Leader +

Leader+ is a six year European Community initiative to help rural communities improve the quality of life and economic prosperity in their area through innovative projects. The money comes from a European fund and is managed out by Defra (www.defra.gov.uk ) and at a regional level by the Government of the South-East (www.go-se.gov.uk ).

On the Island this means developing tourism and economic activities based on the natural characteristics of the most rural parts of the Island, most of which is classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is also concerned with landscape management and living and working on the landslip, as well as improving the quality of life for local people.

Approximately £3 million in match-funding is expected to come to the Island from Leader+ before the programme ends in 2008.

Individuals and organisations, including commercial organisations, can apply for project funding provided that it is innovative and are based within the Leader+ area and meets the necessary criteria. As Leader+ funding is limited, all projects are assessed and those that best help fulfil the Leader+ Action Plan are selected for funding. Leader+ Action Plan

Find out more about Leader+ at Defra

To find out more about projects on the Island contact Carol Flux, Leader+ Development Officer at the Isle of Wight Economic Partnership on (01983) 535836, or email at carol.flux@iwep.com

The projects that have received Leader+ funding on the Isle of Wight are:

• Apple Days Festival
• BEST Rural Training Bus
• Blind Society Support for Rural Areas
• Brading IT
• Chale IT
• Chale Nursery
• Computers for Young People
• Environmental Education Officer
• Green Gym
• Green Island Project
• Green Life
• Isle of Wight Credit Union
• Lectern-Style Interpretative Boards
• Music Making for Young People
• Photographic Courses at Dimbola Lodge
• Rural First Aid
• Sustainable Rural Tourism
• West Wight Samba Project
• West Wight Sports Centre – Water Saving feasibility Study
• Wight Community Transport

Apple Days Festival

The overall aim of this project is to transform a local fayre into a sustainable festival attracting and educating both local people and tourists about the natural and cultural heritage of the West Wight, and helping to enhance and sustain the local economy.

Orchards are valuable places of local cultural importance, for wildlife, the landscape and for recreation a fact not always recognised. Apple Day seeks to celebrate this and to promote a greater diversity of home-grown fruit, encouraging the recognition and preservation of old varieties and the continued planting of fruit trees, school & community gardens.

An extended Apple Days Festival is intended to be a showcase event for both the local community and Island visitors, bringing together the links between green tourism and environmental conservation in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It will promote awareness of sustainable rural and coastal landscape management and provide considerable community cultural and social involvement.

Leader+ funding will enable the festival to meet the following objectives:

• To provide a sustainable annual autumn festival that celebrates the character and history of orchards and apple growing - so extending the tourism season on the Island.
• To provide an outlet for local crafts people to sell their products to a wider audience.
• To deliver a series of school visits and workshops, introducing the background, history and character of orchards and apple cultivation with particular emphasis on local diversity and preservation.
• To provide a showcase for apple husbandry and orchard management and promote the planting of apple trees and orchards, educating both the general public and also agricultural & horticultural workers.

Organisation:	Afton Nursery
Project Website:	www.appledays.co.uk
Project Leader:	Mrs Chris Barnes
Project Status:	Live
Tel:	01983 755774
E-mail:	chris@aftonpark.co.uk
Project Start Date:	May 2003
Funding Complete:	September 2005
Funding Total:	£16,245

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BEST Rural Training Bus

This project aims to deliver high quality training in Information Technology and Numeracy & Literacy skills to rural communties, disadvantaged by their rural location. The training is to be delivered by way of a leased purpose built, self sufficient mobile training vehicle, also fitted with facilities for individuals with disabilities. Providing regular training sessions, to increase the use of Information Communication Technology in rural areas to support access to local services. Enveloping low income groups, young people, women retuners to work, unemployed and individuals with basic skill needs.

The vehicle will visit each village or rural community in the local action group area on a weekly basis and the timetable for this facility will be advertised in the local press, village talk section, and the RCC's Island News and Information Bulletin. This information will also be available on the BEST training website. The mobile facility will be equipped with six new laptop computers, with automatic seek and find satellite connection for internet access. A lift for people with disabilities is provided. Two qualified full time tutors will be employed to drive the vehicle, train and support learners.

The course durations are on average 6-8 hours and courses are being developed specifically for the mobile operation. The durations are designed to give learners an introduction to learning, and are tailored to allow the learner to achieve motivation, consistency in learning and to reduce the learner drop out rate.

The courses will cover basic numeracy & literacy skills, and skills for life. Complete beginner courses and internet and e-mail courses will be used as tasters to stimulate and encourage learners into regularly using the mobile facility. Learners will be encouraged to learn at their own pace, to build confidence and to avoid a classroom-like learning environment.

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Blind Society Support for Rural Areas

The Blind Society has been providing support for people of all ages on the Island who are coping with blindness or partial sight since 1895.

The aim of this particular project is to take the services that the Blind Society offer to the people in the rural areas who find it impossible to come into the centre of Newport – enabling them to cope better with their blindness and partial sight. Appropriate support and training will help people to be as independent as possible and to have quality of life.

One of the greatest benefits of this project is the confidence that it will give those reaches – confidence in themselves, in their ability to continue living as they prefer and in managing their affairs despite being visually impaired. It can also help some unemployed people back to work.

The Mobile Unit will be staffed by members of a highly trained rehabilitation team, assisted by volunteers who have been given training in how to help people with these specific needs. All the services are offered free of charge.

The specialist equipment on board will enable people to:

• Keep in touch with friends and family
• Look after their finances
• Prepare and cook food in a safer way
• Sew on buttons and do repairs to clothing
• Know the time and date
• Use whatever sight they may have to judge colour contrast, magnification and lighting
• Make the most of their leisure time

Organisation:	Isle of Wight Society for the Blind
Project Website:	www.iwsightconcern.org.uk
Project Leader:	Olive Light
Project Status:	Live
Tel:	01983 522205
E-mail:	iwsc@ukcharity.com
Project Start Date:	July 2003
Funding Complete:	June 2006
Funding Total:	£59,956

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Brading IT

The aim of the project is to provide residents with the opportunity to learn about and become familiar with the use of Information Technology. Services provided will consist of the following:

• Lessons on basic/advanced computer skills
• Lessons on using the Internet
• Computers available at selected time slots throughout the week for use by individuals, e.g. personal use, employment seeking
• Home work clubs for nine to eighteen year olds
• A Computer Club
• A facility for games networking
• Shopping via the Internet for produce not available in Brading
• Other facilities will be introduced as and when demand requires

During 2002, in response to verbal requests at the Office, the Town Council undertook a consultation exercise to ascertain whether residents wished IT learning facilities to be introduced in Brading. A questionnaire was delivered to every household with 89% of responses suggested that IT was a definite requirement.

Although the Council was aware of the demand for learning facilities, the actual response was far in excess of that envisaged. Five courses consisting of three hour sessions, lasting ten weeks, teaching eight people per session are now being held, with forty one people on a waiting list. These lessons are provided by the Isle of Wight College and Island Volunteers Learn Direct tutors, with all the initial courses being free of charge. Most of those learning are undertaking the basic skills courses - some will continue to do the advanced courses and wish to use the computers for their own use. The project is already making an impact, the learning facility is quickly becoming a focus point for learning and many suggestions as to how the project could develop are being made by residents visiting the Centre. Leader+ funding will allow this project to grow and become a sustainable and viable enterprise.

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Chale IT

By extending and developing the facilities currently available at Chale CE Primary School for community use, this project aims to meet the increasing demand for ICT skills in and around Chale.

Specific areas of the community including parents/carers returning to work, low income groups and the long-term unemployed will be assisted by gaining flexible access to free ICT training in conjunction with the IW College.

Funding was sought to enable the facilities to be enhanced by the addition of five new computers and an interactive whiteboard/projector unit where, up until this point, demand far outweighed supply.

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Chale Nursery

The project aims to radically increase nursery hours enabling the nursery to provide good quality child care in an isolated area, where a large proportion of families live in social housing, thus giving parents/carers the opportunity to retrain or seek employment. There will also be the opportunity for members of the community to train as Key workers in a Nursery setting.

The Project relates to themes and target groups funded by Leader+. It provides good quality child care every school day (with the possibility of expanding into breakfast clubs/holiday clubs) and serves a need in the community.

Chale Nursery was originally run as a private enterprise, and was sessional. Small numbers of children meant that the Nursery provider was unable to take any wages and when she retired, the Nursery was no longer financially viable. Because of the need for childcare in the village and local area, a Management committee was set up and provided sessional care for two or three days a week.

Chale is an area of social deprivation, with high levels of unemployment and social housing in the area. Inadequate and expensive local transport meant that those who live in Chale, particularly those who do not drive or cannot afford their own transport, could not access child care further afield. Market research showed that there was a need for local day care five days a week, so that the adults could attend training or seek part or full time employment, but numbers were always too low to pay for sufficient staff cover.

The Management committee recognised that there is a need for full day care to support families in the area and to help retain the local village community. It was decided to begin a pilot project of day care, 5 days a week, 9a.m. – 3p.m. term time from September 2003. This was only possible through funding via an Early Years’ grant. The result has been that no new children have travelled out of area for child care, and there are six children who are registered.

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Computers for Young People

This project takes computer equipment, technology and tutors to the rurally isolated West Wight so that the young people in the area can learn and use computers to send e-mails, use the Internet, produce posters, resource projects, design computer graphics, and broaden their life experiences and knowledge. In addition, some of the young people will learn to become IT assistants and become responsible for the sessions within the computer suite.

The project aims to supply 10 computers, and additional areas so that young people taking part in the project sit, have a drink and socialise.

There are no other facilities of this nature within the area. West Wight Training Centre do have a UK Online drop in Centre during the daytime and during the school holidays, mainly used by the much younger children and the older residence of the area and not attracting the young people 13-19 years, targetted by this project. To participate in the project will cost the young people £1, which is the standard fee that the Youth and Community Service charge.

There is a high dependency on seasonal work in West Wight which creates a need for childcare and venues for young people to access during the school holidays. This project enables the young people in the area to access locally, and at low cost, an interesting and safe pastime in a safe and healthy environment throughout the year.

The project will also encourage the young people of the area into a safe and healthy environment and away from street life culture that encourages drug and alcohol abuse, hoepfully leading to a reduction in street and petty crime in the area.

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Environmental Education Officer

In spite of large areas of unspoilt and highly attractive countryside on the Isle of Wight, difficulties of access and obtaining expertise have stifled the development of environmental education programmes for local children, especially outdoor fieldwork.

The creation of an Environmental Education Officer, dedicated to service in rural areas of the Isle of Wight, will considerably enhance local understanding of issues relating to coastal and countryside management, water resources and renewable energy.

The main beneficiaries will be schools and youth clubs. Specialist equipment will be provided in a dedicated vehicle to function as a Mobile Field Centre, thereby reducing access related problems. This service will become a marketable resource available for hire by visiting mainland schools and encourage the ethos of sustainable tourism.

Revenue derived from the hire of the Mobile Field Centre by this and other appropriate bodies would be used to offset the vehicle running costs. This may subsequently help to provide for a reduction in the overall funding required.

The Education Officer will develop and run a variety of environmental education programmes that focus on carrying out practical outdoor activities with children that will integrate with the schools’ curriculum and support youth work activities in the area.

The main project outcome will be an increased awareness of the importance of sustainable management practices in rural areas and the tangible link to the local rural economy, and that of the Island generally. The project will dovetail and link with planned initiatives and those currently in progress, related to sustainable management practices on the Isle of Wight, notably the Alterner project, promoting the use of renewable energy, The IW Ecological Footprint Project; The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB); The Wight Wildlife Partnership.

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Green Gym

The Green Gym project promotes the Island’s natural environment in order to encourage people to take appropriate exercise as a means of improving physical and mental well-being. It compliments and seeks to improve the range of therapeutic and environmental rehabilitation services and recognises the need to involve those with psycho-social ill health particularly young women and older people. Green Gym may also help combat cardiovascular disease due to increased activity of those taking part.

Green Gym is an accredited scheme of BTCV (formerly British Trust for Conservation Volunteers). The programme was set up in co-operation with Oxford Brookes University who are continuing to monitor the results and long-term health benefits.

Current Green Gym’s on the mainland are site specific, entailing beneficiaries to travel into predominately urban areas. The IW Leader Green Gym will differ in that it will ‘tour’ rural communities encouraging local beneficiaries. Initial tasks will take place on IW Council- and local charity- owned reserves, however the project will encourage participants to identify areas which could benefit from Green Gym within their communities.

The Green Gym provides:

• Free opportunities for people to be physically active on their doorstep, without having to travel to a facility
• Opportunities for social contact and building friendships
• Unemployed people with the skills and confidence to return to employment or other training
• Enables people to develop existing skills and learn new skills
• Engages the most excluded groups through networks with GPs and other health services

All participants are expected to benefit from the scheme, gaining enjoyable experience of putting something back into the local environment whilst also getting the physical exercise necessary for health. It is open to people of all ages and abilities; the project actively seeks to encourage young people, the retired and women to take part.

More Examples

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Green Island Project

This project aims to develop greater sustainability across all business sectors with a particular focus on tourism based industries. Activities to achieve these aims are to be developed through an expansion of the pilot Green Awards Scheme as an incentive for businesses to adopt more socially, environmentally and economically sustainable practices. Training and advice will be provided throughout the year through one-to-one contact and at larger events. Finally, a large scale marketing and promotion scheme will be developed to encourage businesses/organisations to get involved.

The Green Island Project builds upon an existing project initiated 18 months ago to develop a Green Tourism Accreditation Scheme for the Isle of Wight. The initial launch of the programme has been extremely successful and the project has built up a high level of momentum and recognition in a very short period of time.

The project has a strong relationship with various other individual projects operating in the area related to sustainable tourism such as:

• the promotion of local produce
• events such as the walking festival
• walker and cyclist welcome initiatives
• waste initiatives
• AONB projects

Although this project will be Island-wide, it is judged that even tourists staying outside the Leader+ funding area invariably travel into and spend money within it.

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