Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership

Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership

The Dearne Valley Landscape Partnership (DVLP) was an innovative, five year programme funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). It focused on working with local communities to protect, preserve and enhance the heritage and environment of the Dearne Valley area of South Yorkshire. It covered parts of Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham. The DVLP was led by the Arts and Heritage Service of Barnsley Council on behalf of a multi-agency partnership. The partnership includes the RSPB, Rotherham Council, Doncaster Council, Environment Agency, Natural England, Garganey Trust, Groundwork and community organisations.

Richard King Consultancy Arts, Heritage and Project Management Local Government Chronicle

Richard was involved in every stage of the project including:

  • Developing the Stage 1 application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)
  • Producing the Stage 2 HLF application and 5 year Landscape Conservation Action Plan
  • Securing £1.8m of HLF funding and £0.6m of match funding
  • Recruiting the team to deliver the programme
  • Successfully managing the programme and team, resulting in the DVLP winning the national, Local Government Chronicle Award for Community Involvement in 2018. 

The DVLP supported the community in delivering a range of building restoration, survey, land management, research, learning, arts and archaeology projects. All activities were offered free, enabling people to attend regardless of their income. A clear focus of the DVLP was to support the local community in developing their skills, confidence and capacity in order there was a sustainable and long lasting impact after the programme ends. 

Richard King Consultancy Arts, Heritage and Project Management Kes

Some examples of key projects are:

  • ​Working with the Maurice Dobson Museum, supporting them through an oral history project to develop a play and two films about a significant member of the local community based on the recollections of local people. The DVLP’s involvement helped reinvigorate the volunteers involved, increased the number of active volunteers and visitors, but more importantly established a new future for the museum. More details HERE. 
  • Working with the local community to support the creation and development of the Ted Hughes Poetry Festival in Mexborough. This celebrates (through a range of commissions, trails, talks and performances) the fact that, the poet laureate, Ted Hughes spent his formative years in Mexborough. More details HERE. 
  • Supporting the establishment of the Barnsley Main Heritage Group (BMHG), who have been responsible for practical improvements to the Grade 2 Barnsley Main former colliery site. This local group aim to take on the long term management whilst raising awareness of its rich heritage. The DVLP provided support to develop the project management, promotion and oral history skills of the group. More details HERE. 
  • Working over an 18 month period with two artists (Patrick Murphy and Anton Want) to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of A Kestrel for a Knave, by Barry Hines. This resulted in a “book drop” in Hoyland providing 50 artist designed copies of the book for people to find and keep. There followed an exhibition in Sheffield as part of the Festival of the Mind and a large piece of land art, installed by local people as part of the Tour de Yorkshire. Related to this were a series of writing workshops engaging people through the writing of Barry Hines to produce their own work. More details HERE.  
  • A community wildlife survey initiative in the Dearne Valley area involved over 200 people who developed new skills and experiences. They identified species not previously records in the Dearne Valley, resulting in over 10,000 new biological records being registered with the local records centre. 
  • The DVLP hosted quarterly “celebration suppers” to bring people together from across the Dearne in an informal setting to learn from each other and share experiences. 
Richard King Consultancy Arts, Heritage and Project Management Hidden Potteries

The aim with all the projects was to understand the local context and need, ensuring everything was as engaging, relevant and accessible as possible. Richard’s time with the DVLP saw particular focus on drawing out local stories and heritage to celebrate what makes a place special through creative engagement. He established the content, focus and ethos of the DVLP providing both strategic direction and direct delivery of projects. 

Yorkshire Life magazine described the DVLP as “a pioneering partnership breathing new life into the Dearne Valley”. Poet, Ian McMillan said the DVLP is leading a “quiet cultural renaissance in the Dearne”. 

Management of the programme demonstrated Richard’s range of experiences in:

  • Procurement
  • Commissioning
  • Establishing, supporting and maintaining partnership working 
  • Strategy development
  • Community engagement
  • Skills development
  • Project management
  • Programme management
  • Local government (operation and priorities)
  • Project evaluation
  • Management of grants
  • Financial management
  • Community engagement
  • Contract management
  • Risk assessments
  • Marketing, press and publicity