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From Norfolk RCC

WELCOME TO THE SENSE OF PLACE TOOLKIT A Site Map Glossary Index STEP 1: GET ORGANISED Step 1a: Form a Steering Group Step 1b: Tell people what you\'re up to Step 1c:Explore the options for recording, communicating and sharing Step 1d: Bringing it all together STEP 2: GET TO KNOW YOUR PLACE Step 2a: What\'s on your patch and why is it important Step 2b: Working with the wider community Step 2c: Drawing it together STEP 3: IDENTIFY ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES Step 3a: Investigate issues, threats and existing efforts to protect and enhance Step 3b: Identify your opportunities Step 3c: Refine your options STEP 4: GET PEOPLE ACTIVE

Introduction

Having gone through the information on issues you've probably formulated all sorts of initial ideas for ways in which you and your community may be able to enhance and protect the assets in your Parish or village. Also, perhaps, adding to the wider efforts to link up and conserve areas that are fragmented and in need of action. The next stage is to start identifying opportunities and organising your ideas.

When doing this make sure you use all of your resources - by now you should have gathered quite a few willing souls to help. You need to make sure that you draw on everyone's ideas, including those in the wider community - several heads are better than one. Here it may be useful to hold another event, workshop or meeting to explain what you have found out and ask for ideas. You will remember that Step 2b has lots of information on how to engage your community and offers many suggestions and tools for how to go about doing this.

You will want to identify a list of options that you can attach actions to later. Whilst you don't want your action plan to be just a wish list, at this stage you should at least make a note of all of the ideas that people have - even if they are things that you can't necessarily take action on at present, they may be things that you could come back to in future or at least a record of what parishioners would like to see.

In terms of your opportunities, these will vary from place to place and it's up to you to use your collective imaginations to come up with ideas.

3b submenu Habitat enhancement and re-creation Information on practical conservation management Churchyards and cemeteries Wildlife gardening Planting woodland and hedges Footpaths and countryside access Working with landowners and managers Set up a local conservation group Funding opportunities Getting help and advice

Ideas to get you started

When thinking about opportunities it may be useful to consider what you can do about each of the three conservation priorities. In other words think about:

• How you could help to expand and re-connect existing areas and/or restore areas and habitats where they have been destroyed or are degraded?
• How you could ensure that sites and habitats are properly managed and how you could can help with this?
• What you can do to make sure sites are protected from damage and destruction?

There is likely to be much you could do under each of these priorities (and in fact you may be better placed than anyone for some of them). Options range from finding areas to enhance or create new habitats through to setting up a local group to literally get your hands dirty.

The sub-menu to the right looks at some of these areas

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