Routes into Trees
Westonbirt Arboretum
September 2005
The Routes into Trees project was established to develop and improve
orientation, information and interpretation materials for visitors to
Westonbirt Arboretum, opening up access to a wider audience, including
disabled people, through the production of new interpretation materials.
Sensory Trust worked with the national arboretum to help develop and
improve its provision of information and interpretation, concentrating
on the area of the Old Arboretum.
An initial stage of consultation has already taken place in the form
of visitor surveys and focus groups. The focus groups involved
were:
- Cirencester Opportunity Group - a mother and toddlers group
formed for children aged three to five years old with learning
difficulties, including autism, speech and language issues.
- St. Mary's Day Centre, Cirencester - a group of older people
with varying degrees of mobility impairment
- Stroud Vision Art - a group of visually impaired people ranging
from a gentleman born without sight, to a lady who lost her sight
only five years previously
- A group of volunteers and members of the Friends of Westonbirt.
The groups were asked to address the issues of :
- What information was important/interesting to them
- In what format
would that information be useful to them.
- How easy was it to orienteer around the arboretum.
We used a mixture of the following tools with the groups so that they
provided us with information relevant to their issues and also offered
a comfortable environment in which they could do so:
- Place Mapping
- Sensory Mapping
- Walk and Talk
- Nature Palettes
- Picture Connections
- Widgits
A report was prepared based on the findings from the consultation and
included recommendations on the next phase of developing materials and
inclusive information that would take the arboretum another step towards
providing an inclusive visitor experience.
Westonbirt is currently seeking funding to enable these recommendations
to progress.
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