation Holidays assuming a 3 year price freeze followed by 3% annual increments 3 rd Party Rent fixed for the 5 year period 28,000 28,000 28,000 28,840 29, ,834 26,000 26,000 26,000 26,780 27, ,363 16,846 16,846 16,846 16,846 16,846 84,230 Total 70,846 70,846 70,846 72,466 74, ,427 Net Expenditure (37,566) (36,943) (36,310) (37,091) (38,179) (186,092) 78

79 PART 8: ACTION PLAN AND FINANCIAL PLAN FOR DELIVERING CULTURAL HERITAGE OBJECTIVES 39. Introduction This section of the plan describes the actions that will be taken to deliver the cultural heritage objectives of this project. The Cultural Heritage Objectives have been split into 3 sub-themes which will deliver the aim to restore key aspects of the historic designed landscape creating a sympathetic setting for the Castle and built features which is respectful of the past whilst contemporary in design, encouraging greater appreciation of our local heritage. These 3 sub-themes are: Dean Castle Dean Castle is a 14 th Century Castle which sits at the heart of Dean Estate and has provided the focal point for the Country Park since it opened in the 1970s. Gifted to the people of Kilmarnock by the De Walden Family, it houses an internationally important collection of arms and armoury and musical instruments. In 2013, part of the Castle had to be closed to the general public due to excessive water ingress which subsequently undermined the condition of the walls rendering parts of the Castle unsafe and putting the collections at risk. Following several engineering reports and advice from specialist conservation architects, East Ayrshire Council agreed to invest 3 million in the restoration of the Castle and the integration of a comprehensive interpretation and training programme which would make this unique facility more accessible to the visitors to Dean castle Country Park. These proposals will be the subject of a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund under the Heritage Programme and will be out with the scope of the Parks for People Programme. However, it is essential that the Country Park and the Castle are managed as one visitor attraction. Therefore, all aspects of the visitor attraction are incorporated into this plan. During the Business Plan period, they key areas of activity will be: Restoration of the Castle through specialist stonework repair and roof repairs Modernising the Castle visitor experience to make the collections more accessible and provide a more innovative and interactive experience for visitors. This includes a radical new interpretation a display strategy that increases the amount and frequency of collections on display. 79

80 Conservation of key named collections, to allow them to be displayed. Provision of a training programmes to encourage greater participation in specialist conservation skills and raise the awareness of the care and maintenance that is required for historic buildings of this nature. Increased learning opportunities for the public through as a result of the refurbishment through greater collection engagement and event/exhibition programming. An Edwardian Landscape As part of the work undertaken to inform the Conservation Management Plan for the project, detailed map progression and investigations have been carried out. Although the Castle and Estate dates back to the 14 th Century, there is little remaining evidence of any designed landscape earlier than the Edwardian period. Despite very extensive conifer planting post World War II, there is still a number of design features from this period which tell a very interesting story of the De Walden period of the Estate. It is this period which has been chosen as the primacy period for restoration of the landscape and that will be threaded through the activity plan, Conservation Management Plan and interpretation plan. During the business plan period, the key activities will be: Restoration of the Edwardian period landscape including clearance of regenerated deciduous and commercial planting of coniferous trees to uncover key features of the designed landscape such as the lime avenues, the Motte, parklands and vistas Provision of training for staff and volunteers and development of a programme of demonstrations and workshops based around the key principles of horticulture and landscaping from the Edwardian period. Continued restoration of the Pinetum developed by Lady Howard de Walden Restoration of the graveyard People and Place It is clear by examining the timeline of Dean Estate, that there has always been a strong relationship between the estate and the people of Kilmarnock. A number of regular visitors to the Country Park have vivid memories of how estate looked and worked during the De Walden 80

81 period and several of them are direct descendants of the forester who developed the Pinetum, of the quarryman who worked at the tileworks, of the stone mason who helped with the Castle s extension in the early part of the 20 th Century and of the cook who worked for De Walden in the Castle kitchen. During the period of this plan, the key activity will be: Development of an oral history project to capture the stories of ordinary people who played a huge role in shaping Dean Estate during the Edwardian period when De Walden was most active. 40. Action Plan Sub-Theme Outcome Delivery/ Development Phase Targets where applicable Timescales Stakeholders HLF objectives Dean Castle Dean Castle will be restored and upgraded to conserve the important heritage of the building and its collections Conservation Plan commissioned Building and restoration plan commissioned Start June 2015 Start June 2015 Sept 2015 Sept 2015 EAC/NMS/EAL EAC/HS/EAL Stage 2 application Stage 2 application Visitors to Dean Castle and Country Park will engage with and enjoy Dean Castle and it s collections regardless of age, ability or nationality Dean Castle will provide the focal point for a unique training programme to enhance specialist Interpretation and Display Plan commissioned Learning and Workshop Plan commissioned Start June 2015 Sept 2015 EAL Stage 2 application Start June 2015 Sept 2015 EAC/EAL Stage 2 application 81

82 skills in conservation An Edwardian Landscape Dean Castle will sit within a landscape that pays tribute to the designs of the Edwardian period Implement felling programme to clear key features of the designed landscape of the primary period including the vista to the graveyards, the motte and the deer park As per landscape masterplan and biodiversity action plan East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council Increasing the range of audiences Improved Management and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage Staff and volunteers will be trained in designed landscape techniques and visitors to Dean Castle Country Park will enjoy a programme of workshops and demonstrations on horticulture and landscape design form the primacy period Develop a programme of training, workshops and demonstrations in horticulture and designed landscape 2 members of staff trained, 2 demonstrations and workshops per year East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council, Ayrshire College, Scottish Rural College (SRUC) Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the range of audiences Maximising Volunteering Improved Management and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage Dean Castle Country Park will have a Pinetum that reflects the design of the tree garden developed by Lady Howard de Clear invasive planting from existing pinetum, identify and source specimen trees and extend current tree Pinetum cleared and replanted with 150 specimen trees East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council Increasing the range of audiences Maximising Volunteering Improved Management 82

83 Walden and Hilliers sponsorship scheme and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage The Dean Estate Graveyard will be a focal point as part of the designed landscape Implement programme of tree clearance to improve setting of graveyard Trees felled as per landscape masterplan and designs East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council Increasing the range of audiences Maximising Volunteering Improved Management and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage People and Place Visitors to the Country Park will learn all about the people involved in developing and working in the estate during the Edwardian Period Carry out research and record stories from people with direct recollections of the history of the estate Oral history app produced East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council, Kilmarnock and District History Group Increasing the range of audiences Maximising Volunteering 83

84 41. Capital Costs and Funding Sources cost heading description Predicted stage C costs Repair and Conservation Work* Restoration of Castle walls and roof 4,581,402 Activity Plan* Aspects of the activity plan relating to the Castle and subject to a bid to the HLF Heritage Programme 257,000 Repair and Conservation Works Edwardian Landscape Restoration 296,755 Repair and Conservation Works Restoration of features within the designed landscape 169,382 Repair and Conservation Works Restoration of Well 5,000 Professional Fees Professional Fees associated with above Activity Plan Aspects of the activity plan relating to Cultural Heritage 20,000 Contingencies 46,214 Total 5,375,753 *separate from Parks for People Programme 84

85 The primary sources of funding are expected to be from the Heritage Lottery Fund s Parks for People Programme and other external funding streams. This is an outline of potential funders, although only East Ayrshire Council contribution has been confirmed at this stage. Funder Amount East Ayrshire Council 50,000 Heritage Lottery Fund (Parks for People) 487,351 Heritage Lottery Fund (Heritage Programme)* 1,300,000 Historic Scotland * (confirmed) 500,000 East Ayrshire Leisure* (in kind contribution) 83,700 Museum Galleries Scotland* 49,972 East Ayrshire Council * (confirmed) 2,904,730 Total 5,375,753 *separate from Parks for People Programme Year Revenue Estimates No specific expenditure or income is generated from this theme. General running costs post-delivery are included in Part 11 of this document. 85

86 PART 9: ACTION PLAN AND FINANCIAL PLAN FOR DELIVERING THE HERITAGE LEGACY OBJECTIVES 43. Introduction This section of the plan describes the actions that will be taken to deliver the industrial legacy objectives of this project. The Industrial Legacy Objectives have been split into 3 sub-themes outlined below that will be delivered during the period of this plan: Heritage Centre Restoration of the laundry houses into a Centre for stonemason conservation activities, the textile team and collection care. This centre will provide an open access facility that will demonstrate the conservation skills. The key activities that will be undertaken during the period of this plan are: Restoration of laundry houses to create Centre as part of the development and restoration programme for the Castle Interactive interpretation reflecting the traditional industries which have shaped Dean Estate and Kilmarnock as a whole Community Archaeology This programme will provide a range of opportunities for visitors to explore, discover and protect the history of Dean Estate through the development of a community archaeology project. Several key sites have been identified within the Conservation Management Plan that have potential archaeological interest. Key activities will include: Development of a community Archaeology project in partnership with Kilmarnock and District History Society and Glasgow University Archaeology Group 86

87 Geological Exploration The geology of South West Scotland has been fundamental in shaping the life and work of our communities over many centuries and has provided vital economic resources that the area needed at the start of the industrial revolution including coal, sandstone, fireclay and limestone. Many of the area s historic buildings were constructed from sandstone obtained within metres of their locations. The blonde sandstone associated with Dean Castle itself was sourced within the estate and is derived from the Carboniferous period, mostly from river channel deposits. Through the period of this plan, they key activities will be: Development of a Geological Trail Development of a series of geological events 44. Action Plan Sub-Theme Outcome Delivery Actions Targets where applicable Timescales Stakeholders HLF objectives Industrial Heritage Centre Dean Castle Laundry Buildings will be restored to create a building which provides opportunities for conservation workshops Restore building and remove internal features to create a robust learning/workshop centre. Create learning/apprenticeships during restoration phase. Produce learning plan. June 2015 Sept 2015 East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council, Scottish Lime centre Stage 2 Community Archaeology People will be engaged in establishing, exploring and uncovering key archaeological sites Develop project and outcomes East Ayrshire Leisure Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the 87

88 throughout Dean Estate as part of a Community Archaeology Project range of audiences Improved Management and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage Maximising Volunteering Geological Exploration Visitors to Dean Castle and Country Park will be able to learn more about the Geological importance of the site Develop a geological trail to key locations within the country park which demonstrate the various geological resources 1 new trail Increasing the range of audiences Visitors to Dean Castle and Country Park will be able to learn more about the Geological importance of the site Develop a programme of events exploring the geology of the site 1 event per year East Ayrshire Leisure Increasing the range of audiences 88

89 45. Capital Costs and Funding Sources cost heading description Predicted stage C costs Repair and Conservation Works Laundry House Restoration Total 333,270 *Separate from Parks for People Programme Funder Amount East Ayrshire Council* 95,270 Heritage Lottery Fund* 238,000 Total 333, Year Revenue Estimates No specific expenditure or income is generated from this theme. General running costs post-delivery are included in Part 11 of this document. 89

90 PART 10: ACTION PLAN AND FINANCIAL PLAN FOR DELIVERING ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF DEAN CASTLE AND COUNTRY PARK 47. Introduction This section of the plan describes the actions that will be taken to deliver all other objectives of this project, particularly those which offer enhanced visitor services across the entire Country Park. These actions will be delivered through 4 priorities outlined below during the period of this plan: A Welcoming Place In 2013, there were over 1.3 million visits made to Dean Castle Country Park. This number puts a significant pressure on the facilities that were designed at a time when visitor numbers rarely peaked above 250,000 and it is essential that facilities are upgraded to be able to cope with the existing numbers, but also to attract new and varying audiences. This significant visitor number puts a certain amount of responsibility on East Ayrshire Leisure and East Ayrshire Council to ensure that the heritage of the area is enhanced and protected, but also that the story is told to as wide an audience as possible. Dean Castle and Country Park is currently a 4 star visitor attraction within the VisitScotland Attraction Monitor. The star grading system focuses on the standard of welcome and service which is provided as well as the presentation of the visitor attraction. Whilst a 4 star grading reflects an excellent standard, the scoring during the most recent assessment demonstrated our ability to become a 5 star attraction if our facilities were upgraded. Being a 5 star attraction would put Dean Castle and Country Park amongst the top 1% of visitor attractions in the Country. The Castle s musical instrument collection has recently been awarded Significance status, which will greatly enhance its profile. Dean Castle Country Park currently doesn t hold a Green Flag Award. However, as part of the development of this project we have carried out a mock assessment to determine how well we would score if we were to be assessed. It was highlighted that the welcome that we provide in terms of orientation and signage and the facilities which are on offer are poor in comparison to the rest of the open space provision. The key activities that will be carried out during the period of this plan are: Improved signage and welcome signs 90

91 Recreation and Access The existing path infrastructure was developed when visitor numbers were considerably lower. It can no longer cope with the increased demand. Increased visitors are also having an impact on the environment through path erosion and habitat disturbance. The greatest concern is the deterioration which has been brought about by a significant rise in visitor numbers. This has also led to concerns over user conflict particularly between horse riders and dog walkers. Through this project the aim is to create an extended path network. A more diverse group of users will be attracted by the provision of a well managed and high quality path network which meets the increasing demands of the public for outdoor recreation including, walking, cycling, horse riding as well as more specialised pursuits including orienteering, green gyms, mountain biking and cross country racing. We will also be able to offer facilities to people with a wide range of abilities. Currently the network of paths throughout the Country Park is only attractive to able bodied groups and there is little interpretation and interest to encourage visitors to explore the wilder areas of the park. Interactive and interpreted trails will encourage a more diverse audience. During the period of this plan, the key activities will be: Upgrade and extend path network to include areas of the Country Park currently not accessible. Improve signage within the Country Park and to the Country Park Retail and Catering Perhaps the most critical indoor investment for the Country Park, after well maintained toilets, is a high quality catering facility. The vision for Dean Castle and Country Park is to have a catering facility which offers quality food and drink and which promotes local produce and environmental sustainability. The aim of the new catering facility will be to showcase local and regional produce and to engage with other aspects of the project in delivering events, displays and demonstrations. Retail is also an essential element of the project as it will provide a vital income to reinvest in the Country Park. Currently, Dean Castle and Country Park has one point of sale facility which sells a range of pocket money gifts and tourist gifts. However, the vision is to have a number of smaller point of sale facilities that maximise the opportunities for visitor spend. The key activities during the period of this plan are: 91

92 Development of high quality cafe facilities Development of a point of sales strategy to maximise retail spend Marketing, Interpretation and Programming In order to meet all of the objectives of this project, it is essential to develop an innovative approach to engaging with visitors. This will be done through the following key activities: Implementation of a marketing strategy Implementation of the Activity Plan Implementation of the Interpretation Plan 48. Action Plan Sub-Theme Outcome Delivery Actions Targets where applicable Timescales Stakeholders HLF Objectives A welcoming place Dean Castle and Country Park will provide a quality welcome to all visitors Upgrade visitor facilities within the existing centre to create a more accessible and flexible orientation hub East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council, VisitScotland, Historic Scotland Increasing the range of audiences Visitors to Dean Castle and Country Park will be able to navigate with ease through the range of facilities on offer Upgrade signage as part of overall interpretation strategy East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council, VisitScotland, Increasing the range of audiences 92

93 Recreation and Access Dean Castle Country Park will have an extensive path network which provides for a range of different user groups, ages and abilities Implement Access Action Plan 2016 East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Outdoor Access Forum Increasing the range of audiences Visitors to Dean Castle and Country Park will be able to navigate with ease through the range of facilities on offer Upgrade signage as part of overall interpretation strategy East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council, VisitScotland, Increasing the range of audiences Retail and Catering Visitors to Dean Castle Country Park will be provided with a high quality catering facility which promotes local produce and environment sustainability Upgrade facilities 2016 East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council Increasing the range of audiences Improved Management and Maintenance Dean Castle Country Park will provide a series of point of sale opportunities that provide visitors with the ability to buy a range of souvenirs including local Develop point of sale strategy East Ayrshire Leisure Increasing the range of audiences Improved Management and Maintenance 93

94 produce and local craft. Marketing, Interpretation and Programming Dean Castle Country Park will be a well marketed facility making best use of a range of media. Implementation of marketing strategy East Ayrshire Leisure Increasing the range of audiences Dean Castle Country Park will provide high quality activities that meet the demands of existing visitors whilst attracting new audiences Implementation of Activity Plan East Ayrshire Leisure Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the range of audiences Maximising Volunteering Improved Management and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage Visitors to Dean Castle and Country Park will be involved in our heritage, will have greater awareness of our heritage and improved appreciation of our Implementation of Interpretation Strategy East Ayrshire Leisure, East Ayrshire Council Learning and Training Opportunities Increasing the range of audiences Maximising Volunteering 94

95 heritage Improved Management and Maintenance Enhancing the Heritage 95

96 49. Capital Costs and Funding Sources cost heading description Predicted stage C costs Repair and Conservation Works Works to upgrade café and visitor orientation hub included in education centre costs above (included in costs associated with development of education centre in Rural Life Action Plan above) above Repair and Conservation Works Access Action Plan Professional Fees Staff Costs Professional Fees associated with above Employment of Natural Heritage Development Officer and Volunteer Development Officer Production of Promotional Materials Implementation of Interpretation Plan Activity Plan Aspects of the activity plan 0 Professional Fees Professional Fees associated with above 40,000 Publicity and Promotion As per Marketing Plan 43,000 Evaluation Green Flag Assessments 3,625 Evaluation LEAF Assessments 500 Evaluation Visitor Surveys 2,500 Contingencies Total 732,948 96

97 The primary sources of funding are expected to be from the Heritage Lottery Fund s Parks for People Programme and other external funding streams. This is an outline of potential funders, although only East Ayrshire Council contribution has been confirmed at this stage. Funder Amount East Ayrshire Council 51,556 Renewable Energy Fund 200,000 Heritage Lottery Fund 381,392 Ayrshire Leader 100,000 Total 732, Year Revenue Estimates These estimates specifically look at the catering and retail aspects of the project. All other detail is incorporated in the Financial Plan Overview. Catering and Retail Income and Expenditure Two options have been explored for the delivery of a catering service within Dean Castle and Country Park. The first one is based on a lease to a third party organisation. This would be on the basis of a fixed monthly fee to cover utility costs and % fee from the business turnover. These figures are based on the figures achieved from previous operators of the existing Dean Castle Tearoom. The second option is based on the catering service being operated directly by East Ayrshire Leisure. The expenditure calculations do not include utility costs as these are included in the overall operating costs of the buildings. Both options have been calculated on the following assumptions: 97

98 The cafe attracting 5%, 10% and 15% of the estimated 500,000 visitors to the buildings (based on the current estimate of 1 in 3 visitors to the visitor centre) Average spend per head of 2.50, 5.00 and 7.50 Percentage of turnover set as 10% It should be noted that the figures below are based on the projected visits to the main visitor centre. Based on visitors to the wider country park, the cafe has the potential to generate in the region of 150,000 customers per annum, this assumes one in every ten visits (a 10% penetration rate) to the park goes on to visit the cafe. Utilising a central spend assumption of 5 per customer this equates to an annual turnover in the region of 750,000. Cafe Penetration Rate 5% 10% 15% Total Cafe Visitors 25,000 50,000 75,000 Average , , ,500 Average , , ,000 Average , , ,500 Various Scenarios Third Party Lease Income including a 6% performance fee and a 6,000 base rent In House Operation based on a 12.5% net profit 5% penetration 2.50 average spend 9, % penetration 5.00 average spend 13,500 15,625 5% penetration 7.50 average spend 17,250 23, % penetration 2.50 average spend 13,500 15,625 98

99 10% penetration 5.00 average spend 21,000 31,250 10% penetration 7.50 average spend 28,500 46,875 15% penetration 2.50 average spend 17,250 23, % penetration 5.00 average spend 28,500 46,875 15% penetration 7.50 average spend 39,750 70, The catering at Dean Castle Country Park is currently on 2 year franchise which includes a base rent and a 6% performance fee. To ensure a smooth transition of the catering offering, this proposal suggests a continuation of this arrangement from 2016 to 2018 to ensure a guaranteed income in the first 2 years of the new operation. During this time, further work will be undertaken to determine whether or not an in house operation would allow greater flexibility, greater income generation and improved service. For business planning purposes it is recommended that an initial annual income (including service charge) of around 13,500 is assumed from the cafe franchise at this stage. With increasing visitor numbers at the Park and greater awareness and appeal of the Dean Castle Cafe it is likely that there will be a greater uplift from year 5. It should be noted that these are conservative estimates is plan is working within a pessimistic environment considering the wider economic climate and the fact that the proposals will take a little time to build patronage and repeat business. The retail component of the proposal is another key income generating activity. The existing Dean Castle Country Park shop currently has a turnover exceeding 30,000 and generates a 2-3,000 profit. With a new retail offering and better location we believe that this can be improved. Alongside, our proposed multi-point vending operation, this will present a new opportunity to grow income. 99

100 PART 11: FINANCIAL PLAN OVERVIEW This section assesses the revenue that is expected to be generated from running the Dean Castle and Country Park between 2016 and 2020 at the projected visitor numbers and operating costs. The foundation for this plan was the management accounts of visitor attractions of similar scope and scale. As the project is developed, more detailed assessment of the assumptions will be needed. The base projections are made for a stabilised year, taken to be year 3. All prices are quoted at 2013 levels. 51. Hours of Operation It is assumed that the Country Park would open 7 days a week from 1 st April until 31 st October. Reduced operating hours would come into force from 1 st November until 31 st March. Based on customer surveys there is a demand for increased opening hours, particularly into the evenings of peak days. An increase in opening hours would only be implemented if and when we generate increased financial returns to support such a measure. It is envisaged that the current opening arrangements will remain in place for the life of the Business Plan but will reviewed on an annual basis. Capital Cost Overview cost heading description Predicted stage C costs Repair and Conservation Works habitat restoration work 536,350 Repair and Conservation Works Restoration and Upgrade of existing centre to create Centre for Rural Life 535,382 other physical works Education Centre 1,121,868 Other physical works Creation of marketplace pods 105,200 Professional Fees Professional Fees associated with above 343,986 Training for staff Traditional skills training 5,

101 Training for Volunteers Ecological / conservation/ rural skills / craft training 12,000 Equipment and materials Wildlife surveillance system 16,000 Activity Plan Activity Plan 100,500 Repair and Conservation Work* Restoration of Castle walls and roof 4,581,402 Repair and Conservation Work* Restoration of Laundry Houses 333,270 Activity Plan* Aspects of the activity plan relating to the Castle and subject to a bid to the HLF Heritage Programme 257,000 Repair and Conservation Works Edwardian Landscape restoration 296,755 Repair and Conservation Works Restoration of features within the designed landscape 169,382 Repair and Conservation Works Restoration of Well 5000 Repair and Conservation Works Access Action Plan 256,903 Staff Costs Employment of Natural Heritage Development Officer and Volunteer Development Officer 273,130 Production of Promotional Materials Implementation of Interpretation Plan 87,600 Professional Fees Professional Fees associated with above 40,000 Publicity and Promotion As per Marketing Plan 43,000 Evaluation Green Flag Assessments

102 Evaluation LEAF Assessments 500 Evaluation Visitor Surveys 4,500 Contingencies 327,843 Total 9,519,

103 52. Funding Overview The primary sources of funding are expected to be from the Heritage Lottery Fund s Parks for People Programme and other external funding streams. This is an outline of potential funders, although only East Ayrshire Council contribution has been confirmed at this stage. Funder Amount East Ayrshire Council (Country Park) 200,025 Renewable Energy Fund 600,000 East Ayrshire Leisure non-cash contribution 51,556 Ayrshire Leader 200,000 Heritage Lottery Fund (Parks for People) 3,287,397 Heritage Lottery Fund (Heritage Programme) 1,538,000 Historic Scotland 500,000 East Ayrshire Leisure (Castle only) In kind 83,700 Museum Galleries Scotland 49,972 East Ayrshire Council (Castle only) 3,000,000 Total 9,519,

104 53. 5 Year Revenue Projections (excluding capital costs and 5 year grant aided activity costs) Item Expenditure 2015/16 baseline figures 2016/17 Project delivery 2017/18 post 2018/19 Post 2019/2020 Post 2020/21 Post Total for 6 years notes Employee Costs 469, , , , , ,304 2,866,594 1 Property Costs 68,190 68,190 68,190 68,190 68,190 68, ,140 2 Transport Costs 25,120 25,120 25,120 25,120 25,120 25, ,720 3 Supplies and Services 36,210 28,000 36,210 36,210 36,210 36, ,050 4 Retail 10, ,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 50,000 5 Conservation Holidays ,240 14,240 14,240 14,240 56,960 6 Residential ,840 23,840 23,840 23,840 95,360 7 Management and maintenance Exhibition/Events and Activities ,276 71,276 71,276 71, , ,000 5,000 12,000 12,000 12,000 12,000 62,000 9 Marketing 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 40,000 Total Expenditure 617, , , , , ,180 4,224,928 Income Property rent 12,000 4,846 14,446 14,446 14,446 14,446 74, Educational Group Visits 1, ,000 1,300 1,300 1,300 6,

105 Other fees/charges 12,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 42, Events 6,000 2,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000 32, Catering 11, ,500 13,905 14,322 14,752 67, Retail 14, ,000 14,000 14,000 14,000 70, Livestock Sales 0 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 5, Conservation Holidays ,000 26,000 26,780 27, , Residential ,000 28,000 28,840 29, ,834 Management and maintenance ,276 71,276 71,276 71, , Total Income 56,938 13, , , , , ,694 Net Expenditure 560, , , , , ,829 3,406, REMAINS CONSTANT WITH CURRENT STAFF AFTER REVIEW - ASSUME 1% PAYINCREASE. INCLUDES 1/4 COLLECTION CARE TEAM COSTS IE 32, UNCHANGED 3. REMAINS AS IT IS AT PRESENT 4. REMAINS CONSTANT (2016/17 CHANGE REFLECTS PERIOD OF CLOSURE DURING DELIVERY) 5. RETAIL OFFCER WILL BE MAINTAINED IN HOUSE (ASSUME 4K PROFIT MARGIN) 6. ALL STAFF AND SUPPLIES COSTS INCLUDED 7. ALLSTAFF AND SUPPLIES COSTS INCLUDED 8. SUM SET ASIDE FOR MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE (WILL EXTEND BEYOND 2021) 9. ENHANCED EVENT PROGRAMMETO SUPPORT OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT. NOTE 5K BUDGET FORM COLLECTION CARE FOR EXHIBITIONS 10. RENT BASED ON FIGURES ON PAGE EDUCATION VISITS FROM EXTERNAL SCHOOLS 12. INCOME GENERATED FROM OTHER SOURCES INCLUDING OCCASSIONAL CONSULTANCY 13. REMAINS CONSTANT 14. INCOME PROJECTED ON FRANCHISE FEE 15. RETAIL INCOME ASSUMING PROFIT OF 4K 16. CONTINUE AT CURRENT LEVELS 17. BASED ON 10 SESSIONS EACH YEAR 3% INCREASE BY YEAR 3 AND BASED ON 5 SESSIONS EACH YEAR 3% INCREASE BY YEAR 3 AND 4 105

106 54. Breakeven / Financial Risk There are a number of key variables that will impact on financial performance: The number of visits The proportion that spend on retail, catering etc. and the amount that they spend Operational expenses Within the basic operational model outlined in this plan, a relatively high proportion of the costs will be fixed. It will be necessary to maintain most of the staffing irrespective of the number of visits. In order to deal with a lower than expected financial return, it would be possible to have the shoulder staffing and opening hour profile in the peak months and the off peak staffing profile in the shoulder periods. 106

107 PART 12: PROJECT DELIVERY 55. Operational Team It has been assumed that all of the positions required for the operation of the visitor attraction in its entirety would be filled by employed staff. There will be many opportunities for volunteers, but it has been assumed that they would be restricted to non-essential functions. Due to the seasonal nature of the park, a large proportion of the staff will be employed on a part time and seasonal basis. The team responsible for the day-to-day operation of the DCCP is Countryside Development. Collection Care manages the collection and display of the Castle and is supported by the Cultural development team for exhibition development and display. These Team Leaders report to the Cultural and Countryside Manager and support is given for marketing and finance through our Marketing and Development Team and Central Support Team. The following charts outline the staff structure for the two main areas of operation that effect the castle and Country Park. 107

108 DEAN CASTLE + COUNTRY PARK OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE CULTURAL AND COUNTRYSIDE MANAGER DEAN CASTLE + COUNTRY COUNTRYSIDE DEVELOPMENT TEAM LEADER (COUNTRY PARK, EDUCATION, EVENTS + VISITOR SERVICES) COLLECTION CARE TEAM LEADER (EXHIBITION + DISPLAY) MARKETING + DEVELOPMENT AND CENTRAL SUPPORT SECTIONS OF EAL COUNTRYSIDE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER 1 FTE COUNTRYSIDE VISITOR SERVICES CO-ORDINATOR COUNTRYSIDE ACCESS OFFICER 1 FTE COLLECTION CARE CO-ORDINATOR 2 FTE MARKETING AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT VISITOR COUNTRYSIDE RANGER 3 FTE FUNDED POSTS LINKED TO PARK DEVELOPMENTT PROGRAMME 2FTE URBAN FARM CO- ORDINATOR 1 FTE + URBAN FARM ASSISTANT 0.57 FTE SERVICES ASSISTANT DEAN CASTLE + VISITOR CENTRE 4.6 FTE CLEANERS DEAN CASTLE 1.06 FTE COUNTRYSIDE MAINTENANCE CO-ORDINATOR 1 FTE COUNTRYSIDE ESTATE ASSISTANTS 2 FTE COUNTRYSIDE ARBORIST TREE CLIMBER 1 FTE COLLECTION CARE ASSISTANT 1 FTE 108

109 The following chart outlines the staff involved in delivering key programme strands and will work closely to ensure the programmes are fully integrated. DEAN CASTLE RESTORATION AND MODERNISATION PROJECT AND DEAN CASTLE PARKS FOR PEOPLE PROJECT + DEAN CASTLE PROJECT BOARD LED BY EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL HEAD OF CORPORATE INFRASTRUCTURE ADAM GEARY CULTURAL AND COUNTRYSIDE MANAGER GRAHAM DONALDSON BUILDINGS AND MAINTENANCE MANAGER KARL DOROSZENKO PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL (EAC) JASON SUTCLIFFE TEAM LEADER COLLECTION CARE (EAL) ANNEKE FREEL TEAM LEADER COUNTRYSIDE DEVELOPMENT (EAL) PROJECT MANAGEMENT PARK PROJECT PROGRAMME CORPORATE INFRASTRUCTURE (EAC) PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLANNING DEPARTMENT (EAC) PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLANNING CONTROL AND LIAISON PROJECT MANAGEMENT BUILDING PROJECT PROGRAMME 109

110 Business Plan Anneke Freel: Team Leader - Countryside Development Adam Geary Cultural and Countryside Manager Jason Sutcliffe Team Leader Collection Care Activity Plan Neal Lochrie: Countryside Ranger Anneke Freel: Team Leader - Countryside Development Jason Sutcliffe Team Leader - Collection Care Phillipa Aitken Team Leader Cultural Development Conservation Management Plan (External consultants) Anneke Freel: Team Leader - Countryside Development Jason Sutcliffe: Team Leader Collection Care Adam Geary: Cultural and Countryside Manager Monitoring and Evaluation Louise Kyle Marketing and Development officer Christine Strong: Countryside Ranger Neal Lochrie: Countryside Ranger Anneke Freel: Team Leader: Countryside Development Biodiversity Action Plan Paddy MacDonald: Countryside Development Officer Kate Dickens: Countryside Ranger Anneke Freel: Countryside Development Scottish Agricultural College Ayr Ayrshire College Green Network Plan Jim Williamson: Countryside Access Officer Anneke Freel: Team Leader - Countryside Development Marketing Louise Kyle Marketing and Development Officer Anneke Freel: Team Leader - Countryside Development Jason Sutcliffe: Team Leader Collection Care 110

111 Volunteers East Ayrshire Leisure will use volunteers to provide services that are not related to core operational requirements. This will primarily be in the form of the Dean Castle and Country Park Friends Forum. However, links to educational and third party organisations will be created to support the continued management and development of Dean Castle and Country Park Craft Development Groups Rural Skills volunteers Volunteer Development Group Volunteer event organisers Volunteer rangers Heritage Development Group Activity Development Group Education and Training Development Group Dean Castle and Country Park Friends Forum Outdoor Access and Recreation Development Group School work experience placements Ayrshire College Course Development Biodiversity Development Group Path Wardens East Ayrshire Cycle Forum 111

112 PART 13: PROJECT TIMETABLE A full implementation programme for the project is outlined in a separate chart available as part of the design guide for the capital programme. 112

113 PART 14: RISK REGISTER Risks during Project Delivery Item Probability Impact Mitigation The cost of implementing the project turns out to be much higher than expected High External funding for the project is not achievable and the project fails Regular liaison meetings with HLF and the Project Board to ensure that the project costs are realistic and best value There is a significant funding gap High The project bid is subject to all external funding being in place. A funding gap could delay the start of the project or lead to the project failing Regular liaison with all external funders and with the project board. Risks to the heritage significance of the site limit the feasibility of elements of the development Medium - High Aspects of the project could be removed from to minimise the impact on the heritage leading to a reduction in quality and integrity of the project A Conservation Management Plan has been commission which specifically addresses heritage impact. This is developed in parallel with all design work to ensure the designs are sympathetic to the heritage 113

114 Risks After Completion of the Project The number of visitors is much lower than expected Low This would impact on the evaluation of the project and may have a slight impact on the income projections Regular monitoring of the marketing plan for the venue to ensure that it is targeting the most appropriate audiences. The visitor spend on catering and retail is much lower than expected Medium Unrealistic income targets will have an effect on the operational budgets available for managing the venue Regular monitoring of income targets and marketing plan for the venue to ensure that it is targeting the most appropriate audiences. The uptake of property rents is lower than expected Medium Unrealistic income targets will have an effect on the operational budgets available for managing the venue Regular monitoring of income targets and marketing plan for the venue to ensure that it is targeting the most appropriate audiences. The residential accommodation rental falls below projected capacity uptake Medium Unrealistic income targets will have an effect on the operational budgets available for managing the venue Regular monitoring of income targets and marketing plan for the venue to ensure that it is targeting the most appropriate audiences. Key costs such as insurance and utilities rise substantially as a result of market conditions or some other factor at the park Low Increased costs will have a direct impact on the operational budgets available for managing the service Regular budget monitoring 114

115 A serious accident takes place on site Low Venue has to close The Service has an approved search and rescue plan and an emergency contingency plan that comes into force if a serious accident takes place It is not possible to recruit the skills required to run the Country Park effectively, particularly in peak periods Low This could impact on visitor numbers and income achievement All staff are recruited through a robust procedure with regular work reviews and annual eager reviews. 115

116 APPENDIX 1: SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT Analysis for Dean Castle and Country Park Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Diversity of landscape and biodiversity Easily Accessible to a wide audience with excellent pedestrian links, public transport and road links Good relationship with local communities Committed staff with a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm Excellent links with local education providers and community groups History of undermanaged resources Reduced resources brought about by public sector financial constraints Impact on the site brought about by significant increases in visitor numbers Lack of internal expertise in relation to retail and other income generating strands Front of house service is too remote form the majority of visitors Maximise appropriate work with volunteers, communities and interest groups Enhancing the natural heritage of the Country park through better management of the woodland, wetland and farmland habitats Increasing trend in visitor numbers to outdoor facilities Greater emphasis in outdoor learning with Scottish School curriculum Continuation of efficiency gains within the public sector Potential instability of being part of a third party organisation remote from the local authority Reduction in staffing to carry out essential maintenance Inappropriate recreational activities Environmental threats especially climate change (increased risk of flooding, loss/change of biodiversity Relatively low cost base Strong commitment to customer care Facilities are not able to cope with the level of demand Provision of more diverse recreational activities Interesting and diverse cultural and industrial heritage Innovative approach to service delivery including programming Prudent financial planning 116

117 APPENDIX 2: PATHWAY TO OUTDOOR LEARNING 1. Introduction to Outdoor Learning Outdoor learning experiences are often remembered for a lifetime. Integrating learning and outdoor experiences, whether through play in the immediate grounds or adventures further afield, provides relevance and depth to the curriculum in ways that are difficult to achieve indoors. Learning outdoors can be enjoyable, creative, challenging and adventurous and helps children and young people and adults learn by experience and grow as confident and responsible citizens who value and appreciate the spectacular landscapes, natural heritage and culture of Scotland. The East Ayrshire Pathway to Outdoor Learning would allow a transitional flow of learning practise from pre-5 early year s right through to tertiary level students and volunteers of all ages and abilities. Target sectors would be harder to reach groups such as the unemployed, disabled persons, ethnic minorities and disadvantaged communities such as those as those in close proximity to Dean Castle Country Park. 2. Policy Context The journey through education for any child in Scotland must include opportunities for a series of planned, quality outdoor learning experiences. Curriculum for Excellence through Outdoor Learning is designed to help teachers, educators, Community Learning and Development (CLD) and their partners, including the voluntary sector, plan such experiences to ensure that progressive and sustainable outdoor learning opportunities are embedded in the new curriculum. As especially for schools in deprived areas within East Ayrshire who have little or no access to the park due to cost. The local government White Paper 'Strong and Prosperous Communities', recommended a new focus, on improving outcomes for local people and places This would start with educating these communities at primary through to tertiary level empowering them to be more active in their community. In England there is increasing support for education outside the classroom, and in the past two years there has been a UK Parliamentary enquiry and an active Real World Learning / Education outside the Classroom campaign to re-invigorate this approach to education. The campaign has involved a wide variety of the sector working with politicians and civil servants to produce a manifesto' for Learning Outside the Classroom.In August 2006 Learning For Our Future: Scotland's First Action Plan for the united nation Decade of Education for 117

118 Sustainable Development stated the obligations for school to university education with regard to environmental and sustainability education. Further, it emphasised the valuable role of a pathway of education outdoors. Outdoor learning contributes to delivering the Scottish Government s overarching strategic objectives towards creating a more successful country : Smarter Outdoor learning encourages learners to understand the interplay and relationship between curriculum areas. This awareness promotes lifelong learning and develops critical thinking skills. Healthier Learning outdoors can lead to lifelong recreation. Activities such as walking and cycling which are ideal for physical and emotional wellbeing contribute to a healthier Scotland. Scots have a reputation for adventure activities such as mountaineering and have achieved international sporting success in canoeing, sailing and skiing. Safer and stronger Outdoor learning activities span social divisions and can help build stronger communities. Some organisations have therapeutic programmes where outdoor learning plays a central role. Children and young people have opportunities to develop skills to assess and manage risk when making decisions. Greener Frequent and regular outdoor learning encourages children and young people to engage with the natural and built heritage. Scotland s countryside and urban areas provide ideal settings for children and young people to understand the global significance of sustainability issues and inform personal decisions that contribute towards a greener Scotland. Wealthier and fairer The outdoors provides excellent opportunities to use a wide range of skills and abilities not always visible in the classroom. Becoming aware of such skills can fundamentally change personal, peer and staff perceptions and lead to profound changes in life expectations and success. This document outlines the integral role outdoor learning has in the new curriculum. It signposts ways for teachers, educators and their partners to plan for and use the outdoor environment to provide imaginative learning and teaching which is relevant, lively and motivating. All staff at every level of involvement with the education of children and young people has a responsibility to make the most of the outdoor environment to support the delivery of the experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence. 118

119 Developments in outdoor learning are underpinned and supported through Glow and by the Learning and Teaching Scotland outdoor learning online resource, which was initially developed in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission Scotland and the Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education. Curriculum for Excellence offers opportunities for all children and young people to enjoy first-hand experience outdoors, whether within the school grounds, in urban green spaces, in Scotland s countryside or in wilder environments. Such experiences motivate our children and young people to become successful learners and to develop as healthy, confident, enterprising and responsible citizens. Well-constructed and well-planned outdoor learning helps develop the skills of enquiry, critical thinking and reflection necessary for our children and young people to meet the social, economic and environmental challenges of life in the 21st century. Outdoor learning connects children and young people with the natural world, with our built heritage and our culture and society, and encourages lifelong involvement and activity in Scotland s outdoors. The core values of Curriculum for Excellence resonate with long-standing key concepts of outdoor learning. Challenge, enjoyment, relevance, depth, development of the whole person and an adventurous approach to learning are at the core of outdoor pedagogy. The outdoor environment encourages staff and students to see each other in a different light, building positive relationships and improving selfawareness and understanding of others. Partnerships between staff in schools, other educational settings and with other organisations will create working relationships that contribute to professional development for teachers and educators and construct clear pathways for delivering Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes outdoors. Realising this vision will contribute to the wellbeing of our children and young people and enable them to become resilient, responsible citizens and successful lifelong learners, who value our landscape and culture and contribute effectively to our local and global society. Different outdoor learning experiences offer opportunities for personal and learning skills development in areas such as communication, problem solving, information technology, working with others and thinking skills. Learning in the outdoors can make significant contributions to literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. In literacy there are opportunities to use different texts: the spoken word, charts, maps, timetables and instructions. In numeracy there are opportunities to 119

120 measure angles and calculate bearings and journey times. In health and wellbeing there are opportunities to become physically active in alternative ways and to improve emotional wellbeing and mental health. Therefore, outdoor learning offers many opportunities for learners to deepen and contextualise their understanding within curriculum areas, and for linking learning across the curriculum in different contexts and at all levels. The journey through education for any child in Scotland must include opportunities for a series of planned, quality outdoor learning experiences. 3. Current Provision The Countryside Services team launched a Curriculum led Education Pack in 2010 in response to the introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence for Scottish Schools. The Pack sets out key topics at early, first and second level across the subject areas of planet earth, biological systems, people, past events and societies and people, place and the environment. Each topic is support be a lesson plan to support the integration of classroom studies into the outdoors and to make traditional school trips more relevant to the topics being studied at the school. The table below outlines the topics that are on offer: PLANET EARTH LEVEL TOPIC LESSON PLAN CODE Early Animal Opposites PE/E/1 Flowering Plants PE/E/2 Hibernation PE/E/3 Identification using simple keys PE/E/4 Immediate environment PE/E/5 Matching Adult and baby animals PE/E/6 Nocturnal Animals PE/E/7 Seasonal Changes PE/E/8 Simple Food Chains PE/E/9 Sorting Living Things PE/E/10 Where Animals Live PE/E/11 First Animal Adaptations PE/F/1 120

121 Animal Classifications Animal Opposites Comparing within Animal Groups(Birds) Comparing within Animal Groups(Insects) Comparing within Animal Groups(Mammals) Flowering Plants Food Chains and Webs Hibernation Identification using keys Invertebrates Lifecycle of Plants Migration Nocturnal Animals Seasonal Changes Seed Dispersal Sorting Living Things Vertebrates PE/F/2 PE/F/3 PE/F/4 PE/F/5 PE/F/6 PE/F/7 PE/F/8 PE/F/9 PE/F/10 PE/F/11 PE/F/12 PE/F/13 PE/F/14 PE/F/15 PE/F/16 PE/F/17 PE/F/18 Second Animal Classifications PE/S/1 Water cycle PE/S/2 Benefits of Plants PE/S/3 Comparing within animal groups PE/S/4 Conservation PE/S/5 Environmental factors affecting plants and animals PE/S/6 Flowering Plants PE/S/7 Food webs and eco-system PE/S/8 Identification using keys PE/S/9 Invertebrates PE/S/10 Non flowering plants PE/S/11 Protected Species PE/S/12 Seed dispersal PE/S/13 Vertebrates PE/S/14 121

122 BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS LEVEL TOPIC LESSON PLAN CODE Early Senses BS/E/1 First Senses BS/F/1 Second Senses BS/S/1 Lifecycles BS/S/2 PEOPLE, PAST EVENTS AND SOCIETIES LEVEL TOPIC LESSON PLAN CODE Early Land use Changes PPS/E/1 First Land use Changes PPS/F/1 Victorian Landscapes PPS/F/2 PEOPLE, PLACE AND THE ENVIRONMENT LEVEL TOPIC LESSON PLAN CODE Early Adopting my Local Park PPE/E/1 Investigating my Local Park PPE/E/2 Local Path Networks PPE/E/3 Weather Recording PPE/E/4 First Adopting a Local Greenspace PPE/F/1 Climate PPE/F/2 Investigating Local Greenspaces PPE/F/3 Local Landscapes and Living Things PPE/F/4 Local Land use PPE/F/5 Maps and Mapping PPE/F/6 Weather Recording PPE/F/7 Second Human Impact on the Environment PPE/S/1 Local Development and the Environment PPE/S/2 Local Land Use PPE/S/3 122

123 Local Path Networks Maps and Mapping Nature Based Tourism Scotland s Landscapes Scotland s Rivers Weather and Living Things PPE/S/4 PPE/S/5 PPE/S/6 PPE/S/7 PPE/S/8 PPE/S/9 All lesson plans and background information were put onto a disc which was sent to all schools and educational establishments in East Ayrshire and neighbouring North and South Ayrshire. This allowed schools to choose specific topics linked directly to the Curriculum for Excellence. Each lesson plan was tailored to either Early, First, Second or Third level. The pack was split into 4 sections: Ranger led activities were integrated into Section 1: Formal Environmental Education which included over 70 lesson plans based around curriculum topics which Countryside Services can support. These lesson plans form the foundation to most ranger led activities. While each plan can be used for standalone visits to Dean Castle Country Park, school grounds or wider community, most of them can be linked to form longer and more detailed environmental education Projects. The lesson plans also indicate which Curriculum for Excellence experience and outcomes are being addressed through the activities and gives the opportunity for children led planning and evaluation. Section 2: Self-Guided Resources was developed to encourage greater use of school grounds and the wider community. There are examples of activities which can be used in woodland, grassland, wetland and urban environments, as well as some key things to think about when organising a field studies trip.this section also includes a series of East Ayrshire Community Maps that can be used to support local projects. These maps can be printed and photocopied. Countryside Services can also provide you with historical or more detailed maps on request or field studies equipment that will facilitate your project. Other activities which are offered by East Ayrshire Countryside Services or our local partners are outlined in Section 3: What Else can you do? This includes everything from wildlife gardening to tailored environmental projects and from outdoor pursuits to history projects. We are really keen to be involved in innovative and fun projects which will get children outdoors and support groups in developing any ideas and projects. 123

124 Section 4: Administration outlines the new booking system and enquiry form and gives you the contact details for East Ayrshire Countryside Service s Education Programme.Also included in this disc is a Gallery of Photographs. The main aim of this gallery is to show some projects which we have recently carried out with local schools. However, there is a selection of photos of Dean Castle Country Park and of Local Wildlife that we are happy for you to download and use as required. It should also be noted that this pack can be used by schools from outside East Ayrshire. The lesson plans will form the basis of school visits to Dean Castle Country Park. This pack has generally been well received and has been fundamental in developing project work with schools. However, it is also clear that schools visiting Dean Castle Country Park tend to choose a smaller range of topics and the list that we have on offer is too large and variety. 124

125 4. Future Provision: A Pathway Approach Education Scotland has launched a new initiative called Achievement Pathways. An achievement pathway describes an individual's successes, awards and qualifications as they progress in their learning. To increase achievement and raise attainment for all, schools and their partners are developing new curriculum approaches that provide flexible achievement pathways at the senior phase. As part of the Dean Castle Country Park project, it is our intention to use the new facilities that are being developed during the period of this plan, including a better managed natural heritage, residential accommodation, outdoor classroom, amphitheatre and cooking are and workshop spaces, to work with schools, colleges, organisations and individuals to provide a flexible achievement pathway across all age groups. The Pathway will have 6 levels: Sowing the Seed: aimed at early years Grassroots: aimed at 5 12 year olds Branching Out: aimed at young people New Shoots: aimed at young adults Continuing Growth: aimed at CPD Forest Families: aimed at family groups and individuals 125

126 126

127 4.1 Sowing the Seed The Grassroots Level of the Pathway will be aimed at early year s organisations. Dean Castle Country Park currently provides the setting for a number of pre-5 providers who offer an outdoor nursery element to their provision. This includes both private and East Ayrshire Council run nurseries. Hillbank Nursery provides an excellent example of this and has been commended nationally for their achievements. Hillbank Nursery is within an area of high deprivation and many of the children attend the nursery through referral. Once a week, the staff form the nursery walk the children to Dean Castle Country Park and spend the whole day regardless of the weather. By working with early years outdoor champions, our ambition is to provide support that will encourage more nurseries and pre-5 organisations to do this through an accredited training programme. In the future will work in partnership with Ayrshire College to develop an Outdoor Learning module that could be linked to the existing courses run in Early Childcare and would be set at an affordable rate as an alternative to existing providers such as Forest Schools. 4.2 Grassroots Currently School pupils come to the Country Park each year to participate in curriculum led lesson plans. Teachers choose lessons from the topic list for each education level and individual sessions can be tailored accordingly. As discussed earlier, the uptake on certain topics is much greater than others. Therefore, the offer that we ll make to primary aged children will be 4 fold. Topic Based Activities A more focussed approach to lesson plan topics offering only the most popular activities across the curriculum subjects. The analysis of topic popularity suggests that there are 13 lesson plans which have never been selected and 8 which are selected regularly. Project Based Activities Many of the topics within the current education pack may be better served packaged into longer term projects week projects are ideal for delivering on the 4 aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence. Experiential Learning Activities 127

128 Every autumn the Ranger Service engages with approximately 1400 primary 6 pupils in an experiential learning event known as Danger Detectives. The main focus is safety in the countryside and following the guidelines of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. The sessions use props and an interactive learning experience using scenarios that children may have to deal with when visiting the countryside. Feedback has always been very positive with the participating children remembering much of the key points. The same props and activities have been used successfully when visiting schools for Eco, Science and Health weeks. In the future we would hope to continue this but incorporate more themes and engage with more groups to encourage countryside stewardship. Introduction to Residential Activities Our proposed residential unit will be designed to facilitate groups of up to 40 individuals in dormitory style accommodation. The aim of this facility will be to develop Outdoor Learning opportunities delivered by the ranger service in partnership with qualified leaders in Outdoor Activities. Target groups would be school groups for 1 or 2 night stays in preparation for their full week long transition residential visit which occurs in P7 in larger residential facilities. This is based on information gathered from schools within a sixty mile radius of the park, which showed there is a great demand for experiential learning in an urban setting. Example 2 day school package DAY 1 DAY 2 10: 00 Arrival/orientation/room allocation 08:00 Breakfast 10:45 snack 09:00 Mapping Skills 11:00-12:30 wildlife exploration snack 12:30-13:30 lunch (Packed lunch) 11: Orienteering 13:30-15:30 den building / bushcraft Lunch 15:30-17:00 Foraging 14:00 departure 17:00-18:30 dinner (incorporating the finds of the day) 15:00 turn around begins for next group 18:30-21:00 Nocturnal talk and then night walk 21:30 bed 4.3 Branching Out Secondary school aged young people are traditionally more difficult to get involved in the outdoors. The aim of this project is to develop a progressive Countryside Awards Scheme which will encourage a level of individual exploration based on the belief that the best outdoor learning combines adventure skills, personal and social development and learning about the environment. Other important aspects of 128

129 outdoor learning are the benefits to health, gaining a better understanding of our rights and responsibilities and learning to understand and deal with risk. The Countryside Awards Scheme will be designed to offer this balance by using enjoyable and challenging outdoor experiences to progressively develop skills and understanding. Progression through the 5 levels of programme will allow people to specialise and focus on areas that particularly interest them. NAVIGATING NATURE TEAM INITIATIVES IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT AYRSHIRE ADVENTURES REFLECTION Typical activities Typical activities Typical activities: Typical activities Typical activities woodland, freshwater or coastal studies adaptations food chains and food webs water cycle animal tracking comparing landscapes / habitats team building exercises problem solving courses team challenge trust games local conservation projects footpath conservation wildlife gardening take part in national surveys local countryside and river clean ups map work and compass skills hill walking orienteering horse riding fire building and outdoor cooking scrapbook video photo album diary have an overnight camping trip where awards are given and stories of adventures are shared The Branching Out element of the Pathway will be to continue with the work experience programme currently offered through a partnership with the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce. S4 pupils spend 5 days shadowing the rangers and learning all about their day to day roles and responsibilities. In recent years the service has moved towards a self-referral scheme as this ensures that participants have an existing interest in outdoor learning and allows the opportunity to look into further education such as Access courses with Ayrshire College and the Countryside Management courses run at SRUC solidifying the education pathway. The proposal is to extend this offer to all aspects of the service including animal care, horticultural and visitor services. 4.4 New Shoots 129

130 Ayrshire College was formed from a merger between Kilmarnock College, James Watt College and Ayr College in 2013 Currently students from three faculties have been working in partnership with the team at Dean Castle Country Park. Environmental Management students have been learning practical skills during construction of boardwalk and other aspects of countryside management. Travel and Tourism students carried out Visitor Management surveys and students on the Access to Land and Trees course carried out tree surveys, habitat management and path construction. In future it is hoped that a module in outdoor learning and outdoor recreation can be facilitated by the existing ranger service in partnership with Ayrshire College. The SRUC uses the Dean Castle Country Park and ranger service as a case study for key aspects of their Countryside Management courses in areas such as Visitor Management, Interpretation and Woodland Management. Students have also volunteered on practical conservation tasks and used the park for practical assessments and group work. In future this partnership is hoped to be developed further as it can facilitate co-ordinated learning opportunities beneficial to both parties in terms of training. 4.5 Continuing Growth This stage of the Pathway is about workshops aimed at students on both B.A Education and Professional Graduate Diploma in Education courses to support them in Outdoor Learning and familiarise them with the resources we can offer. Workshops give a practical insight into the lesson plan topics we offer that link directly with Curriculum for Excellence. This partnership will continue to develop especially as the emphasis on the importance of Outdoor Learning increases. Key target groups will be disadvantaged communities from within East Ayrshire. The quality of delivery will be improved with the creation of new facilities and equipment. CPD opportunities have currently been offered through Teacher Twilight training sessions. This enables teachers to find out more about our services and how we can support them in their Outdoor Learning remit. This helps forge good working relationships between the ranger service and East Ayrshire schools staff. In addition corporate team building days have been facilitated by the ranger service in partnership with East Ayrshire Council Occupational Development. These have been a great success and it is anticipated that more of these could be offered in the future. 4.6 Forest Families With the proposed new residential facilities volunteering opportunities could be increased to accommodate conservation volunteer holidays lasting one week or longer meaning. Previous International Volunteer groups have had to be housed off-site within Village Halls 130

131 and Community Centres. On-site accommodation would allow further development of these volunteer opportunities and extension into the working holiday market. Existing volunteer events such as Back to Basics could take advantage of the improved facilities on offer especially for early morning and late evening sessions. Example four night working holiday programmes DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY2 DAY4 DAY5 10: 00 Arrival/orientation/room allocation 10:30 coffee and introduction 11:00 dry stane workshop 13:00 lunch 14:00 continue workshop 17:00 diner prep 18:00 dinner 19:00 twilight talk and drinks 08:00 breakfast 09:00 continue workshop 10:30 tea break 11:00 dry stane workshop 13:00 lunch 14:00 continue workshop 17:00 diner prep 18:00 dinner 19:00 nocturnal walk 08:00 breakfast 09:00 boardwalk workshop 10:30 tea break 11:00 boardwalk workshop 13:00 lunch 14:00 boardwalk workshop 17:00 diner prep 18:00 dinner 19:00 at leisure ( the pub) 08:00 breakfast 09:00 willow weaving 10:30 tea break 11:00 willow weaving 13:00 lunch 14:00 foraging and natural dyes 17:00 diner prep with the forage 18:00 dinner 19:00 campfire and quiz 08:00 breakfast green wood working workshop 13:00 lunch for the road and feedback forms 131

132 5 Who Do We Need To Involve To facilitate our future provision we would need to involve the following providers: 132