Fifth Continent Lp Programme Summary

The Romney Marsh ‘Fifth Continent’ Landscape Partnership Scheme
Summary of Stage 1 Application to Heritage Lottery Fund –
May 2014.
‘the world, according to the best geographers, is divided into Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Romney
Marsh……’ Rev. Richard Barham, The Ingoldsby Legends
Introduction
The Romney Marsh Living Landscape Partnership (RMLL) came together in 2007 to provide a forum for local
organisations and individuals to discuss issues around biodiversity, landscape-scale conservation and
sustainable land management practices on Romney Marsh. As part of this work, the RMLL partners have sought
funding to deliver projects which will enhance the area for people and wildlife. It is in this context that the
Partnership, led by Kent Wildlife Trust, decided to submit a funding application to the Heritage Lottery Fund
(HLF) for the Landscape Partnership Scheme (LPS) grant programme.
The Romney Marsh ‘Fifth Continent’ LPS will facilitate the restoration
and enhancement of the Marsh’s built, natural and cultural heritage.
It will also raise awareness of this unique heritage among both local
people and visitors, and create opportunities for training and
employment using heritage as a conduit. Through the proposed five
year programme of works (Development and Delivery Phases), the
‘Fifth Continent’ LPS will harness the potential for the Romney Marsh
landscape to be enjoyed and valued by local communities and visitors
and to provide wide-reaching economic benefits for present and
future generations.
HLF Landscape Partnership Scheme grants
HLF currently offers a range of different grant programmes; the Landscape Partnership Scheme grant is one of
the largest. The Scheme needs to focus on an area of distinctive landscape character and benefit heritage,
people and communities. Key points about the LPS application are:
 it is a two stage application process
 it is a competitive process and applications are assessed at both regional and national level; HLF will not
fund all the applications which it receives
 grants are for between £100,000 and £3million
 for grants over £1million, the partnership is required to contribute at least 10% of the costs of the
development phase and 10% of the costs of the delivery phase
Head Office: Kent Wildlife Trust, Tyland Barn, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3BD.
Tel: 01622 662012 Fax: 01622 671390 www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk [email protected]
Registered Charity No. 239992. A company limited by guarantee No. 633098.
VAT Registration No. 974842378.
Your living landscape. Your living seas.
Proposed Scheme boundary
The geographical area of interest is the land to the south and east of the Royal Military Canal. The eastern
boundary stretches to West Hythe. The total area covered by the Scheme is 242km2of the Romney Marsh
National Character Area.
Current organisations involved with the Stage 1 application and key contact (* indicates members of RMLL
Steering Group):
Partners formally signed up to the ‘Fifth
Continent’ LPS
Consulted on bid and supportive (may also be
submitting projects)
Diocese of Canterbury – Caroline Pinchbeck
Kent County Council (Heritage Team) – Paul Cuming
Kent & Medway Biological Records Centre* - Hannah
Cook & Tony Witts
Kent Wildlife Trust* - Paul Hadaway
Marsh Academy Community Hub – Spencer Goddard
Natural England* - Jo Dear
Romney Marsh Countryside Partnership* - Owen
Leyshon
Romney Resource Centre – Edna Delaney
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds* - Martin
Randall
Shepway District Council* - David Illsley and Tess
Luetchford
Sussex Wildlife Trust* - Henri Brocklebank, Barry Yates
and Fran Southgate
The Environment Agency* - Lucy Breeze
Visit Kent – Ruth Wood
Short-haired Bumblebee Project – Nikki Gammans
Discover Folkestone – Chris Kirkham
Magnox – Haf Morris
Romney Marsh Internal Drainage Board – Nick Botting,
Rob Monje
Rother District Council* - Roger Comerford
Proposed timetable
The LPS application is a two stage process. If the Partnership is successful in getting through this
first round (Stage 1), then a Stage 2 application will be developed which can take up to two years
(the Development Stage). At this stage, HLF provisionally commit to the Scheme going ahead and
will fund Development Stage work where this has been requested. Once this second application
is submitted, HLF usually take four months to make their decision.
Stage 1 application and submission
February-May 2014
Visit by HLF
July 2014? Tbc
Decision by HLF
October 2014
If the bid goes through, then the next stages are:
Development Phase
March 2015-September 2016
Submission of Stage 2 application
September 2016
Decision by HLF
December 2016
Delivery of Scheme
March 2017 to September 2020
Proposed programmes
The Fifth Continent Scheme aims to deliver a suite of projects based around three themes.
These are:
1. Restore (RS) - Facilitate the restoration, recreation and enhancement of the built and natural heritage
of the area
2. Rediscover (RD) - Put the communities and
people of the Marsh back at the centre of their
landscape and heritage; enhance opportunities
for visitors and locals alike
3. Reclaim (RC) - Develop opportunities for
learning and skills development
These themes and the projects that sit under them
will be delivered through the employment of two
full-time and one part time delivery posts:
1. Conservation Officer (f/t)
2. Community Engagement Officer (f/t)
3. Community Heritage Officer (0.6fte)
Projects and other work to be delivered as part of the Scheme are outlined below:
Project
Development
Phase or Delivery
Phase
Interpretation Audit
Development Phase
Community Engagement Plan
Development Phase
Farmer/Landowner Engagement Plan
Development Phase
Fundraising Strategy
Development Phase
Monitoring and Evaluation Methodology Plan
Development Phase
RS1. Shingle on the Cusp - Vegetated shingle project
There is just under 2000ha of vegetated shingle habitat on Romney Marsh. This globally
unique habitat is under threat from a range of factors, including visitor pressures,
gravel extraction, climate change and over grazing by rabbits. Vegetated shingle is a
particularly difficult habitat to restore once it is damaged. This project aims to redress
this situation by working closely with all stakeholders involved in the management of
shingle on Romney Marsh.
The project will cover three phases of work:
Development Phase
and Delivery Phase
• Detailed evaluation of the whole Dungeness shingle resource
• Study of current and past threats, review of current and past management
techniques, and preparation of a Landscape Scale Partnership Action Plan
• Implementation of shingle restoration projects
RS2. Blue lanes of Romney Marsh
Ditches and grazing marsh enhancement project - Approximately 90% of the ditches on
the Marsh are privately managed and are not in any management regime or not in
optimal management beneficial for wildlife. This project will bring together partners
working on the ground and willing landowners to enhance some of the ditch network
and surrounding grazing marsh. The project will include:
• A ditch and grazing marsh enhancement feasibility study
• A Wildlife and Water Conservation Advice Project, focusing on good practice in
wetland management, but including wider advice on cropping rotation, water
management and rainwater harvesting. The project will also deliver a series of habitat
enhancement works coordinated at a landscape scale.
• Regular drop-in surgery sessions where farmers can meet with both statutory and
other bodies who can provide advice on a range of conservation and water
management issues
• Training workshops and bi-annual farmer forums to promote good conservation
practice
Development Phase
and Delivery Phase
RS3.Monitoring the Marsh - Habitat & Species Monitoring & Recording programme
Good datasets are critical for informing appropriate habitat management activities and
significant gaps have been identified in those available for the Marsh. The monitoring
and data provided through this project will bring coherence and confidence to the
habitat management and restoration elements of the Fifth Continent Project. Part of
the work will be delivered during the Development Phase and will include:
• Digitisation of any outstanding survey reports into the KMBRC database, completion
of habitat survey coverage for the Sussex side of the project area and analysis of
habitat change
Development Phase
and Delivery Phase
• Development of a survey and species recording methodology aimed at readily
identifiable species which have significance to the natural heritage of the RMLL
• Delivery of a high quality programme of targeted species surveys, monitoring
activities and training events aimed at the wider public, local naturalist volunteers and
on-the-ground staff and contractors
RS4. Heritage Gap Analysis
The Heritage Gap Analysis report will underpin all the archaeological activities that will
be carried out as part of the project and will ensure that all activities are based on the
most up to date information. Romney Marsh has been the subject of much study over
recent decades but not all results have been disseminated and not all the stakeholders,
including community heritage groups, are known to each other. This work will
therefore not only help consolidate the baseline archaeological information about the
Marsh but will ensure that the network of key groups and individuals is fully formed
before the project starts. A full brief has been written for the Heritage Gap Analysis.
Development Phase
RS5. Geomorphology, Geology and Land Use heritage information project
This project will encourage landowners to value their environmental and heritage
assets more and to predict more accurately the consequences of any proposed changes
to land-use or agricultural practices.
• The project will bring together current environmental heritage information to provide
a comprehensive information resource
Delivery Phase
• Volunteers will be trained to carry out additional surveys on farmland sites.
Landowners will be offered information packs tailored to their individual landholding.
• The project will develop general guidance to assist landowners in managing the
environmental assets on their sites in a sustainable way
RS6. Green lanes for bumblebees
The Dungeness peninsula is one of the last strongholds for many of our bumblebee
species. This project will rekindle widespread interest among the general public and
landowners for the welfare of bumblebee species in the area. A dedicated
postgraduate trainee, funded through an annual five month studentship, will gain
training from the Short-Haired Bumblebee Project Officer in identification techniques,
survey methodologies and habitat management advice. They will provide support in
identifying new ecological corridors for bumblebees such as road verges, field margins,
and urban greenspaces and will provide advice and training to local communities and
volunteers to complete bumblebee surveys.
Delivery Phase
RD1. The Hunt for Romney Port
This project will draw together different parts of community to work together to
achieve a single archaeological goal – to find the port of 'Romney'. Documentary
evidence suggests Romney was an important early medieval port but there is no
archaeological evidence to clarify exactly where it was. Finding the Early Medieval Port
of Romney would greatly enhance the understanding of the historic development of
communities in this area, providing a unique opportunity to involve the community in a
real archaeological puzzle that has shaped the town and the local landscape.
Delivery Phase
RD2. Sentinels of the Marsh 1 - Churches historical surveys project
The churches have a special role within the visible heritage of Romney Marsh. Located
within the wide, flat landscape, they are distinctive and highly visible structures. They
have been fixed points of reference for centuries, shaping the settlements around
them, being a meeting place for the people of the Marsh and featuring in stories and
artworks. Some have been studied by researchers or community heritage groups but
others have seen relatively little study.
The project will recruit a team of volunteers to study the relationship between the
churches and the landscape of Romney Marsh; these volunteers will form a legacy
group that can continue to study and promote the churches. They will work with local
communities to research both the standing churches and the ruins of several churches,
known as the ‘Lost Churches’.
Delivery Phase
To investigate one especially important site in a more detailed way, a community
excavation will be arranged for the site where St Martin’s church in New Romney is
believed to have stood. The excavation will attempt to define the limits of the building
and surrounding structures.
RD2. Sentinels of the Marsh 2 - Churches at the heart of the Marsh
The churches of Romney Marsh are famous. However, it is widely acknowledged that
they are an under-utilised resource, both as a community hub and as a tourist
attraction. This project aims to put the churches back at the heart of the community
and ensure they are placed firmly on the tourist map. Work with local stakeholders will
ensure that a volunteer scheme enables local churches to be open to the public and
used as community spaces on a regular basis.
The project will include:
• New interpretation including audio guides, an app, a mobile exhibition and selfguided walks based around specific churches
Delivery Phase
• Development of a heritage tourism package, possibly linked in with other visitor
attractions and accommodation providers
• A churches and wildlife gardening project
• A grazing project with local graziers and volunteer livestock checkers (‘lookers’)
• Playing host to a ‘young artists in residence’ project as well as the Community
Tapestry project (see Project RD4)
RD3. The New Lookers - Securing the Landscape community policing project
Previous Landscape Partnership Schemes in Kent have identified the need to tackle
anti-social behaviour if issues of heritage crime are to be successfully dealt with. This
project will follow an established model to tackle a range of issues resulting from rural
crime. It will involve additional police resources on the Marsh, supporting a network of
Delivery Phase
local people to gather information on particular activities, logging times, places and
details which can be addressed in intelligence-led operation by the police.
RD4. Community Tapestry Project
The Community Tapestry will bring together communities across Romney Marsh to
create a giant quilt, a ‘tapestry’ weaving together shared history, recording a snap shot
of present Marsh life and leaving an engaging resource for future learning. Romney
Marsh has a rich history but rural isolation and economic deprivation mean much is not
formally recorded and local customs and traditions are rapidly being lost. The project
will involve a wide range of community groups of all ages, who will be consulted during
the planning stages of the project.
Development and
Delivery Phases
The project will take place through community workshops, run by a local co-ordinator
with the help of four internships and also local volunteers trained in traditional skills as
part of the project. The quilt will be designed in five themed sections and will
incorporate modern items such as oral history CDs and photographs. A touring
exhibition will be produced to tell the story of the quilt’s production.
RD5. Rediscovering the Fifth Continent
The Fifth Continent team will deliver an innovative and inspiring community
engagement programme, to include new inserts for walks and cycle packs (including
buggy route inserts), a programme of activities including heritage & conservation tasks,
heritage workshops and festivals, a dedicated Fifth Continent website and newsletter,
as well as an annual sustainable tourism conference. A programme of outreach work
will be complemented by the creation of two Teachers packs.
Delivery Phase
The project will also create a new facility at the Romney Marsh Visitor Centre. A railway
carriage will be purchased and refurbished, to provide a much needed facility for use
by visiting schools, as well as a venue to hold workshops and courses which will be run
as part of the Fifth Continent Scheme. The project will involve a team of volunteers in
refurbishing it and re-decorating it.
RD6. Experience the Fifth Continent- Sustainable Tourism project
The Marsh has an enviable heritage resource and the aim of this project is to capitalise
on this. The project will carry out a detailed review of current tourism studies and
reports on Romney Marsh and link in with other work carried out during the
Development Phase such as the Interpretation Audit. It will include recommendations
to inform Delivery Phase projects and provide a clear strategy for promoting
sustainable tourism in the area.
Development Phase
There is a need to present the Marsh with an identity which is appealing to the visitor
and represents certain values; current local brands don’t really fit with the area (eg
1066 Country). Part of the project will be to undertake a branding exercise and to
create a new ‘Fifth Continent’ brand.
RD7. New Communities of the Fifth Continent (coastal communities heritage project)
One of the features of Romney Marsh since the end of the Second World War has been
the development and proliferation of new seaside communities. Dungeness in
particular is famed for its railway carriages converted into houses. These ‘new’
communities have a rich history of their own, encouraging newcomers to the area,
particularly from London. Due to the nature of the communities (which include
transient workforce), stories, records and other historical evidence are quickly
disappearing. This project will provide a unique opportunity to record living history.
Delivery Phase
RC1. Fifth Continent Traineeship/Apprenticeship programme
A key issue identified by the Fifth Continent partners has been the strong need for new
and enhanced training opportunities for young people within the Marsh communities,
where a significant proportion of school leavers fall into the Not in Employment,
Education or Training (NEET) category. Led by an appropriate local Further Education
provider, this innovative training programme will deliver the following:
• Through a process of referral or by word of mouth, NEETs will join a 16 week
intervention package run through a local centre, at the end of which participants will
have reached the required attainment level in English and Maths, received coaching in
related life subjects and had the opportunity to participate in other vocational training
Development and
Delivery Phases
• Further training will then be available through vocational traineeships and
apprenticeships. Core vocational training areas which have been identified are:
conservation, agriculture and sustainable tourism. An appropriate FE provider will be
contracted to develop, accredit and deliver these courses alongside work based
placements with project partners.
• There will also be delivery of a much wider suite of traineeships to young people,
including training in specialist crafts, media skills and graphic design, project
management, and volunteer management, all of which will be used in the context of a
number of the Fifth Continent projects.
Staff work exchanges
In order to improve mutual understanding between the various stakeholders involved
in helping to manage the project area, the project will establish a programme of staff
secondments and exchanges.
Delivery Phase
Scheme Costs and Grant Request to HLF
1/ Development Phase costs
Total development costs
Total development income
HLF development grant request
HLF development grant %
2/ Delivery Phase costs
Total delivery costs
Total delivery income
HLF delivery grant request
HLF delivery grant %
3/ Total costs - Development and Delivery
Total costs
Total income
HLF grant request
HLF delivery grant %
£274,050
£43,750
£230,300
84%
£2,307,650
£571,350
£1,736,300
75%
£2,581,700
£615,100
£1,966,600
78%
For further information, please contact:
Camilla Blackburn, Living Landscapes Project Officer, Kent Wildlife Trust.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01622 357858 (DD) or 01622 662012.
The work of the Kent Wildlife Trust Living Landscape Team is generously supported by Arcadia.

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