Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Interpretation Strategy 2010-2015 (Revised July 2011) 1.0 What is interpretation in the National Park? 1. Environmental interpretation has been defined as translating the technical language of natural science or a related field into terms and ideas that people who aren t scientists can understand. And it involves doing it in a way that s entertaining and interesting to these people Sam Ham (USA, 1992). 2. Interpretation helps people to understand the National Park. It is a strong tool by which to build appreciation of the National Park s special landscape and heritage and to alter behaviour, where appropriate. Good interpretation reflects the special qualities of the National Park, can be tailored in a sustainable way to individual sites, can engage a variety of audiences with varied learning styles and needs and can provide visitors access to learning experiences 365 days of the year. 3. Interpretation in the Yorkshire Dales National Park is delivered via the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and a broad spectrum of other organisations, community groups and individuals. The National Park Authority works with these partners to provide interpretation through a variety of media across the geographical extent of the National Park. This includes: Displays at National Park Centres and a number of Park Information Points Exhibitions at the Dales Countryside Museum An annual programme of events including guided walks, and hands-on children s events Being part of projects such as Go Dales!, Hay Time and Mosaic Other large special events such as the 60 th Anniversary celebrations in 2009 Over 200 outdoor and indoor interpretation panels throughout the National Park Interpretation on various websites including social media sites and tailor-made pages on our own website such as Virtual Visits A variety of digital tools such as video clips, Bluetooth, geocaching.com and mp3 audio trails A variety of community projects, artworks and installations throughout the National Park Travelling exhibitions including those for agricultural shows A variety of printed materials including leaflets and The Visitor newspaper. The Communications Officer is the principle point of contact for printed materials. 4. Interpretation is not simply information but is often blended with information during projects. Interpretation does not cover areas such as signage, information publications and the running of external events such as shows and festivals. 5. Other park-wide interpretation providers include the National Trust, Natural England, the Youth Hostel Association and Yorkshire Water all of whom have worked with the Interpretation Officer on providing interpretation over the past 10 years. Other organisations, Parish Councils, community groups, business associations and local people tend to provide interpretation on a more localised level. Local people and
communities play an important role in interpreting the National Park on a local level and a large percentage have relied on help and advice from the Interpretation Officer over the past ten years. 2.0 Delivering National Park purposes 6. Interpretation provided by the National Park Authority helps to deliver the Authority s statutory purpose in relation to the special qualities of the National Park: to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the areas by the public. 7. Projects whose main purpose is to conserve and enhance the National Park such as the Dormouse and Hay Time projects are assisted by interpretation. 8. Interpretation encourages a sense of responsibility for the sustainable use of the National Park and will increasingly help the Authority convey messages about the impact of climate change on the landscape. It is a valuable tool in visitor management and, where appropriate, in altering behaviour accordingly among visitors and residents alike. It provides a resource for visitors to the area and assists in fostering the economic well-being of local communities by enhancing the visitor experience. Interpretation also forwards several national and regional plans and objectives such as the York & North Yorkshire Cultural Strategy (2009-2014). 3.0 Purpose of the strategy 9. This strategy sets out the direction for interpretation development over the next five years for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and provides some guidance for other organisations and groups. The Interpretation Policy provides continuing guidance on the overarching precepts such as equality of access and sustainable use of materials (see Appendix 2). We can only wholly influence the interpretation we produce internally but will continue to provide optional advice and guidance for other organisations. We already have good working relationships and contacts with the majority of groups providing interpretation within the National Park. 10. Whilst maintaining flexibility, the strategy provides focus and working practices for the maintenance of current interpretation and the addition of future interpretation. This document continues the implementation of a common interpretation strategy for the whole National Park in partnership with other interpretation providers.
4.0 Interpretation Goals Goal 1 To continue to provide high quality interpretation services. 11. To encourage a consistently high quality of innovative interpretation within the National Park, the Interpretation Officer will continue to provide professional advice and referral to interpretation projects being run by officers within the Authority. 12. Achieving effective park-wide interpretation is also dependant on working with and influencing the work of a range of other bodies and community groups. There is a need to continue this co-operation with external organisations and even individuals to help achieve greater cohesion. 13. The Interpretation Officer will continue to provide a guidance service for all internal interpretation proposals and an optional service for interpretation planned by external organisations. 14. The Interpretation Officer will continue to encourage the development of community interpretation projects where ownership lies with groups and individuals in the communities themselves. Such projects have proven to help improve skills, combat social isolation and build capacity within rural communities for regeneration and community action. The Interpretation Officer will continue to provide advice and contacts for communities about developing interpretation projects and events. 15. To maintain professional quality interpretation, the Interpretation Officer must be involved in any decision on the development of Authority interpretation projects including those that form part of wider Authority projects. The Authority will provide the best professional advice of the Interpretation Officer to external organisations. Advice could be delivered via one-to-one project contacts, by speaking at conferences and seminars, running sessions at training courses or web-based links and information. 16. Timescale: 2010-2015. Goal 2 Produce a baseline evaluation for digital interpretation provision and implement the results 17. Much evaluation work has already been carried out on the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority s interpretation including employing external consultants to give an overall evaluation of static interpretation throughout the National Park in 2006. The decision made in the last Interpretation Strategy (2005-2010) to investigate and trial new methods of interpretation, notably those using digital technologies, has resulted in a good geographical spread including three Bluetooth hotspots at National Park Centres where visitors can download walk maps and trails free of charge onto their mobile phones; over 30 geocaches available via international website geocaching.com and gps receivers available for hire at all of our National Park Centres and half a dozen mp3 trails available for download from our website. 18. Most recently we have been developing the use of both digital audio and video clips on our website. In order to effectively evaluate the popularity of the interpretation, to measure the contribution interpretation makes towards the Authority s purposes and to
develop future interpretation projects using the most effective methods we require a good baseline evaluation. The Interpretation Officer will therefore collect information on the frequency of use (hire of gps receivers/downloads/page views) of these various methods in order to produce quantitative evaluation of the success of the various methods and so inform future decision making. Promotion of these alternative methods of interpretation will also be undertaken to ensure take-up of the services e.g. turning on the Bluetooth facility on mobile phones when entering a National Park Centre. 19. Timescale: By end 2011 Goal 3 Providing interpretive meta-data [= data about data] 20. Having created a map showing where interpretation can be found in the national park as part of the previous interpretive strategy (2005-2010) the next logical step is to offer this collection of information to visitors. The term meta-data was coined in libraries to describe this collecting together of information in one place. The intention is to allow visitors to better plan visits that make the most of their time in the area with the hope that they may be encouraged both to gain a deeper understanding of the area but also to stay longer, something we have already observed from continuing logs on the geocaching.com website where people have booked holidays specifically to find all the National Park geocaches. It is also a really useful resource for National Park Centre staff and local tourism providers. 21. The process has begun with the development of Virtual Visit webpages (www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/virtual_visits) which include information supplied by external partners such as the National Trust. Rather than showing where the interpretation is on a simple map, we use 360 panoramic photos taken from various viewpoints around each chosen area. A potential visitor to a village in the national park can thus discover in an attractive visual format all the interpretation available in that area including PDFs of interpretation panels; mp3 trails; PDFs of walk leaflets and trails and information on local geocaches. There are also links to relevant pages with further information on the archaeology (the Out of Oblivion website); natural history (the Nature in the Dales website), accessibility and landscape character of the chosen area. The Interpretation Officer will continue to create these pages and investigate other ways of providing meta-data about National Park interpretation which will be helpful to both visitors and local residents. 22. Timescale: 2010-2015 Goal 4 Work to provide point of welcome interpretation aimed at new audiences 23. The Outreach and Education Team are about to begin a process of consultation with community groups about the provision of welcome facilities in National Park car parks. It is anticipated that the Interpretation Officer will play a key role in delivering some of the outcomes of this consultation, this could take the form of artworks, interpretation panels, Bluetooth hotspots or mp3 hire for example. 24. Timescale: 2010-2011(Achieved 2010)
Goal 5 Organise a condition survey of external interpretation 25. The last survey was undertaken by Dales Volunteers in 2006 and it would seem sensible to programme the next one to take place during the life of this strategy. We can then use the results to plan future replacements. 26. Timescale: 2012-13 Goal 6 If required, develop a plan for interpretation at the Dales Countryside Museum 27. If funding is secured for the proposed redevelopment of DCM then the Interpretation Officer will play a key role in helping to develop the interpretive displays and manage their implementation. 28. Timescale: 2010-2013 5.0 Selection criteria 29. Interpretive planning will be done on a Park-wide or area basis, dependent on the scale of project. The following criteria will be used for the assessment of new interpretation projects and ongoing work priorities: contribution to National Park Authority purposes, priorities and performance indicators resources available, value of resources required style, content and tools appropriate to audience, theme and location type of target audience and accessibility of outputs timescale and achievability sustainability and environmental impact creativity and innovation baseline information available and ease of evaluation of the project outputs contribution to regional and national strategies 6.0 Messages and Audiences 30. Up until now there has been ample interpretive provision for what has been seen as the National Park s traditional audiences and so researching types of interpretation suitable for non-traditional audiences has been a priority for the past 5 years. However, we now see that things are changing even with those traditional audiences. The older generation is becoming increasingly computer savvy and it is not just younger visitors that will be expecting the use of new technologies. In addition, the impact of the current economic depression has already been felt with the rise of the phenomenon of the staycation and this has recently introduced different audiences to the special qualities of National Parks in the UK. These new audiences will also need to be catered for. Researching types of interpretation suitable for audiences with continuously changing expectations will therefore be a priority for the future.
7.0 Interpretive media 31. The National Park Authority currently uses a variety of media to deliver its interpretation: 7.1 Dales Countryside Museum 32. The Dales Countryside Museum is an important centre for interpretation within the National Park. 7.2 National Park Centres 33. To complement the development of the National Park Centres future interpretation at each of these sites will continue to be developed in partnership with other relevant officers, such as the Outreach Officer and NPC staff, thus ensuring that the approach to interpretation is integrated with other functions and so provides the best possible visitor experience. 34. The life span of interpretation in National Park Centres should ideally be the industry standard 5-7 years for permanent exhibitions. Minor repairs and any problems with the day-to-day running of the exhibits will be identified at the end of each summer season and actioned through the winter period. 35. Interpretation in National Park Centres should not seek to instruct a visitor about everything in the National Park in a didactic manner but to provide a basis of exciting and interesting interpretation that will inspire visitors to explore the National Park for themselves and appreciate its special qualities first hand. Each National Park Centre should also encourage individual responsibility for sustainable use of the National Park among visitors and locals alike. Each National Park Centre will reflect its local area and will have a clear individual overriding theme, for example, Grassington National Park Centre focuses on the cultural and industrial heritage of the area while Aysgarth National Park Centre concentrates on the geology and natural history of the locality. 36. Where possible, we will incorporate feedback mechanisms into the displays so that once people have gone out and explored, they can feed their experiences back into the National Park Centre or perhaps via the website. 7.3 Outdoor interpretation panels 37. A wide range of outdoor interpretation panels is already in situ in the National Park including: trails using numbered posts or sign boards; large village map boards; plaques; site or area panels. Most of the current external panels were installed within a five year period from 1998 to 2002. The earliest ones have already succumbed to weather and wear and tear and are gradually being replaced. Existing boards will be assessed with the help of Dales Volunteers every 7-10 years on a rolling programme and replaced as appropriate. 38. A branding for outdoor interpretation panels across the National Park was developed several years ago. The Yorkshire Dales style including the distinctive green border is
now successfully in use across the National Park by the Authority, several partner organisations and community organisations such as Natural England, the National Trust and Stainforth and Langcliffe village history groups. To help create more cohesive interpretation, it is now policy that all outdoor interpretation panels will be produced using the Yorkshire Dales style. Some guidelines for the production of outdoor interpretation panels currently exist, however, these require further work to make them clearer and easier to use by contractors. A new set of design guidelines based on the recently developed Corporate Visual Identity is currently in production and will be available by April 2010. 39. External panels are now being supplemented by the provision of various types of digital interpretation. The use of these new methods will be evaluated as part of Objective 2. 7.4 Events programme 40. The Authority s annual events programme provides a valuable tool for face-to-face interpretation and contact with the general public. It provides a mechanism by which high quality information about the National Park and the Authority itself is disseminated to target audiences. However following the budget cuts in 2011, the events programme has been reduced, and will be delivered mainly through the Dales Volunteers and Ranger Service. We will ensure that we continue to equip and train our Volunteers appropriately to undertake this work. 41. We will encourage the development of new and innovative events by the Authority, its projects and other organisations, in particular those aimed at groups which are underrepresented among visitors to the National Park, i.e. the disabled, black and minority ethnic groups, the young and residents of inner cities, as identified in Diversity Action Plan: Outdoors for All? (defra). This work will depend on our volunteers and the expertise of the Outreach and Access Development Officers, as well as the Area Ranger who leads on events. 42. When our resources allow, we will support small events organised by external organisations and community groups. Where appropriate, we will work in partnership with external organisations to develop new small events within the National Park. We will continue to support initiatives such as Walking for Health (Natural England) that are part of a wider national network and seek to work with local and regional festivals and similar events. 7.5 Digital interpretation 43. This covers a growing range of tools such as digital audio (mp3) trails which can be downloaded at home or at selected National Park Centres; Bluetooth trails which can be downloaded free of charge to mobile phones and PDAs at selected National Park Centres; geocaching including a hire service for GPS receivers at all National Park Centres and a solar-powered audio unit installed in an interpretation panel at our Killington Bridge Local Nature Reserve. As digital technologies become more and more sophisticated we will need to continue to keep up with new developments. Dales
Volunteers have been invaluable in helping us with this process, trialling equipment and maintaining geocaches for instance. 7.6 Website 44. More and more people are relying on the internet for information about the national park and hits on our websites continue to grow every year. Online interpretation is becoming more and more important and can include items as extensive as the Out of Oblivion website and Nature in the Dales pages as well as smaller items such as downloadable PDF copies of leaflets. 7.7 Art-based tools for interpretation 45. The Authority and other interpretation providers within the National Park also use a variety of creative tools to deliver interpretive messages. Examples of such projects include the community inspired artwork in Freeholders Wood and the 60 th anniversary Writing at the Reservoir project 8.0 Conclusions 46. Over the next five years, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority will determine the effectiveness of its newest methods of interpretation as well as facing the exciting prospect of providing interpretation for new areas and new audiences. Interpretation within the National Park will continue to reflect a sense of place, inspire people and help them to see the special qualities of the National Park in their own way creating an experience that they will remember. This will be achieved by working closely with communities to unify interpretation methods and styles within the National Park to reinforce the identity and messages of the area. Post Script In 2011, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority s grant from Defra was reduced - along with other organisations in the public sector. The Authority s core budget for 2011/12 is 5.7 million, decreasing to an indicative budget of 4.2 million by 2014/15. This is based on a 25% cut + 7% for inflation between 2010/11 and 2014/15. As a result the Authority will have less money available to implement its work programmes, including interpretation, than originally envisaged when this strategy was written.