TSE support for Small Rural Towns and Villages
Over the past year, Tourism South East (TSE) has been working with the following small rural towns to support tourism development. Each town has been in a different position in terms of lifecycle of their tourism product offering, resources available and existing networks. The details of each of these towns and villages can be viewed below:
- Abingdon (Oxfordshire)
- Alfriston (East Sussex)
- Alton (Hampshire)
- Billingshurst (West Sussex)
- Botley (Hampshire)
- Brading (Isle of Wight)
- Chesham (Buckinghamshire)
- Cranbrook (Kent)
- Dorchester on Thames (Oxfordshire)
- Dorking (Surrey)
- Farnham (Surrey)
- Faringdon (Oxfordshire)
- Fordingbridge (Hampshire)
- Haslemere (Surrey)
- Hayling Island (Hampshire)
- Henley (Oxfordshire)
- Lee on Solent (Hampshire)
- Lewes (East Sussex)
- Lymington (Hampshire)
- New Milton (Hampshire)
- Petersfield (Hampshire)
- Princes Risborough (Buckinghamshire)
- Pulborough (West Sussex)
- Romsey (Hampshire)
- Steyning (West Sussex)
- Stockbridge (Hampshire)
- Storrington (West Sussex)
- Thame (Oxfordshire)
- Wallingford (Oxfordshire)
- Wantage (Oxfordshire)
- Wickham (Hampshire)
Abingdon, Faringdon & Wantage (Oxfordshire)
TSE held several meetings with Vale of White Horse (VoWH) District Council to identify how best to engage with the local community groups in Farringdon, Abingdon and Wantage who were keen to look at tourism development having completed the market towns healthcheck. TSE and VoWH gathered together the key stakeholders to participate in a workshop which was held in Abingdon in March 2004.
Prior to the workshop a Mystery Visitor Town Evaluation was undertaken by TSE to provide some external perception evidence for the subsequent workshop. This workshop was held as part of a broader meeting involving other towns in the Vale of White Horse. The workshop, facilitated by Tourism South East, aimed to gather together the key stakeholders to drive forward a more strategic tourism focus and provide a more integrated approach to marketing and partnership projects within each town.
Alfriston including the Cuckmere Valley (East Sussex)
Having met with the Alfriston and Cuckmere Valley Partnership on several occassions, TSE ran a workshop with the partnership and other key stakeholders to demonstrate the tourism guidance notes and establish a tourism sub-group with an action plan. Through the action plan, TSE have engaged with other partners to appoint a Sustainable Transport and Tourism Officer to help co-ordinate tourism project activity i.e: Internet presence and brochure development. TSE is working with the Officer to develop a range of short break itineraries to be promoted on the Rural Ways website.
Through communications with East Hampshire District Council Economic Development Unit, TSE met with key individuals from the Alton Healthcheck Steering Group to discuss potential support and advice available from TSE’s Development Unit.
It was agreed that the town would benefit from a mystery visitor town evaluation to gauge the visitor’s perspective. This survey was undertaken by TSE in March 2004 and a report on the town's performance was provided.
In September 2004 a stakeholder meeting was facilitated by TSE and attended by attraction, accommodation and catering operators as well as those with special interests from the public and voluntary sector. A tourism initiative group resulted and several meetings have been held. The group examined the various town brochures which have been rationalised down to one annual brochure detailing events and a more general brochure for the town itself.
Some co-operation has resulted amongst three key attractions (Watercress Line, Gilbert White's House, Jane Austen's House). Overall progress is slower than desirable because the Town Initiative Manager is employed for 2 days per week and does not have the time and resources to manage all of the various projects.
Alongside this initiative Alton is also featured on the Rural Ways website.
Through TSE’s participation in the Business in the Community events in the four Horsham Market Towns, the four towns acknowledged their tourism opportunities and asked TSE to complete the mystery visit evaluation on each of the four towns. These surveys were completed in February 2004 and were then reported to representatives of the towns.
Several meetings have been held between TSE and Eastleigh Borough Council with a view to engaging with the Botley community group. Primary action being to establish how to retain Botley’s ‘market town’ character, with the loss of the more traditional retail to estate agents and nail and beauty salons.
TSE, in conjunction with Hidden Britain, are planning to facilitate a stakeholder workshop in the autumn of 2005 to help the town progress through the Tourism Guidance Notes (TGN). The aim is to agree the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats faced by the town and then to develop a ‘tourism vision’ and a practical action plan.
The local market towns partnership in Brading in conjunction with the Isle of Wight market towns co-ordinator has been very active in the regeneration of the Brading Railway Station and have sought TSE’s advice on how best to progress with developing the tourism product offering, making the most of the location, history and transport connections.
Chesham has showed great interest in the TGN process and, following discussions with Chiltern District Council, Chesham Community Vision Council and Chesham Community Vision, a tourism stakeholder workshop will be held in the town in September 2005. The aim of the workshop will be to demonstrate the TGN process and begin to develop a SWOT analysis, vision and action plan.
TSE is partnering Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in a new initiative to provide a local tourism officer post to prioritise and drive forward projects out of the Cranbrook tourism action plan. This is a pilot project for TSE and we will be closely monitoring progress.
Dorchester on Thames (Oxfordshire)
Working in partnership with Hidden Britain, TSE is running a market towns survey in the town. The results of which will then be integrated into the development of the tourism action plan.
Since 1998 Dorking has benefited from an active town management initiative whose remit is to help develop the town's economy to meet changing needs. Its award winning website and accompanying brochure are part of a wider tourism initiative developed by the town management in partnership with the local Tourism and Events Group.
After the initial briefing meeting on piloting the Tourism Guidance Notes, the process was launched to stakeholders in Dorking in May 2004 by TSE. The town centre management team, in partnership with the local Tourism and Events Group have been working through the TGN process with TSE, analysing and summarising a number of tourism research reports and surveys to provide a factual basis for a stakeholder workshop facilitated by TSE in the spring of 2005.
As part of the Surrey Hills AONB initiative, Dorking is implementing the action plan that developed out of the TGN process.
Farnham Town Council sought advice and support from TSE in the process of taking over responsibility for tourism in Farnham from the District Council. A meeting was held to establish how best to engage with the local tourism stakeholders to introduce the new town council remit; the TGN was seen as an appropriate vehicle for doing this. It was agreed that a stakeholder workshop would help to engage those with an interest in tourism in the town. The workshop was facilitated by TSE in March 2005 as part of the development of a Farnham town tourism strategy.
Alongside this initiative, Farnham shortbreak itineraries have been developed and are now featured on the Rural Ways website.
The Town Council is now working with Hidden Britain in continuation of TSE’s tourism development process. A second workshop will take place, involving the same stakeholders, to progress the initiative.
Having been involved with New Forest District Council (NFDC) in setting up a Community Tourism Group, and in order to progress the development of a tourism strategy, TSE and NFDC conducted a workshop in the town in February 2004. The aim was to get all of the key stakeholders together and engaged in the healthcheck process and raise awareness of the Tourism Guidance Notes Pilot in the town. One of the key outcomes of the meeting was that a town partnership was formed with sub groups to take on some of the likely projects to come out of the Action Plan.
As one of the TGN four pilot towns, Fordingbridge benefited from further support and advice from TSE. As a result the Community Tourism Group completed the Tourism Guidance Notes in the spring of 2005 and is pursing funding to implement its action plan.
Haslemere (Surrey)
Haslemere was put forward as a suitable town to take part in the pilot scheme for the Tourism Guidance Notes. A meeting was held with the Haslemere Healthcheck Project Co-ordinator to agree pilot status and to identify the way forward. TSE agreed to send in a mystery visitor to complete a town evaluation as there was a significant lack of available visitor data. This was fed back to the town at a town partnership meeting.
TSE, in partnership with Waverley Borough Council, held a workshop on the town evaluation outcomes and progress/consultation on the TGN. This workshop assisted with completion of the latter stages of the TGN by generating a SWOT, vision and subsequent action plan for the town.
Haslemere having successfully applied for TSE market towns pump priming funding is now progressing through a themed shortbreaks campaign. The shortbreaks campaign was put forward for the Action for Market Towns Awards 2005, and having won both its category award and the regional market towns award has demonstrated the success that the sheer determination and will of the Haslemere Tourism Group has had by following through with their hard work in gathering information, developing their action plan and now delivering award winning projects.
Hayling Island is one of a number of communities in Hampshire that meet the criteria for assistance from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) under the £1.2 million Market Towns Initiative, led by Hampshire County Council, and aimed at ensuring the long-term viability of the county’s small rural towns.
As an MTI group was in the early stages of being formed, and there was a dedicated tourism handbook, the idea of using undergraduates to carry out the tourism audit on behalf of the group began to form. In order to bring fresh and unbiased research, it was decided to invite a group of students with little or no prior knowledge of the Island. The University of Winchester was found to be an ideal choice, as it offered a Heritage and Tourism degree.
This project was a great example of partnership working in practice. Those involved included Hampshire County Council, Havant Borough Council, the University of Winchester, local volunteers of the MTI group, local visitor attractions such as the East Hayling Light Railway, Funlands and a local holiday village Sinah Warren, itself a historic site dating back to 1443, who offered to host the student group. A special workshop was run by Leanne Marr on behalf of Tourism South East upon arrival. The students spent 5 days undertaking research and experiencing the Island’s heritage sites, accompanied by MTI volunteers, Hampshire County Council’s MTI project officer Sarah Snowden, and Havant Borough Council officers and councillors. The result was completion of the Tourism Healthcheck handbook and production of a completed independent consultancy report (available below).
Henley, Thame & Wallingford (Oxfordshire)
TSE completed market town benchmarking visitor satisfaction surveys in these three South Oxfordshire towns over the summer of 2003. As a follow on to the benchmarking process, support was offered to South Oxfordshire to further demonstrate what the key findings are and how to tackle them.
TSE provided an advisory role to the Lee on Solent Initiative, ‘Vision4Lee’, who are keen to embark on the Tourism Guidance Notes Process in order to shape tourism development in the town and influence the local development framework and the allocation of released MOD land.
A Mystery Visitor Town Evaluation was conducted on the town by TSE in January 2004, the results were then analysed and the findings presented at a TSE facilitated stakeholder workshop in March 2004.
After being referred to TSE by New Forest District Council, a community representative for Lymington made contact to discuss setting up a Community Tourism Group. It was suggested that the town representative attend the tourism workshops in Fordingbridge and New Milton to have the opportunity to see how partnerships engage and who the key players are that should be involved. TSE offered to attend initial meetings of the Lymington Community Tourism Group (once established) to provide support and direction. In November 2004, TSE facilitated a stakeholder workshop that aimed to encourage the formation of the Community Tourism Group, a group was duly established.
Once New Milton completed the market towns healthcheck, they were identified as a beacon town for a Business in the Community initiative. TSE was engaged with New Milton through the event as a regional partner to provide advice and support. TSE subsequently liased with the Town Project Co-ordinator and the Town Clerk to discuss how to establish the town’s tourism potential and how TSE might support the town in relation to tourism development. Working together, the Market Town Project Co-ordinator, the County Co-ordinator, TSE and New Forest District Council developed the agenda and objectives for a workshop.
TSE facilitated the workshop in March 2004 at the Chewton Glen Hotel and Country Club. The workshop was very successful, bringing together most of the key stakeholders apart from the caravan and camping parks. The main outcome was that a Community Tourism Group was formed and subsequently agreed to meet to discuss the Tourism Guidance Notes and how to progress. A mystery visitor town evaluation was also completed on the town and fed back briefly at the workshop. New Milton has since published their market towns action plan which now contains substantial coverage of tourism development.
Having worked through the Market Towns Healthcheck, the Petersfield community partnership has identified the need for further exploration into tourism. TSE have subsequently been approached by East Hampshire District Council to facilitate a tourism stakeholder workshop in Petersfield.
Princes Risborough (Buckinghamshire)
The community-wide appraisal that resulted in the Vision for the town and an initial action plan, identified the lack of a coherent visitor strategy for Princes Risborough as a key weakness. And importantly, this concern was shared not only by local businesses, retailers and service providers but by the wider local community. The appraisal highlighted the widely held view that the local landscape and historic communities with their richness of heritage, wildlife and countryside was not promoted sufficiently to encourage visitors. It was also acknowledged that the viability and sustainability of our High Street, local business and services would depend very much on the promotion of our town as a tourist venue.
Following the publication of the Vision document project and under the auspices of Risborough Area Community Action separate groups began to look at solutions to meet the challenges set by the initial action plan. It quickly became evident that a new group needed to a address the wide range of issues associated with tourism. We were fortunate to capture the support of Tourism South East who led an initial workshop that sought to identify what was special about the area and, more importantly, what was unique. This meeting drew together a broad group of interests including many who provide local accommodation or manage shops in the town. As a consequence of this meeting a Visitor Action Group has been established.
Three themes are guiding our progress. Firstly, we have identified what is genuinely unique about our area (as opposed to values shared by most local towns however special they may be) and are preparing a marketing plan to promote Risborough. Secondly, a longer term initiative is to address the fragmented nature of our assests by linking our community more successfully geographically. Our third objective is a shorter term initiative that addresses the issues around poor or inappropriate signage and notice boards, the variety which can confuse, and the leaflets and promotional material that is not always town focussed. We are seeking funding to create a new range of interpretation material across the town.
TSE participated in two Business in the Community events in the four Horsham Market Towns. As a result of this, the four towns realised their tourism opportunities and agreed to TSE completing the mystery visit evaluation on each of the four towns. This survey was completed in February 2004 and was reported to representatives of four local towns a few weeks later.
A Mystery Visitor Checklist survey of the town took place in February 2004 and was reported to representatives of four local towns a few weeks later. Following meetings held with TSE, Horsham District Council and representatives from Pulborough, a plan was prepared and implemented to run a stakeholder workshop for the area.
This workshop was held at Pulborough Brooks a major RSPB site, and Horsham District Council presented the findings and conclusions for a district-wide tourism strategy. The outcome of the workshop was an agreement to form a small working group and as a first task to develop a series of leaflets to promote walks within the town and area.
Alongside this initiative Pulborough is also featured on theRural Ways website.
Pulborough is in the process of prioritising its market towns projects to then bid for funding to deliver the projects.
TSE has been engaged with and advising the Romsey and Andover Town Centre Management Committee for a number of years. The TSE Research Team has been involved in completing visitor surveys in Romsey and Andover as well as carrying out regular business monitors and pedestrian counts. TSE have had numerous discussions with Test Valley Borough Council’s Tourism Officer on running a tourism development workshop for Romsey.
TSE was represented on the Romsey Action for Market Towns conference committee to develop the agenda and tourism content and to ensure that Romsey demonstrated its own tourism story. TSE facilitated the communication process between the town and Action for Market Towns.
TSE participated in two Business in the Community events in the four Horsham Market Towns. As a result of this, the four towns realised their tourism opportunities and agreed to TSE completing the mystery visit evaluation on each of the four towns. This survey was completed in February 2004 and was reported to representatives of four local towns a few weeks later.
Then following meetings held with TSE, Horsham District Council and representatives from Steyning a plan was prepared and implemented to run a stakeholder workshop for the area. This workshop was facilitated by TSE in March 2005 and apart from stakeholders from the town was attended by representatives of Horsham District Council who presented the findings and conclusions from a district-wide tourism strategy development process.
Steyning is now prioritising projects and looking to different sources to help deliver these projects.
Stockbridge is a quaint, traditional market town located in the heart of the valley of the River Test. As part of an active market town and vibrant visitor destination, local stakeholders and residents are keen to establish sustainable tourism development. This co-oincides with the review of the Local Plan and Local Development Framework creation – it is hoped that the Tourism Guidance Notes would provide evidence to influence future policy development.
TSE participated in two Business in the Community events in the four Horsham Market Towns. As a result of this, the four towns acknowledged their tourism opportunities and agreed to TSE completing the mystery visit evaluation on each of the four towns. This survey was completed in February 2004 and was reported to representatives of four local towns a few weeks later.
Wickham has typical market town issues to face such as parking and visitor management as well as promotion to visitors. TSE are in the early stages of discussions with Wickham Town Council as to how the town might benefit from working through the TGN process to address these issues and develop a strategic direction for tourism management and promotion in the town.
If you are part of a community group looking to develop your town as a visitor destination then contact Leanne Marr for adviceon 023 8062 5452.