Heritage Access Guide Scooprs President's Awards

Most Outstanding Project of 2006 and Landscape Policy Award for Easy Access to Historic Landscapes

The English Heritage and Heritage Lottery Fund publication Easy Access to Historic Landscapes won the Landscape Policy Award and the President’s Award for the UK's most outstanding project by the landscape profession at the Landscape Institute Awards on the 30th November. The comprehensive guidance for making historic landscapes easily accessible for visitors with disabilities was commended by judges for being "of excellent quality in terms of clarity, intelligence of advice, thoroughness of research and visual layout", "a refreshing approach" and "a very good resource pack for both professional and lay reader".

Nigel Thorne, President of the Landscape Institute, said: “I noted this submission early on in my judging and returned to it time and time again. The judges gave it just one point short of the maximum marks and I found it difficult to see where they had managed to find a slight weakness! As professionals we must serve not only our members but the public also; this publication does exactly that and so much more.”

Easy Access to Historic Landscapes was developed with the Sensory Trust to help the owners and managers of sites such as historic parks, gardens, cemeteries and urban squares to provide easy, dignified access for all visitors.  It focuses on creating a better visitor experience, but also aims to help improve the skills of staff and volunteers and prevent damage to a site’s special historic interest. The guidance is combined with a study of the access project at English Heritage property Witley Court, which has become a practical exemplar for the methodology of consulting people with disabilities.

Jenifer White, Senior Landscape Advisor for English Heritage, said: "English Heritage is delighted to win both of these awards and has always seen the benefit of working directly with visitors with disabilities in the development of our policy.  Access to the country’s historic landscapes can often be made significantly better without major intervention, by improving knowledge, skills, training and awareness. Easy Access to Historic Landscapes aimed to go beyond simply persuading people to meet legal requirements; it's about thinking about the experience of each person who visits these inspiring and beautiful sites."

Tony Crosby, Access and Disability Policy Officer at the Heritage Lottery Fund, said:

"The Heritage Lottery Fund is very pleased to win these prestigious awards. Our historic landscapes are a significant and much valued part of our diverse heritage and people from all sections of society should be able to access and enjoy them.  The publication aims help to increase this enjoyment and these awards confirm we are achieving this aim."

English Heritage was also a partner in another winning project, the Maden Children’s Centre in Bacup, East Lancashire, which won a Community Design and Conservation award.

A CD Rom of the Witley Court Access Project, with film footage of all the focus groups' recommendations, has always been included with Easy Access to Historic Landscapes. Groups of people with learning disabilities, with visual and hearing impairment and wheelchair users visited the spectacular ruined country house and its restored historic gardens in Worcestershire and contributed their advice and experience.  Since their involvement, visitor suggestions developed at this site include:

• a terrain guide to include access information such as gradients, path surfaces and distances; 
• pilot guided tours with British Sign Language interpretation; 
• a new more accessible audio tour; 
• a new disability awareness staff training video, scripted and presented by people with disabilities; 
• the relocation of many of the interpretation panels; and 
• the ongoing development of new orientation signs that meet the highest standards in accessibility.