Heather Keetley
Attenborough for All
Video Transcript
Attenborough for All (A4A) is an 18-month pilot project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We have been developing our vision for this much-loved site and want to ensure it reflects a wide range of views.
We will listen to our visitors, run focus groups and carry out audits to define and understand our audience, why people visit, what they need, and how accessible the reserve is. We want to understand how visitors feel about different areas of the reserve and assess how important wildlife encounters are as part of their experience. We hope to inspire our visitors to take action for wildlife whilst supporting nature recovery and climate change resilience within the reserve.
Through community consultation, we will establish who from the adjacent communities isn’t visiting or benefiting from the reserve and test different engagement methods. We want to identify and remove physical, cultural or perceptual barriers to access and enjoyment of the reserve. We will create a meaningful, accessible, inspiring and inclusive experience.
Our project insights will provide the foundations for a future bid to aid the delivery of our vision for Attenborough Nature Reserve, ensuring it remains a protected, much-needed space for wildlife and people.
What is the project?
Attenborough for All is a pilot project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).
We are gathering up-to-date information & evidence to support future funding bids, helping Attenborough Nature Reserve and Centre thrive as a wildlife haven and improve our visitors’ experiences.
We are developing our vision for this much-loved site and aim to ensure it reflects a wide range of views. We want to:
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Know who is visiting the reserve, why they visit and how accessible it is.
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Understand how visitors feel about different areas of the reserve, and gauge how important wildlife encounters are as part of their experience.
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Identify and understand physical, cultural or perceptual barriers preventing people from visiting or accessing the site.
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Establish how we can optimise opportunities for nature to recover within the reserve, and how we can best inspire visitors to take action for nature and wildlife in their day-to-day lives.
Latest project updates
Attenborough for All was made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players.
- A team day was conducted in May to understand staff and volunteer perspectives and a Stories and Ideas tree was installed in the Nature Centre to offer opportunities for on-site feedback.
- An access audit was completed in June to evaluate the information, facilities and services offered at each stage of the visitor journey.
- Deep listening sessions took place in July. We spoke to around 20 visitors to encourage them to open up about their reasons for visiting, their perceptions and ideas, and discover how they experience the nature reserve and visitor centre.
- We are reaching out to community groups to broaden our research and build deeper insights.
- The virtual suggestions box has helped visitors feel heard about things they feel strongly about.
- Our visitor survey is now closed. This was developed from the qualitative research to date.
- We have conducted online feedback sessions with disabled people. These groups provided a safe and inclusive space for participants to share their experiences, discuss accessibility barriers and suggest improvements.
The study results will provide evidence to inform future grant applications and help Attenborough Nature Reserve thrive as a wildlife haven.
Supporters
We give our heartfelt thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This project would not be possible without them.
Leonard Cheshire is undertaking an access audit of Attenborough Nature Reserve and Centre to build a comprehensive picture of accessibility at the site. They are facilitating feedback groups to gain insights into access issues/barriers faced by visiting the nature reserve and centre.
Enlightful is helping us understand a diversity of perspectives to support people, community and nature, gathering visitor and community insights via a visitor survey and deep listening sessions.