Report on Presentation on Thursday 4th December 2003

To: Hilary Flaxman, Di O'Grady, Chris Willsher, Gilly Drummond, Mike Harding

From: L Hiscock

The primary aim of the Project has always been to realise the heritage benefits of linking local enquiry into curriculum teaching. We have investigated and developed a wide range of partnerships with local and regional organisations to become actively involved in the curriculum and participate in the conservation of the site and local environment. We have also sought to research possible projects which enhance and enrich the heritage merit of the site to the benefit of the community at large. As we moved into the third year of the Project, this presentation was organised as an opportunity to celebrate and share our achievements and outcomes so far to a wider audience in the community.

Our objectives for the Presentation were:

· To provide an update to our partner organisations on progress with the Project
· To share examples of work underway in the three schools.
· To demonstrate links and share examples of collaborative work with partner organisations.
· To encourage more local and national organisations to contribute ideas and services to the Project, in order to sustain it long-term and beyond the funding period.
· To develop the support network and contacts.
· To promote the Heritage Fair in July 2004.

We hoped our invited audience would enjoy an informative presentation on the Project and be given an opportunity to consider how they could contribute to the Project in the schools and beyond into the local community.

The Presentation was opened by Gilly Drummond, who spoke on the importance of conserving our heritage for the future and the many benefits of such a project. Louisa Hiscock then gave a brief outline of the background to the Project and the work being undertaken.

Teachers and pupils from each school treated the audience to a 'taster' of some of the activities they have been involved with through the Project. This included readings, PowerPoint presentations and displays.

We were pleased to welcome representatives from four of our partner organisations actively involved in working with pupils from the three schools as a result of the Project. These were: Simon West (Forestry Commission), Di Smith (Hampshire Wildlife Trust), Mark Tomlinson (St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery), and Chris Curry (Archaeologist for the Historical Survey). Each gave an interesting insight into their work with pupils and spoke highly of the many positive outcomes such links can bring.

The presentations were followed by an informal opportunity to discuss the Project and exchange ideas and contacts. This has led to a number of useful contacts with new partners, who are keen to be involved in working with teachers in planning and leading activities.

All guests were asked to complete an evaluation sheet before leaving the meeting. Their comments were very positive and below are a sample of these:

"Very informative and enjoyable. It's good to see such excellent use made of such a wonderful resource."
"Extremely informative. I'm thrilled that you have been able to bring local history into the curriculum. The days of inspirational teachers are not over."
"The presentations were very informative and interesting. It is unusual to see a heritage based/landscape project working across all phases of education. I hope the project will be widely disseminated and encourage other teachers."
"The presentations showed a variety of work and an enthusiasm which is catching."

In conclusion, the Presentation fulfilled its main aims very successfully. It has enabled the Project to be promoted to a wider audience in the community, provided a number of new links which are already being followed up and initiated the planning for the Heritage Fair on July 14th. We have also been invited to submit articles on the Project to newsletters produced by: English Heritage, Hampshire Gardens Trust and Learning Through Landscapes. I am currently in the process of confirming our Community Partnership list as a point of contact with those individuals and organisations who have made a commitment to the work of the Project.

Finally, the event was also filmed to enable it to become part of our archive with extracts to be included on the website.

L Hiscock
February 2004