Stalham with Happing Partnership

This project will coordinate a wide consultation process with local residents and visitors to Stalham and its hinterland. The consultation process will be facilitated by a Project Manager who will carry out a “Market Towns Healthcheck”, using a variety of techniques to encourage the active participation of all sections of the community. The consultation will aim to identify local priorities for projects to benefit the local community and the project will conclude by working up a number of project ideas so that they can be taken forward for further grant applications.

Engaging the community
An essential aspect of this project will be the need to achieve the widest possible involvement of all sections of the local community. A publicity campaign using the press, parish magazine and a newsletter will be followed up by a series of workshops. A questionnaire will also be used to survey the whole population about the relevant issues, including, public transport, low income, child poverty, housing, health and education.
Whilst the Stalham with Happing Partnership already has some experience of consulting its community, it recognises that it has proved more difficult to reach certain groups. This project will attempt to address this problem by using more innovative ideas to get to a wider cross section of the community. One idea is to involve school groups in the production of a video putting across the views of young people about their area.

Not just the town
While centred on Stalham town, the Partnership is equally concerned about the surrounding parishes, which make up the towns “hinterland”. These once formed the Electoral Hundred of Happing:
Brumstead, Catfield, East Ruston, Happisburgh, Hickling, Horsey, Ingham, Lessingham, Ludham, Potter Heigham, Sea Palling, Stalham & Sutton
This project will therefore take care to ensure that consultation covers the whole area, eg by organising workshops that are spread about the parishes.

Visitors too
The Partnership expects that the sensitive development of tourism is likely to form a key part of its future plans. The consultation will therefore also attempt to seek the views of visitors to the area, with survey forms being distributed to key tourist locations like the staithes and beaches.
Adopting best practice
Whilst developing this project, the Partnership visited a number of other regeneration initiatives to find out what had helped them to succeed. One idea that was adopted was the idea of basing activities in a town centre shop front. This will help to ensure a high local profile for the project, providing a focus point for the project and offering easy access for anyone to drop in to discuss ideas, give opinions or to get an update on progress.

Benefits
The overall aim of this project is to benefit people within the Stalham with Happing area by giving them an opportunity to identifying priority projects that would assist in developing their area. Targets for LEADER+ outputs therefore include the organisation of 23 local events to involve 1000 local people.

A short-term job will also be created to facilitate the project.

Grant awarded
The total cost of this project is £65,235 and LEADER+ has offered grant aid of £56,145, representing 86% of this total. Additional funding has been offered by North Norfolk District Council and the project will generate further help-in-kind from members of the Stalham with Happing Partnership.

Contact
Martin Roche , Stalham with Happing Partnership,

martin@justplastics.freeserve.co.uk