Taking stock of the project: results of Tullamore workshop, March 2007
What went well?
- Some partners (notably Finland) felt they had become more aware of their own strengths through the project
- New ideas had been generated through international contacts and site visits, sometimes in ways that were not predicted at the start of the project. This included work in Scotland (see Art on the Moss) inspired by the first LEADER+ peatland workshop in Co. Offaly and through seeing creative projects at the Lough Boora Parklands and elsewhere.
- Money coming through the project went into the local economy in different project areas, and so contributed to rural development in the four partner countries
- Higher profile for the individual peatland sites in the project
What was less good?
- Not enough time at early planning stage to get a completely satisfying international overview of project aims and objectives
- Too many unclear objectives at the start
- Took too long for some partners to feel they understood the work being proposed and done by other partners
- Smaller partners sometimes struggled to find enough resources of staff and volunteer time and money in the early stages of work. This meant that different countries were at very different stages of project planning at this time
- Needed more discussion and sharing of information on planning and carrying out good interpretation and on marketing peatlands
- Needed more discussion during project on involving schools and businesses in natural heritage sites
Things about which partners wanted to know more
- Business opportunities in local economy through involving people with peatlands
- Making links with formal education
- Marketing plans
- Art as a tool for raising interest in bogs
- Historic links between farming and peatlands
- Feedback on other partners projects between contact at international meetings
- Use of different media (both low- and high-tech) in interpretation
- Use of science in interpretation
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