BALANCE business and protected landscapes.

Suffolk Coast & Heaths

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

Neil Lister – BALANCE Project Manager

It is not always about money, but it often is.

Partnership with business can also bring:

Welcome publicity (sometimes high profile).

Recognition of your work from a different sector.

Support ‘in kind’ – equipment, mentoring, secondment of staff, sponsors staff working as

‘volunteers’ ……

Infrastructure – paths, buildings, power supplies…….

In Suffolk the local authority at county level agreed to underwrite the 50% of match funding we

needed for BALANCE, as long as the AONB covered this amount (during the lifetime of the

BALANCE project) via its own fund raising. This was achieved.

Total of €69,462 non-exchequer funding was raised in Suffolk as part of our match funding.

This was not a quick or easy process!

Lots of other people ‘Get It’!Range of sponsors for some guides (also for information boards, access improvements) – public/private/third sector - great partnerships!

Always scan the horizon for funding!

You must first 'build' your means of capturing the funds. This will point

you to the right target!

There is more than one pathway to your funds.

You can take the direct route or you can

be less direct.

Some businesses had previously sponsored projects delivered by

the AONB.

Match the outcomes that you wish to achieve with the

things that business wishes to achieve.

“Tourism in Suffolk is founded on the county’s special qualities and the wildlife and landscape here are an important part of our offer. As tourism businesses we should think about the natural environment as part of our business capital in need of maintenance and investment, in just the same way as our Pier in Southwold and our hotels are. At Gough Hotels and the Suffolk Coast DMO, we understand that without a high quality natural environment what we can offer Suffolk’s visitors is much diminished”

Alex Paul, Director of Sales and Marketing, Gough Hotels

“The natural environment is crucial to the quality of life in Suffolk, and part of the foundation for our prosperity and economy. Factors cited by companies investing in Suffolk include the area’s landscapes, nature and quality of life. The natural environment underpins key sectors, such as tourism, agriculture, food and drink, and supports the recruitment of skilled staff by businesses”.

Mark Pendlington Group Director of Corporate Affairs Anglian Water Group & Chairman of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership

East Suffolk Community Rail Partnership - 20th June 2013Paper G: Information Boards at StationsThe current BALANCE project content (and budget) allows for the provision of generic AONB information boards (as shown in ‘Layout A’ below) at Ipswich, Trimley, Woodbridge, Melton & Darsham stations to help engage rail passengers with this fantastic area. (as part of around 50 boards to be delivered across the AONB). The contractor appointed to deliver all these 50 panels has based its costs on designing boards forrail stations showing generic AONB information as per ‘Layout A’ below.

The AONB and its BALANCE project would welcome working with ESL CRP to broaden the content of the generic AONB boards at the stations to include information and photos (perhaps even illustrations) to feature the work of the ESL CRP and encourage more exploration of the AONB by public transport etc. The AONB and BALANCE would be very happy to collaborate, but broadening the content would not be possible without securing from somewhere the ‘outside costs’ as shown in the right hand column of the table below. I have highlighted in yellow the essential outside costs needed to broaden the content of the boards. The other costs in this column are optional.

RAIL STATION INFORMATION PANELS Total Costs to AONB (already budgeted for & covered by BALANCE)Outside Costs additional to the current BALANCE budget that would be incurred in broadening the content of the boardsAONB Staff Costs already incurred in letting contract for all BALANCE boards, supervising contractor, etc. £838.50Design & Layout costs to move from AONB Generic design to design incorporating AONB/ESCRP information– research, design, content, proofs, liaison £2125.00

Hand drawn maps if needed (£200 per panel) £1,000.00Copywriting (£110 per board) £550.00Original drawings if needed (£80 per drawing) £400.00Sourcing of Images/photos if needed (£80 per panel) £400.00

Below is an example of an AONB generic panel designed for another site that will largely be the same as those for Ipswich, Trimley, Woodbridge, Melton & Darsham stations. The only area of difference would be in the photos on the vertical ‘swash’.

Be prepared to make the business case. Be prepared to resubmit several times!

Publicise the partnerships that you make!

At least one article about BALANCE and its work with business in every edition of ‘Suffolk Coast & Heaths’. 30,000 copies a year.

Constant effort!

Do not forget the indirect benefits to business and

your organisation.

Sailors’ Path, Thorpeness, Orford, Alton Water, Shotley, Southwold, Blaxhall, Wherstead, Sutton Heath, Wrabness,

Kessingland, Snape, Walberswick, Woodbridge – all complete.

‘Explorer’ 14 easy access guides

Information Boards

We are working with East Suffolk Community Rail Partnership to produce AONB/local information panels for 5 rail stations.Greater Anglia Railways has sited the panels.

‘The AONB now arriving at Platform 1……………’