Linking the “Countryside on your Doorstep” to Public Transport

The Great North Forest (GNF) is one of twelve Community Forests in England. With over one million people living within 10 kilometres of the forest, a Public Transport Access Project was launched in 2002 to encourage people to get out and to visit the countryside on their doorsteps, using public transport. Vicki Sixsmith, Strategic Access Officer explains what the programme has achieved.

The project
The GNF was set up in 1990 as a long term environmental regeneration project to create an attractive, well-wooded and sustainable landscape offering a wide range of environmental, social and economic benefits to local people. The GNF covers approximately 250 square kilometres across South Tyne and Wear and north-east Durham.

The GNF provides local countryside to a significant and diverse population. However, actual awareness of the forest was found to be very low. This lack of awareness was compounded by the fact that very few people accessed the countryside for leisure using public transport. This was felt to be a significant issue for an area, which has the lowest absolute level of car ownership in England.

The Public Transport Access Project was a 2-year initiative managed jointly by the Tyne & Wear Rural Transport Partnership (RTP) and the GNF and funded in cash and in kind by Countryside Agency (CA), Nexus, South Tyneside Council, Durham County Council and Gateshead Council. The project also received guidance from both environmental and marketing consultants.

The delivery mechanism
Using the seven objectives outlined below, the partnership organisations formed a steering group and working sub-groups to deliver the project on the ground:

1. Invest in producing ground-breaking leaflets and an integrated website that would generate confidence and excitement
2. Significantly raise overall awareness of the GNF
3. Use PR effectively and boldly to raise general awareness of the ‘countryside on your doorstep’
4. Target people living close to the GNF, especially those who currently use their cars for short trips or for accessing the GNF
5. Build confidence in using existing bus and Metro routes to the GNF through events, signage, appropriate information etc
6. Target specific socially excluded groups directly and through partner organisations.
7. Measure results carefully to track impact, apply learning and secure future funding.

The outputs
Two innovative and attractive leaflets were produced that promoted sites and linear walks within the GNF, for each walk together with detailed public transport information on how to access them. These leaflets were distributed throughout the region using libraries, tourist information offices, public transport hubs, community groups as well as to over 100,000 households in the south Tyne and Wear region.

To complement the above, every public transport node mentioned in the leaflets was fitted with a poster that promoted the nearby/site walk, giving detailed and directional information about the site/walk and any others nearby.

A website was developed that not only covered the sites/walks promoted in the leaflets but also other areas within the GNF. This was accompanied with detailed public transport information and displayed in a bright and accessible format.

A comprehensive promotional campaign was launched with “cove cards” and window stickers placed throughout the Metro network. The branding of an entire Metro station at Heworth and a GNF branded Metro carriage assisted in raising awareness of the countryside on people’s doorstep and delivered the project message to a large audience.

Finally two community events took place in the GNF at Tanfield Railway Centre, the world’s oldest operating railway. Community groups from all over the region were invited to get on the bus to the centre and once there they could exchange their bus ticket for a free ride on the steam train, take a guided walk through the GNF and have a free lunch. These events were a great success and spread the word of both the project and the GNF by the most effective of marketing tools - personal recommendation.

The results
Baseline market research was undertaken before the initiative began and then at various stages throughout the project. This allowed the project to be monitored and quantitatively evaluated. Now that the project has ended follow-up market research has demonstrated that the programme raised awareness of the GNF. Also the proportion of respondents using public transport for leisure trips has increased over the projects lifetime from 26% in April 2003 to 36% in December. This would appear to be due in-part to the project’s success in marketing public transport access routes into the countryside (SQW, 2004).

However anecdotal evidence relating specifically to linear walks tells us that many more local community groups are using the leaflet to undertake linear walks within the GNF, particularly those involved with healthy walking, the over 60’s and refugee support groups.

Although the project has now ended, all the partners involved have agreed to take forward the principles and practices of integrating sustainable transport developed. Indeed the GNF is now involved in the promotion of the World Heritage candidate bid for Wearmouth – Jarrow and is developing Bede’s Way, a linear pilgrimage that follows in the footsteps of Venerable Bede.

For more information contact
Vicki Sixsmith
www.greatnorthforest.co.uk

References:
SQW (2004). Evaluation of the Impact of Community Engagement in the North East Community Forests.

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