Inclusive Action Group

Meeting 4

The fourth meeting of the IAG was held at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

The meeting was an opportunity to focus on inclusive design and to highlight a working partnership with a large environmental organisation that promotes the connections between plants and people. It was hosted by IAG member Dr Tony Kendle, Eden Foundation Director. The Sensory Trust is a partner organisation of the Eden Project, and this report details just how important this relationship is, in promoting the sustainable message of inclusively designed spaces.

Outline of the day’s event

The day began with Jo Easingwood welcoming all members and announcing two appointments to the Trust, that of Peter Thoday as new Trust chairman, and Carol Searle in a new Project Support role for the staff team.

Eden and Sensory Trust – a partnership tale

Tony Kendle, Foundation Director, described the Phase 4 developments at the site which include a new Education Resource Centre. Since its inception the project has been welcoming a tremendous amount of visitors and catering for this huge amount of people hasn’t been an easy task. With this new work, people will get to have an even more interactive learning experience at Eden.

Tony explained why getting the Sensory Trust in at the initial planning stages of this work was crucial, in order to get maximum accessibility and sensory experience out of the place. Already Eden and Sensory Trust have worked together on many aspects around the site.

Mike Westley of the Trust went on to describe some of these projects which include exhibit design, interpretation, and information. Wendy Brewin gave an overview of the Access volunteer scheme at Eden, which she has played a vital role in setting up. There are 17 Access volunteers at the moment, and they range in ages from 16 to 65. Their role is to provide anyone with assistance around the site.

Jo talked about the Braille on site. There is still a lot to do but already there is Braille on exhibits such as coffee and Wateraid, an A to Z in Braille is available from the information desk, and menus are planned. She also offered the newly completed Audio guide (not a wayfinding guide, but a description of the site and stories from around the pit by the Eden guides) for any member wanting to have a listen.

Sensory shenanigans

Mike gave a brief talk about the broader context of the Trust’s work. Using our lovely triple circle diagram he detailed our three areas of work; design, communications, and involvement. He went on to explain how this was applied to our work with organisations such as Sheffield City Council, Kent County Council, and the Eden Project, to name a few.

An overview of the Evaluation Toolkit

Mike and Lars gave a run down of this core Trust project. The Trust are collaborating with partner organisations to produce a tool which can be used by managers of greenspace sites in order to rate their site for sensory and inclusive value.

An overview of Sensory Mapping

Sensory Mapping is one part of the Evaluation Toolkit. Lars explained that it was to learn about the variety and amount of sensory opportunities that can be found in a place. Used as a ‘catalyst for conversation’ he explained how this is only a small part of a bigger application, but vital in gaining an insight into an area you think you are already familiar with.

Members were given the choice between sensory mapping and taking a tour of Eden. For those who chose this option they were taken round the outside biome to check out exhibits and sensory interventions.

To networking and beyond…

At the end of the day everyone congregated outside for summing up and discussion. Of the people who people didn’t get to see around the whole site many chose to return to Eden the next morning for more individual experiences. The sensory mappers were very positive, and some who were familiar with Eden found they had a far different perspective when going round the site, and there was a great deal of encouragement to take the mapping exercise forward.

The next IAG is being incorporated into a Sensory Trust/Greenspace conference. This is planned for November 12/13 in Manchester. IAG members will get a discounted member rate. For more on GreenSpace please see http://www.green-space.org.uk. There will be more news on this soon on the Sensory Trust website.

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