Agenda item

Cathy Hopley, Forest of Bowland AONB Unit, Lancashire County Council presented the Pendle Hill Landscape Partnership Quarterly Progress Report for October – December 2020, Year 3 Quarter 3 and for January – March 2021, Year 3, Quarter 4, which was shared with the Committee prior to the meeting.  The Committee noted that this programme was for four years and the first two years had been successful up to the start of the pandemic and a mid-term review had been conducted which stated that the Partnership were one of the most innovative, integrated and well-managed schemes that the Heritage Lottery Fund had worked with. 

When the pandemic hit, the programme was hit badly as a lot of the work was engaging with communities, which has been curtailed in the last 14 months.  It is also beginning to affect a lot of the contracting work in terms of supplies and is having an ongoing impact on the scheme.  As a result of this, discussions are taking place with the National Lottery Heritage Fund in terms of extending the programme to include an extra summer and instead of finishing in March 2022, the scheme would finish in October 2022.

Nevertheless, work has continued with new ways of delivery, and this has been outlined in the Quarterly Progress Reports, Year 3, Quarters 3 and 4.

Cathy Hopley presented the JAC with some of the key successes from over the last three years of the scheme, which have included:

·  Access work – repairing footpaths

·  Trails – a new bridleway, Corona Highway which links Chatburn and Downham

·  Lots of creative work – Mid Pennine Arts and Insitu Arts working with volunteers and artists trying to find new ways of working

·  Mental Health Work, PEN Project – People Enjoying Nature, which is partnership work with the NHS and the Council

·  Work has been carried out with 26 schools

·  The Outdoor Learning Officer has run over 150 sessions and worked with over 5000 people in outdoor settings

·  13 young people have been placed into trainee placements and apprenticeships

·  Created 15 hectares of woodland and manage five

·  A huge piece of work creating peatland restoration

·  The scheme has secured 91% of the target funding in raising £700,000 towards the scheme in match funding

·  The target for volunteer hours is close to target and the gift in kind target has been exceeded

·  Output recording is currently under way and figures will be available soon

Face to face volunteering is due to commence again on Sunday, 25 April 2021 and dry stone walling courses are recommencing again in June, July and August 2021 alongside two contracts to build walls around Pendle Hill.  Plans are also ready on the new Tramper Trail from Sabden and Churn Clough that will be starting in the summer.  There is also a major building project at Spring Wood with the County Council which will involve completely rebuilding the Visitor Centre.  There are two new artist residencies online in the summer and the Food Foray will take place in September 2021 as well as a new Get into Walking Festival and there is an archaeology project restarting in April and May 2021.

Resolved:  That the reports be noted.