Destination management plan

1.1 Introduction

This Destination Management Plan is all about how we will work together to make the most of the exciting developments that are happening across Ashfield.

We have a good base to build on, with strong partnerships in place through Discover Ashfield the District’s Place Board.

The plan is the outcome of conversations with a range of people from across Ashfield. It sets out a clear path for us to develop the visitor economy, concentrating our efforts on key target markets, enhancing our events programme and working more closely across businesses and the public sector.

1.2 What is the visitor economy?

The visitor economy is, in essence, about economic activity in a place (or destination) by people (or visitors) from outside their usual environment. The term ‘outside their usual environment’ covers two concepts.

For Ashfield, we mean:

• People from outside the district (and who do not regularly visit for, say, work) visiting the area
• And / or people who are undertaking an activity that they do not typically or regularly do – this could, for example, include residents of the District going to the Cornerstone Theatre or Sherwood Observatory, or going for a bike ride on Teversal Trails.

These visitors (and residents) interact with numerous business and service providers including:

• accommodation
• catering
• retail
• transport
• activity providers
• event organisers etc.

The benefits spread, through direct spend and by those employed in these sectors, into the local economy, helping it grow.

1.3 Impact of the visitor economy

The visitor economy can bring a range of benefits to an area – it can:

• Generate spend and jobs in businesses. The visitor economy was estimated to generate nearly 18 million visits and over £1 billion of direct spend to Nottinghamshire in 2022 (This data is based on the GB Tourism Survey (GBTS which covers domestic overnight trips), the GB Day Visitor Survey (GBDVS – covering day visitors), and the International Passenger Survey (IPS – covering international visitors). Due to sample sizes, this is not reliably available at an Ashfield level.)
• Enhance the area’s image and profile – not just as a place to visit but also as a place to move to, work in, invest in, or study in
• Support a range of businesses (from micro to multinational), jobs with different skills and create entry level employment
• Develop a sense of place and pride among communities and residents
• Support a range of facilities that enhance the quality of life for residents. This can include shops and high streets, restaurants, museums, theatres, attractions, walks and trails, events and festivals.

1.4 Background

In the next 3 years over £20 million is being invested in the District’s visitor economy as the following table summarises:

Ashfield Visitor Economy Planned Investment

This investment, building on the Leisure Transformation Programme which saw the development of Kirkby Leisure Centre and investment at Hucknall and Lammas Leisure Centres of over £22 million, will transform our leisure offer, enhancing our connections to neighbouring districts and provide attractions of regional significance.

Before we outline our forward plan, we need to understand where we are now. The next section summarises the current situation based on a review of relevant policy and research material, desk and site based evaluations of the area, a series of one-to-one interviews and a workshop with key stakeholders in the area.

More details on the consultation can be found at Appendix A.

2.1 Policy overview

Ashfield District Council joined local District, City and County Council in Nottinghamshire to form a Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP). Marketing Nottingham & Nottinghamshire are the accredited body with Visit Nottinghamshire. The aim is to reenergise the visitor economy, boosting performance and realising potential in Nottinghamshire so that it has a much clearer identity and a higher profile in the marketplace. The East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, elected in May 2024 has the Visitor Economy as one of her priorities and has commissioned a joint Destination Management Plan for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

In 2019, Nottinghamshire County Council produced a Visitor Economy Strategy (covering 2019 to 2029). which was then updated through a Visitor Economy Framework 2022. The goal is to return to pre-Covid visitor levels by 2025.

The Framework identifies 6 key themes (or USPs):

• Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest;
• History and heritage which encompasses; inspirational and rebellious characters (including Lord Byron); towns and villages; literary heritage; caves and tunnels; industry and innovation; and medieval history;
• Green and active
• Sport as a spectacle
• Contemporary culture
• Local crafts and produce.

The Ashfield District Council Corporate Plan (2023 to 2027) has 6 priorities:

• Health and happiness
• Homes and housing
• Economic growth and place
• Cleaner and greener
• Safer and stronger
• Innovate and improve.

While these impact on the visitor economy to differing degrees, Economic Growth and Place identifies developing the visitor economy, arts and culture as a priority.

With a focus on:

• Developing existing and new assets and raising the profile and identity of the 3 towns and rural areas
• Supporting arts organisations and the development of cultural assets
• Delivering an events programme
• Developing and delivering a visitor economy strategy.

The Ashfield Local Plan 2023 to 2040 (currently at Regulation 19 pre-submission draft) has a range of objectives (community, economy and environment) and policies.

Of particular relevance are:

• SO6: Economic opportunity for all - including expanding the leisure, tourism and visitor offer to inspire and encourage the exploration of Ashfield
• SO8: Hucknall Town Centre – including protecting and making the most of the town centre’s rich heritage and strong links to Lord Byron
• Strategic Policy S8: Delivering economic opportunities identifies that the Council will support and enhance opportunities for: tourism which reflects the local distinctiveness and heritage of the area and heritage led regeneration to conserve and enhance the historic environment.

The Mansfield and Ashfield Cultural Compact Strategy (2021) encourages ‘the use of culture and creativity to improve urban environments, making them attractive to a wide range of users.’, which could include visitors (Objective 1.6) and the associated audience engagement and asset mapping identifies the dominant market segment by ward.

Ashfield’s Education and Skills Improvement Strategy, is structured into priorities, all of which have relevance to the visitor economy:

• Talent Attraction and Retention
• Skills to Meet Demand
• Skills for Future Growth.

To conclude, there is strong and appropriate encouragement for the visitor economy in our existing policies at local level and opportunities for Ashfield in the Nottinghamshire approach, particularly in the ‘Green and active’ and ‘Sport as a spectacle’ themes.

2.2 Product offer

We are at an early stage of our development as a visitor destination. The following list summarises existing (or firm pipeline) elements of the offer that our visitors can experience (i.e. things they can do or visit) categorised by broad themes.

Theme: Outdoor

Experiences

Cycling (off-road) and walking opportunities including:

• Brierley Forest Park and Visitor Centre
• Teversal Trails and Visitor Centre
• Silverhill Wood
• Footpaths -e.g. Hidden Valleys trails (north of Hucknall)
• King’s Mill Reservoir

The trail network, particularly in the north of the district around Teversal, links into a wider network connecting through to Mansfield (Pleasley Country Park) and Derbyshire.

Theme: Adventure activities

Experiences

Woodland Adventure Zone, Portland College - fully accessible forest adventure

King’s Mill Reservoir and water sports centre

Theme: Heritage

Experiences

Churches including:

• St. Katherine’s, Teversal (limited opening)
• Annesley Old Church
• St. Mary Magdalene Church, Hucknall – Kempe-stained glass, burial place of Lord Byron and Ada Lovelace
• Lindley’s Mill, Mining Heritage including: Silverhill Country Park; Teversal Visitor Centre and Trails; Brierley Forest Park and Visitor Centre.

Theme: Attractions

Experiences

• Felley Priory Garden
• Sherwood Observatory, Science Discovery Centre and Planetarium

Theme: Evening economy

Experiences

• Arc Cinema and micro pub cluster - Hucknall
• Cornerstone Theatre, Sutton
• Diamond Club, Sutton

Theme: Surrounding area

Experiences

• Hucknall: Food and Drink Festival, Byron Festival, Hucknall Fest
• Kirkby: events at Kingsway Park
• Sutton: Ashfield Show, Bonfire Night
• Rural areas: Outdoor cinema
• Christmas Market and lights switch on in the 3 town centres

Theme: Evening economy

Experiences

• Newstead Abbey
• Hardwick Hall
• McArthurGlen Designer Outlet East Midlands
• Sherwood Forest
• Papplewick Pumping Station

In addition, we have a number of potential themes, stories or assets that are not necessarily a visitor experience but could be developed. 

These include:

• Hucknall Flight Test Museum – due to re-open for group visits
• Historic figures – Ashfield has strong connections to Lord Bryon, Ada Lovelace, and DH Lawrence but, apart from the graves (including information within the Church) and the Byron Festival, visitor experiences are limited.

Our main accommodation provision:

• Mour Hotel – a 92 room, 4* hotel located near junction 27 of the M1
• The Bowman by Greene King Inns – a 34 room hotel in Hucknall
• Silverhill Woodland Retreats and Teversal Campsite – a caravan and glamping site with 126 pitches
• Travelodge Mansfield – economy hotel located in east Sutton, with 122 rooms.

We also have a number of smaller establishments across the district; some guest houses (like The Diamond and Central Hotel in Sutton) and a number (approximately 20 to 30) of self-catering and short lets in various locations (with the largest concentration in Sutton).

In addition, there are some larger hotels in the immediate vicinity of Ashfield – particularly in South Normanton (Junction 28 of the M1) which has a Premier Inn (139 rooms) and Holiday Inn (163 rooms).

2.3 Markets

There is no comprehensive data on our visitor markets and their characteristics. Anecdotal feedback indicates that visitors are generally relatively local – typically coming from within the District, and neighbouring areas (Nottingham for Hucknall, Mansfield; Alfreton and Ripley for Sutton) although some visitors are coming from much further afield attracted by a niche offer (like the Sherwood Observatory) or Ashfield’s location (close to the M1 and mid country for e.g. overseas groups and family occasions).

The following table summarises our main visitor groups (based on different defining characteristics). Influenceability (in the final column of the table) refers to how easy it is to reach and influence a market through a potential campaign.

2.4 Current destination activity

Currently destination activity for Ashfield takes place at two levels. At the county level, Visit Nottinghamshire is proactive in working with businesses and marketing to external (i.e. non Nottinghamshire) leisure and business visitors. In addition, Nottinghamshire County Council is active in visitor economy development. East Midlands Devolution and the creation of a new East Midlands Combined County Authority covering Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire should create exciting opportunities at this level.

At a local level, we are also active. Aside from the significant investment in developing our product, we organise events and promote the Ashfield area through Discover Ashfield with our website.

3.1 Strengths

Our strengths and opportunities include:

Location and catchment

We are located centrally on the M1 with access to a large catchment population - over 3 million within an hour’s drivetime.

We have good public transport connections (particularly in Hucknall) to Nottingham

Discover Ashfield

Discover Ashfield, the District’s place partnership, is a strategic group of organisations from education, business and public bodies with a mission to make Ashfield a better place to live, work, learn, visit and do business.

One of the partnership’s 4 themes is More to Discover, which focuses on the visitor economy. Using this established group, we will build on this to develop a visitor and heritage partnership group.

Discover Ashfield is a huge asset for the area; creating exciting opportunities for partnership working.

The Discover Ashfield website  provide a wide range of information about the area and news of upcoming events.

Our people and community

Our people are our greatest strength, with strong engagement in activities and facilities, and a willingness to get involved in voluntary activities that benefit our visitor economy. For example events, historic societies, volunteering at the Sherwood Observatory and Teversal.

Established and emerging products

As the previous section has highlighted, we have a number of established visitor products that we can build on – our events, recreational sites, the Sherwood Observatory - and a number of new ones.

Surrounding destinations

We are in close proximity to key attractions such as Hardwick Hall, Newstead Abbey and McArthur Glen. Shared itineraries are a potential opportunity.

We also have links, through our network of walking and cycling trails to Derbyshire, opening up the possibility of a wider offer.

Connections to historical figures

Ashfield’s historic figures are potential opportunities if we can develop them appropriately.

Ada Lovelace is an emerging icon of women in tech, and the subject of a recent, award-winning play.

Lord Byron continues to have resonance internationally and other prominent historical figures include Harold Larwood, cricketing legend, and the first female Quaker Elizabeth Hooton.

3.2 Weaknesses

We do, however, face a number of challenges:

Brand and awareness

Awareness of Ashfield at a national level is considered by stakeholders to be very low.

Regionally, the perception as a visitor destination is also probably low. Changing this is a long-term process.

A lack of compelling products

We have strengths, but the appeal of our product is generally relatively local and, in some instances, county and regional.

We also lack depth of product – which means visitors will not necessarily stay for long.

Our accommodation base is also limited, this minimises the potential impact of our visitor economy.

Limited spend opportunities

Our food and retail are generally not well developed, which further minimises potential visitor spend in the area.

A built up area

Our district is already quite developed which limits our opportunities for major development.

Capacity

We have limited players in our visitor economy and the availability of resources within organisations is also an issue.

Looking to the future, we have a number of areas which we need to develop, and a number of opportunities to grow our visitor economy.

These are outlined:

Attractions

As we have identified above, we lack a critical mass of attractions – i.e. a concentration of attractions with similar market appeal and/or a physical concentration – this is something we need to address in the medium to longer term. We do, however, have some opportunities – e.g.:

• There is potential for new investment and sensitive development at Felley Priory to help grow the business in a way that is appropriate to the site. Subject to planning considerations, we encourage any aspirations
• The Hucknall Flight Test Museum, located at the former Rolls Royce experimental facility where vertical take-off and landing technology was pioneered, would add to our offer and strengthen our science theme. We will support the voluntary group / charity who are looking to develop the site into an attraction
• Our strategic location and great access creates the opportunity for a major attraction development. Such a development could bring enormous benefits in terms of direct employment and visitor footfall and spend. However, there is no certainty we could attract such an investment, particularly in the current climate. As such, while proactively pursuing something like this will not be a priority, we will keep an open mind to opportunities as they arise.

Heritage

This is one of our key themes and we can make more of it. We have opportunities through modest visitor developments, interpretation and openings at some of our churches (like Teversal, Annesley Old Church and Hucknall), guided tours and walks of key sites, signing and linkages of villages (particularly Teversal) to trails and other facilities (e.g. Silverhill Country Park).

Outdoors

The outdoors is another important theme and offer. We are developing our cycling trail network (see above) and investing in King’s Mill Reservoir.

However, we need to ensure facilities and trails not only provide a great visitor experience but also offer opportunities to generate spend.

As such, we will continue to explore opportunities for investment in Teversal (and Teversal Grange) for community uses and as an event base; plus investment in interpretation and signage (tying into our heritage theme), parking/access, and trails across the area.

Accommodation

To maximise the economic benefits of the visitor economy, we ideally need more accommodation – more choice and a range of quality, and more capacity. However, new development, particularly a sizeable unit, needs to be demand driven.

Whilst the market for serviced accommodation is probably reasonably well served, there may be opportunities for other more modest developments such as caravan and camping, glamping, and smaller, independent, self-catering operations.

Where appropriate from a planning perspective, we will encourage these types of development. Annesley Hall is potentially one of our best assets but is currently empty and derelict. Development of the Hall into a destination spa facility and/or boutique hotel that would attract higher spending visitors to the district would be attractive.

Retail and evening economy

Our retail offer and evening economy are, from a visitor perspective, under-developed at present; although Hucknall has strengths in terms of independent retailers, micro pubs and the Arc Cinema.

Given our proximity to Nottingham and Mansfield, major retail and evening economy developments are unlikely in the short to medium term.

However, in Sutton, the Cornerstone Theatre offers exciting opportunities which, if they are to be maximised, will require encouragement of later opening (and licences) amongst both existing and potentially new catering and hospitality businesses.

Events

Our events, while good, are limited in range and generally local in their appeal. Further development of our events programme is an opportunity.

5.1. Key aims

Through our work on the visitor economy we are seeking to develop 2 distinct outcomes:

1. Enhance the quality of life for our residents

Enhance the quality of life for our residents through delivering either free to access or low cost activities and events, and facilities that provide them with opportunities for entertainment, education and learning (about e.g. our heritage), and healthy living (walking, cycling and the outdoors). This will also add to the appeal of the district for inward investment and as a place to live.

2. Generate spend and jobs in our local businesses

We want to generate spend from our residents and, through creating a buzz around our new investment, from visitors from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and beyond. This will help to support local businesses and create jobs.

5.2. Our strategic approach

A phased approach

We are at an exciting point, with major new facilities in development across the district and investment in our digital assets. For this reason, we will take a phased approach to developing our visitor economy, making the most of available resources and concentrating on specific actions.

Phase 1: Foundation and Development (2024 to 2027)

We will deliver and celebrate our new facilities, maximising their linkages to mutual benefit and creating positive awareness. We will consolidate and look to develop our existing events in partnership with event organisers and our community.

If successful, we will deliver our Arts Council Place Partnership programme of activities and events and work to develop the visitor experience at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Hucknall.

We will support the Cornerstone Theatre and Sherwood Observatory in building their programmes of activity.

We will also explore opportunities to secure further funding to realise our ambitions around heritage and culture. Our market focus will be on residents and nearer visitors.

Phase 2: Growth (2027 and beyond)

Once our new primary facilities are established we will encourage the development of supporting businesses in, for example, hospitality and seek to grow our evening economy in Sutton, Kirkby and Hucknall, as well as fostering private sector investment in accommodation and attractions.

We will build on our current event programme, piloting new events in music and sports. This phase will also see the delivery of any funded programmes to develop our heritage offer.

Initially we will focus on the three key strategic approaches:

3. Awareness raising

Our first problem is that not enough people have heard of us, do not know where we are or what we have to offer, or may have negative views. We will look to change this – developing our collateral and campaigns, working with social media influencers and the media to generate positive news stories and coverage about Ashfield in the regional media.

4. Products

We will focus on clusters of product where we have real strengths. These will be both themes (e.g. heritage, outdoors, and learning and science) and physical – trying to create linkages between places (such as King’s Mill Reservoir and Sherwood Observatory).

5. Partnerships

Discover Ashfield gives us opportunities to communicate our messages and content through several channels. Partnership also ensures that we are aligned in working towards improving Ashfield’s image and profile, with agreed messages.

At the grassroots level, we have a number of community groups who are leading growth in their areas. We will build on this with local communities, putting our people at the front of developing the visitor economy.

5.3 Target audiences and markets

Target markets can be segmented in a number of ways: their location, lifestyle, socio-economic status, age group etc.

From a geographic point of view we will concentrate on 3 broad groups:

Our residents

We will build on their existing civic pride and outstanding community engagement, encouraging our residents to make more use of their own area rather than travelling further afield.

30 – 40 minutes’ drive time of Ashfield

People within 30 – 40 minutes’ drive time of Ashfield, stimulating visits from our near neighbours in Mansfield, Bolsover, Chesterfield and Nottingham, using events and the completion milestones of the new facilities as hooks.

We have good data on our residents and this market from the work of the Ashfield - Mansfield Cultural Compact.

Special interest visitors

We will seek to attract special interest visitors, especially in groups, from further afield.

Initially this will focus on a one-hour drive time of Ashfield, including parts of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire, and Leicestershire (see map).

Another way of considering markets is to look at their overall lifestyles: their income brackets, life stage, leisure choices and consumer habits.

There are a number of such approaches, we have used Audience Spectrum, developed by the Audience Agency.  The map identifies the dominant segment in each ward of Ashfield.  A description of these segments can be found in Appendix B.  In developing our event programme (in particular) but also in our messaging, we will tailor our approach to these segments.

Through consultation we have identified five priority action areas, some we can deliver immediately whilst others will take more time to develop. They overlap and integrate to some extent. This section looks at our immediate action areas – these are the ones we will primarily pursue in our Foundation and Development Stage. Section 7 deals with our longer-term priorities.

Organisation abbreviations

• ADC – Ashfield District Council
• ATTFE – Academy Transformation Trust Further Education
• DA – Discover Ashfield
• HFTM – Hucknall Flight Test Museum
• FP – Felley Priory
• NCC – Nottinghamshire County Council
• PC – Portland College
• SO – Sherwood Observatory
• VN – Visit Nottinghamshire

6.1 Discover your doorstep

Rationale - Why?

Getting residents engaged in the district is one of our key aims for the visitor economy. It will support community cohesion, levels of health and wellbeing (we are below the national averages for physical activity and health outcomes) and civic pride. We have seen the benefits of active community engagement at, for example, the Teversal Trails visitor centre, and are looking to add to that. It will also help to generate spend in certain places.

We have a lot to offer residents and they are also the easiest market to reach and influence. Our new developments provide us with an opportunity to develop and reinforce this message and build on the Discover Ashfield digital platform.

There is anecdotal evidence that our residents look to Mansfield and Nottingham to spend their leisure time, we want to bring our neighbours to Ashfield to experience what we have to offer.

Approach – what?

We will develop and undertake a proactive marketing campaign under the working title of Discover Your Doorstep. This will target a relatively local (circa 30 to 40 minutes travel) audience – i.e. Ashfield residents and surrounding communities like Mansfield, Alfreton, and north Nottingham.

The campaign will be ongoing and use a range of media. The core of this will be online – web and social media channels – but we will also use print and advertising, and PR. We will also utilise links we have with local TV and Radio stations. The intention is that the content is dynamic – very much ‘what’s on in the Ashfield area’ with regular features. The preparation for, and opening of, the new capital projects will be an initial hook.

The following table summarises our key proposed actions within existing resources and outlines potential actions that might be taken forward subject to additional resources becoming available.

Projects using existing resources

Projects using additional resources

6.2 Existing (and enhanced) events

Rationale – why?

We have an exciting events programme that includes the Ashfield Food and Drink Festival, Byron Festival, celebrations in Titchfield Park and Ashfield Show. These events are key contributors to our aims for the visitor economy. They enhance the quality of life for our residents and, to some extent, draw in external visitors and spend. Maintaining them is a core priority of this plan but we have ambitions beyond that. Our events programme has real potential to be enhanced with a better visitor experience.

Approach – what?

Core to sustaining and enhancing the programme will be generating funding through enhanced sponsorship and commercial partnerships. There are 2 elements we will pursue: the first will be to explore the feasibility of providing an Underwriting Fund for events. This will be a safety net for event organisers looking to enhance existing events and / or develop new ones. The fund will underwrite activity (to a certain value) to give organisers the confidence to do something new and different. If the event is a success the funding will not be required – if it falls short of its income targets, the fund will meet the shortfall.

Within Council events, we will proactively look to develop commercial partnerships to generate event sponsorship revenue through targeting our medium or large businesses with high local employee count, and targeting local visitor economy or sales focused companies, such as food and beverage providers, taxi firms, leisure companies, and independent retailers.

With additional funding there will be the opportunity to work with our events production company to increase the attendee levels to our existing events programme. As the focus for Ashfield Show is developing into a multi-day event with live music at its core, further investment could be made into the procuring, booking and managing higher profile music artists, which would increase event attendance and engagement.

Similarly, investment could be made into the Food and Drink Festival to support the development of a live music element which will broaden the appeal of the event.

Projects using existing resources

Projects using additional resources

This section outlines our longer term priorities which we will primarily pursue in the growth phase of this plan.

Rationale – why?

We have an enviable range of cycling and walking trails, and outdoor sports activities (including Teversal, Brierley Forest Park, King’s Mill Reservoir and the Woodland Adventure Zone at Portland College), plus modern leisure centres. We are adding significant facilities, including a variety of water sports and a public access high ropes course at King’s Mill, and cycling trails which will deliver an off-road network across the district.

This is a strong theme for us – one that delivers quality of life and health benefits for our residents, but will also bring in visitors from across Nottinghamshire and further afield.

Approach – what?

Using the delivery of the enhanced district-wide cycle network as our timeframe, we have an opportunity to work with partners (especially the County Council and Everyone Active – the Council’s leisure operator) to develop a distinct ‘Ashfield Adventures’ sub brand within our overall 'Discover Your Doorstep' approach and collateral (with, subject to resources, potentially separate print).

This would focus on:

• the opportunities for car free visiting at our key sites
• links from neighbouring districts
• family leisure opportunities
• entry level cycling.

We would look to enhance the accessibility of our outdoor leisure, building on the regionally unique facility at Portland College. Development work could include site and route improvements at Teversal and Brierley Forest Park to create an Ashfield Circular cycle route going through Pleasley Country Park) and enhanced interpretation on routes (see section 7.3). This could also be supported by a range of sports participation events e.g. trail cycling, triathlon etc. (see section 7.4).

Organisation abbreviations

• ADC – Ashfield District Council
• ATTFE – Academy Transformation Trust Further Education
• DA – Discover Ashfield
• HFTM – Hucknall Flight Test Museum
• FP – Felley Priory
• NCC – Nottinghamshire County Council
• PC – Portland College
• SO – Sherwood Observatory
• VN – Visit Nottinghamshire

Projects using existing resources

Projects using additional resources

Rationale – why?

With the Sherwood Observatory, King’s Mill facilities and the Woodland Adventure Zone offering experiences not available for some distance, this is an area where we already excel – particularly for education groups. Felley Priory, and surrounding attractions (e.g. Hardwick Hall) are also a destination for group visits.

Further developments at these sites will significantly add to this offer, enabling us to position Ashfield as a regional centre of excellence for group and indoor/outdoor educational experiences, particularly for young people – something that ties into, and reinforces, the ‘Ashfield Adventures’ concept. In addition to the value they bring in themselves, educational visits can lead to repeat business.

Approach – what?

As our new investments and facilities come on stream, there is a potential opportunity to look at joint marketing targeting education and group markets. We will investigate specific routes to market through e.g. existing customer databases, schools and voluntary and community organisations, developing multiple site itineraries (with residential opportunities at existing and new sites). Educational groups are likely to be the first priority – partly a reflection of the strength of our offer in that area but also the ability to reach and influence these groups relatively cost effectively.

There are, however, opportunities to explore joint work with our neighbouring attractions, for example, Hardwick Hall to target tour operators and consolidators to consider adding suitable attractions in Ashfield (such as Felley Priory and Sherwood Observatory) to their itineraries as added value.

Projects using existing resources

Projects using additional resources

Rationale – why?

We have a rich and distinctive heritage (literary, mining etc.). This is part of our sense of place and its celebration is a key part of our civic pride. We also have interesting stories to tell the world – Hucknall Flight Testing, Lord Byron, DH Lawrence, and Ada Lovelace. With the Cornerstone Theatre and Arc Cinema, we have more contemporary culture.

We promote this heritage (literary, mining etc.) on our digital platforms and onsite, including public art and interpretation boards. These are, however, site specific and, in some places, in need of refurbishment.  There is a need to add physical elements to our digital interpretation – something our visitors can experience on site. This could include physical interpretation and the development of sites like St Mary Magdalene’s Church in Hucknall, the Hucknall Flight Test Museum and enhanced events, celebrating Lord Byron and Ada Lovelace.

Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer, is a genuine global icon of women in technology and there is an exciting opportunity to integrate her story into the Sherwood Observatory, as well as continuing to celebrate Ada Lovelace Day in the district.

Approach – what?

Our history is all around us and we need to bring this more to life. This will partly be achieved through the development of key sites across our district like St. Mary Magdalene Church and the Hucknall Flight Test Museum. However, building on our existing interpretation through a coherent scheme also presents an opportunity (and one that also ties into our outdoor theme). This could, alongside our website, be built into sites and routes to help encourage visitor movement. Key components could include DH Lawrence, Lord Byron, Ada Lovelace, and complementing this we could look to create public art trails around Silverhill, Teversal and Brierley.

There are also softer elements of providing heritage experiences – e.g. guided tours which can be promoted through our website and supporting events like the Byron Festival and Ada Lovelace Day.

Projects using existing resources

Projects using additional resources

Rationale – why?

In addition to continuing to develop our existing events programme, there are significant opportunities for new events to not only strengthen this programme but also reinforce some of the key themes outlined above – the outdoors and Ashfield Adventures, and Our History, Our Culture.

Approach – what?

Events can be time consuming and expensive to develop. Our ability to expand on our existing programme will depend on not only the success of developing sustainable sponsorship and commercial schemes but also finding potential partners that have the capacity to develop events.

There is potential for significant funding to come into the district through a Place Partnership bid to the Arts Council. If successful this would generate investment of £1m over three years (from summer 2024 onwards) delivering a sustainable programme of events and engagement in the arts.

There are some exciting opportunities for new events and some ideas that we wish to explore are outlined:

Extension of the existing event programme:

At the moment, larger scale events are focussed predominantly in the Hucknall area and Ashfield Show in Sutton. There is an opportunity to consider the development of a music event programme which would include elements across Hucknall, Sutton and Kirkby.

The programme would consist of a series of themed live music performances in each area with potentially a competitive element with selected or local bands/performers having the opportunity to perform on stage at Ashfield Show in August.

This approach could be adapted for the Food and Drink Festival in August with smaller events held in Sutton and Kirkby, including a participation element (such as a Bake Off competition) with the winners going through to a grand final as part of the Hucknall Food & Drink festival.

• Cost implications: c£5,000

Regional Folk/Country music festival:

A folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts, folk music, folk dance and ethnic foods. A folk festival theme provides the ideal platform to explore and celebrate the diverse heritage of the area. Rolling Stone magazine recently reported that British folk music is undergoing a renaissance.

There is a strong folk scene in the pubs of Ashfield. An Ashfield folk festival could involve Hucknall, Sutton and Kirkby with the programming of folk music events in each area for local performers in the lead up to the main festival (at a location to be determined). Each local event could include a competition with the winners performing at the main festival. In the first year the festival would be programmed in existing venues so that costs can be managed effectively.

Large scale Country music festival:

Country music is the fastest growing music genre in Britain, helped in part by an increase in specialist radio stations dedicated to the music style, in addition to the influence of major American acts. There is also a growing number of homegrown UK Country artists that are increasing their fanbase.

The development of a large-scale Country music festival for Ashfield has the potential to become a regional and national destination event which would provide significant benefit to the visitor economy. Ashfield’s location and proximity to Nottingham would be a key strength to support audience development for the event.

There are a small number of multi day Country festivals catering for this ever-increasing audience. While we recognise that funding restrictions will limit the initial scale of the event there is no reason that we should not aspire to develop a major annual festival and visitor destination.

Funding:

In order for the festival to be commercially sustainable it will need to be a paid event which can be subsidised through sponsorship/commercial partnerships.

Examples include:

• The Long Road Festival in Leicestershire is a 3 day festival of Country, Americana and Roots held over the August Bank Holiday. The event has been running for five years and has generated a loyal following. In its first year there were over 70 artists performing and 10,000 music fans in attendance over the weekend.
• Black Deer Festival is a celebration of the cultural heritage of America held in Kent. From showcasing the biggest and brightest musicians in Americana and its sub-genres, to the flavours, foods, and cooking styles of America’s deep south. The festival attracts over 10,000 attendees over three days in June.

Mass participation sports or wellbeing events:

Our outdoor recreational areas could be utilised to develop a series of mass participation sports events.

Sport England notes that:

“Mass participation sporting events are a great way for lots of people to get active because they allow individuals to set themselves their own challenge, knowing their success is celebrated by the participants and organisers”.

There is an opportunity to develop a range of small, resident focussed, sports and wellbeing events that have the potential to build into larger scale mass participation events that could act as positive drivers for the visitor economy.

Potential event themes include:

• Organised family bike rides at Teversal and Brierley Forest Park (similar to ‘SkyRide’ guided rides).
• Organised family trail walks at Teversal and Brierley Forest Park.
• Organised participation runs, building on existing Park Runs at Brierley Forest Park, Sutton Lawn and Titchfield Park.
• Maintenance of the existing Orienteering network at Teversal and further development of new circuits across the District. Utilise digital technology to allow families to scan the waypoints to appeal to a younger demographic.

On the cultural side, there are also opportunities to reinvigorate and grow the existing Byron Festival and make more of celebrating Ada Lovelace Day. New events could also include a multi-site (district wide) public art trail such as Wild in Art-type concept or Scarecrow Festival. The latter could be a strong community engagement event, involving local arts and community groups, schools, and businesses in the design and build of a series or ‘trail’ of Scarecrows.

Projects using additional resources

Taking this plan forward will require leadership, resources and, particularly, partnership.  Ashfield District Council will lead on driving this plan forward. This plan has been developed around what we can realistically deliver within our existing resources (which are more limited than we would like).  However, we have an excellent track record of delivering and drawing in external funding for new initiatives and this plan identifies the opportunities we will pursue as funding becomes available.

Our partners within the District are vital – most notably Discover Ashfield. Within the Discover Ashfield framework, we will look to develop more discrete working arrangements and groups around the visitor economy. These will include:

• A Visitor Economy group (see section 3.1)
• An Ashfield Adventures topic group (see section 7.1)
• A possible Group and Education working group (see section 7.2).

Beyond Ashfield, we recognise that we have significant synergies and opportunities with our neighbours, particularly Mansfield and Bolsover, and we will continue to explore delivery options especially around recreational route development. Working closely within the LVEP and with Visit Nottinghamshire is also a huge opportunity for us and one that will become more important in the medium term as our new products come on stream. The East Midlands Devolution Deal will impact positively on us, with potential funding programmes and, in combination with our LVEP and Derbyshire’s, potential visitor opportunities. We will work with partners to realise these.

Consultation took the form of:

• A series of one to one meetings
• 2 x Site Visits with stakeholder conversations 13^th December and 25^th January
• A Workshop on 25^th January

Details of those involved in the consultation can be found in the table below.

Key Findings

Findings from the consultation are distributed throughout the report and have been used to support the analysis, aims and action areas. The main points arising from the consultation can be summarized as:

• A desire to develop the local market (which evolved into the ‘Discover Your Doorstep’ action area), with a particular focus on young families and older people
• A realistic, staged approach to development
• The key role of people and community in Ashfield
• A recognition of no/little awareness or a poor image of Ashfield in the rest of the country
• Excitement around new facilities in outdoor recreation and the new Sherwood Observatory and links to Ada Lovelace
• Opportunities to develop more walking and cycling routes and encourage participation
• Location-driven business which could develop (groups and family/social occasions)
• A desire to enhance the events programme
• An openness to work together to make the most of new opportunities e.g. Cornerstone Theatre stimulating an evening economy in Sutton
• Partnership across Nottinghamshire should be focused on shared priorities, structures and experiences.

Workshop attendees

Met or spoken to during site visits

Dormitory Dependables

Regular attenders living in suburbs and smaller towns, interested in heritage activities and mainstream arts and less likely to be attracted by contemporary offerings.

A significant proportion of audiences are made up of this dependably regular, although not high frequency, engagement group. Most live in suburban or small towns and show a preference for heritage activities, alongside popular and more traditional, mainstream arts. Many are thriving well-off mature couples or busy older families; life stage coupled with more limited access to an extensive cultural offer means that culture is more an occasional treat or family outing than an integral part of their lifestyle.

Trips and Treats

Mainstream arts and popular culture fans influenced by children, family and friends.

While this group may not view arts and culture as a passion, they are reasonably active despite being particularly busy with a wide range of leisure interests. Comfortably off and living in the heart of suburbia, their children range in age and include young people still living at home. With a strong preference for mainstream arts and popular culture like musicals and familiar drama, mixed in with days out to museums and heritage sites, this group are led by their children’s interests and strongly influenced by friends and family.

Home and Heritage

Rural and small town pensioners attracted to daytime activities and historical content.

Conservative in their tastes, this more mature group appreciates all things traditional: a large proportion are National Trust members, while classical music and amateur dramatics are comparatively popular. While this is not a highly engaged group –partly because they are largely to be found in rural areas and small towns –they do engage with the cultural activity available to them in their locality. They look for activities to match their needs and interests, such as accessible daytime activities or content exploring historical events.

Up Our Street

Sociable retirees looking for inexpensive, mainstream, local leisure opportunities

Living local, modestly-incomed and relatively stable lives, Up Our Street engage with the arts infrequently and are most drawn to popular and inexpensive entertainment, as well as museums and heritage sites. Many are older and have some health issues, living on average or below pensions, so access in all its forms can be an issue. Modest in their habits and in their means, value for money, familiarity and low-risk are important factors in leisure decision making.

Frontline Families (formerly Facebook Families)

Frugal, semi-urban renting families, light on arts and culture but heavy on community.

Arts and culture play a very small role in the lives of this younger, cash-strapped group living in suburban and semi-urban areas of high unemployment. They are the least likely to think of themselves as arty, with less than a third believing that arts, culture and heritage are important in general. Nevertheless, they do engage in leisure activities as families, particularly mainstream events like cinema, live music and pantomime, and will participate in community-based entertainment.