‘Staycations’ are good news for rural communities
Monday, 08 Sep, 2009
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Ploughing in Brading Isle of Wight
The recession means more and more UK residents are choosing to take holidays and day trips in the UK this year. Domestic tourism is one of the few areas of the economy potentially to see an increase as people tighten their belts. This is good news for rural towns and villages that take the initiative to let potential visitors know about the fantastic landscape, wildlife and heritage on their doorstep.
There are many hidden gems in South east England, from the medieval square in Chilham, Kent to old-fashioned good service in the gentleman’s outfitter in Petworth, Hampshire. For people living 30 miles away with bookshelves full of well-used world travel guides, there are many rural experiences that can match much of what they usually travel overseas to see. But potential visitors need to know what is out there – which is where Hidden Britain comes in.
Hidden Britain South east offers advice and support to rural community groups who have identified what increased and well-managed tourism could do for the place where they live. Our expertise is offered free of charge, to help communities work out what they want to do and how to do it. Towns and villages work with us to produce new products and professionally presented information on things to do and see, encouraging more people to use local businesses and services and introducing visitors to some wonderful places.
In Brading, a small town on the Isle of Wight, community volunteers worked to produce a new visitor website and town guide. A heritage trail was installed through the town, which was attractive to adult visitors but less interesting for children. As part of the Hidden Britain project, local children got involved and designed a children’s quiz, word search and colouring exercise to accompany the town trail so that now, children can walk the trail with their parents and get more from the experience.
One of the community members we worked with summed up the process: “Hidden Britain provided us with the help and support that we need to develop our village in terms of green tourism we learned with the help of Hidden Britain, how rewarding it is to work with the whole village on a project where all sections of the community are involved. It brings about a healthy sense of community and encourages greater participation in village regeneration.”
Hidden Britain South east is a project funded by the South east of England development Agency (SEEDA) to provide free expertise and support for rural communities to develop tourism. The project is based at South East Rural Community Councisl (SERCC) in Guildford and work with communities across the whole of the South east of England. We currently employ one full and one part time advisors who facilitate the process of developing a tourism project from brainstorming ideas, through to finding funding and printing leaflets or marketing a local food trail.
The South East Rural Community Councils (SERCC) is the regional organisation for the Rural Community Action Network, (RCAN) in the South East. RCAN is a national network of charities that support and work with people living in rural areas across the whole of England, to keep their villages and communities thriving and sustainable. www.sercc.org.uk
For more information please contact Claudia Townsend on 07596 461 481 or [email protected] or James Turner on 07841 584 985 or [email protected]
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