The Valleys Regional Park

Parc Rhanbarthol y Cymoedd

WECAN - work package 2

Engaging the private sector in the natural environment for mutual benefit

The project sought to develop, promote, test and evaluate innovative exemplars of responsible corporate sector interaction with the natural environment

Experiences with investment from companies and various adoption and sponsorship packages were gained and shared between partners. With declining public funding available for the conservation of natural heritage sites, this is a very topical issue. In addition, we sought to understand how involvement in and supporting the natural environment can help support their aims of the businesses and their development.

VRP initiatives

Blue Green Gym

One of the major aims of the WECAN project was to develop and enhance private sector involvement in supporting the natural heritage. Specifically, through Work Package 2 of the WECAN project, partners are seeking to develop, promote, test and evaluate innovative exemplars of responsible corporate sector interaction with the natural heritage.

In addition, as part of Work Package 4 of the WECAN project, partners also sought to understand how community engagement and enterprise in the natural environment can be encouraged and sustained, which helps support and help ensure the viability of community environmental projects.

The Blue Green Gym approach addressed both these business and community aspects bringing them together in a novel way; first, by getting companies through corporate social responsibility to engage with the environment and outdoor activities, which also helps those businesses to develop, and by connecting those activities with the development of community projects and the capacity to deliver those.

The 'Blue Green Gym' (BGG) concept was focused on creating a memorable outdoor experience, within the natural environment of the south Wales valleys, in the area bounded by the VRP

BGG aims to:

• Create opportunities for business to utilise opportunities and undertake activities within the natural environment to support their business aims and increase their knowledge and appreciation of the outdoors.

• Provide opportunities for communities and individuals to have memorable outdoor experiences that will stimulate behavioural change and lead to an overall improvement in quality of life.

• Work with, support, and enable the outdoor provider sector in the region to deliver positive memorable outdoor experiences that complement existing provision and utilises existing providers skills, experience and facilities

More details on the Blue Green Gym concept and the project can be found here and by viewing the video opposite

We Fund the Valleys

As part of the Valleys Regional Park programme's aim to develop business engagement opportunities to support economic, social and environmental revitalisation in the south Wales valleys, through the Interreg IVB WECAN project, Valleys Regional Park has launched a new website which highlights the opportunities for business to engage with regeneration projects in the valleys.

The site was designed by Amity Solutions and the Arts Factory based in the valleys.

Find out more at Wefundthevalleys.com

Big Pitch 2011

An innovative approach to encouraging Further Education students in the Valleys, to generate ideas for the Rock UK outdoor activity centre, near Trelewis and how to market the enhanced offers. Came in the top three of the 'Quality Partnerships' category of the 2012 Colleges Wales Awards.

• 265 students (double 2010) enhanced their employability and enterprise skills
• Coleg Gwent, Coleg Morgannwg, Merthyr Tydfil College and The College Ystrad Mynach participated along with guest speaker and head judge Ruth Badger (BBC The Apprentice finalist -pictured above with the winning team)
• Rock UK obtained 26 ideas and have begun to implement two: reviewing the addition of the John Muir Award (to discover, explore and conserve the outdoors) to their offers and a promotional video produced by the Merthyr Tydfil College students
• Over 13000 worth of 'free' PR generated (return on PR investment of 1.26)
• Sponsors included: Capita Symonds, Equinox Communications, Rhymney Brewery, UHOVI, WECAN, and Welsh Government. Patron: Nick Hewer (BBC's The Apprentice fame)

The goal of WECAN was to use the natural environment as a driver for social and economic regeneration in the Valleys Regional Park and the partners' regions.

One of its major aims was to facilitate business engagement in order to help financially sustain and enhance green infrastructure and related projects. We preferred the term 'investment' as opposed to 'sponsorship' recognising that the need for mutually beneficial relationship with a return.

Below we list some of the initiatives we took forward with partners to achieve these aims. However, more details on the VRP WECAN business engagement strategy and initiatives can be found at Wefundthevalleys.com website