Bo’ness Community Heritage Practitioner

Tender description

Sustrans, in partnership with the Great Place Falkirk Project and Falkirk Council, is recruiting a community heritage practitioner to develop the content for a series of natural and cultural heritage interpretation installations (e.g. interpretation boards, themed benches, interactive artwork) along the Bo’ness and Kinneil Foreshore. With the project team’s support, the successful candidate will undertake desk and community-based research to research, capture and compile reminiscences, local history, and other elements of cultural and natural heritage. This project will engage with the local community to capture memories, reflections, and history of the cultural and natural heritage of the Bo’ness Foreshore and wider area, valuing both tangible and intangible heritage to promote intergenerational connection to the region. Deliverables - Preparation of digital packs (wording, pull quotes, accompanying images) to support the development of a series of approx. 10 interpretation installations (e.g. interpretation boards, artwork, themed benches) to be installed along the Bo’ness Foreshore, referencing the area’s heritage, both cultural (e.g. historical events, people or structures) and natural (e.g. geological features or plant life). Research and interpretation generated by and with community members will also feed into content showcased on the Our Stories website. - Presentation of emerging findings and themes at an agreed project mid-point. This will likely be at a meeting of the community advisory group. - Summary report detailing major findings, engagement process and experience. Engagement Process Reporting to the Greenways Programme Coordinator and supported by the Great Place Falkirk Project team, across 3-4 months the practitioner will engage with a range of individuals and groups to capture reflections, history, stories of the cultural and natural history of Bo’ness. The project team can provide initial advice who might be approached to take part, as a number of individuals have already come forward or been suggested. To carry out this community-based research, the practitioner will: - Identify a cross-section of the local community including school children, young people, and those over 65s with which to work. - Manage the project timeline, activity scheduling, decide on most effective set up (e.g. Zoom, telephone, in person meetings), ensure safeguarding guidance and public health best practice for activities is followed, support participants through the process on how to engage remotely where required. The selected practitioner will be aware of and follow the latest government guidelines of Covid-19 physical distancing, which may require engaging with communities in the area through predominantly digital means. If Government advice permits, some of this public participation could possibly happen in small groups or one to one. The practitioner will seek advice from the project team and will be responsible for anticipating and responding effectively to any risk identified. The community-based research will be supplemented by desk-based research which will: - Source images, illustrations, or other graphic elements to aid interpretation. - Validate and contextualise community reminiscences - Supplement local knowledge The practitioner will then collate the information gathered into a digital ‘pack’ for each proposed topic of interpretation. As an example, a pack highlighting a local historical event might contain: - Quotation(s) from local resident(s) recalling or reflecting on the event - An accessibly-written, historically rich, balanced account of the event - A simple map indicating the site of the event (to support the siting of an associated interpretation installation; this could be as simple as Google maps and will not be printed). - Illustration(s) or image(s) sourced from archives or personal collections with the relevant permissions for reproduction - A short bibliography for further reading It is anticipated that the practitioner will utilise their experience and expertise to identify appropriate resources for inclusion, though the project team can also advise.