The BEN Rainbow Countryside Scheme

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The BEN Rainbow Countryside Scheme

• Proposal to Changing Spaces. Big Lottery Fund
• Black Environment Network

2

• BEN is an organisation established
• to enable
• full ethnic participation
• in the built and natural environment

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The countryside belongs to all of us

• The Rainbow Countryside Scheme plans to
  provide a range of training programmes and taster
  visits to help ethnic community groups access the
  natural environment and independently plan
  educational group outings to locations across
  England

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Sir Clive BoothChair of the Big Lottery Fund

• Changing Spaces will open up a whole world of
  opportunity for organisations with a real
  understanding of the environment. The scheme will
  pave the way for communities to share inspiring
  ideas and change the way they think about and use
  the spaces around them. The funding will see
  projects bring ideas and plans to life with
  schemes embracing community spaces, local
  community enterprise and access to the natural
  environment. Changing Spaces will see the
  creation and transformation of local spaces
  accessible to all.

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BEN will

• Organise taster visits for ethnic community
  groups to enable them to enjoy and learn about
  the wide range of destinations in the countryside
  and the activities that they offer
• Offer training and support so that groups can
  gain the awareness, confidence and skills to run
  safe trips, with the Rainbow Group Award setting
  a standard
• Link groups to information and funding so they
  can independently run programmes of outings and
  educational activities in the countryside and
  near to where they live

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Judy Ling Wong CBE

• There is no such thing as a pure environmental
  project.
• A so-called pure environmental project is one
  that has neglected its social, cultural
• and economic context.

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Many groups find that outings

• Increase their quality of life by simply giving
  enjoyment
• Improve health because so many activities are
  physical, and support well being because they
  provide social contact, particularly for isolated
  people
• Provide new interests and hobbies around wildlife
  and nature, and stimulate young people to think
  about jobs in the environmental sector
• Give a sense of adventure and a new confidence
• Build awareness of aspects of life that link to
  the natural environment and their daily lives
  such as issues of fresh food, pollution and
  litter, transport, climate change, making their
  local environment more wildlife friendly or
  simpler greener and more attractive

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BEN will also support environmental organisations
by

• facilitating contact with ethnic communities
• providing training to enable them to gain the
  skills and knowledge to welcome ethnic groups to
  their sites and adapt activities according to the
  needs and wishes of ethnic groups.
• Sites that reach a good standard will be awarded
  the BEN Rainbow Site Award

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Judy Ling Wong CBE

• We all love what we enjoy
• and
• We protect what we love

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For more information about the BEN Rainbow
Countryside Scheme

• Go to the BEN website
• www.ben-network.org.uk
• And click on the Rainbow button
• Email rainbow_at_ben-network.org.uk
• Tel. [phone]

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When will the projects start?

• The application process is in 2 stages. BEN
  has been successful for Stage 1. Stage 2 results
  will be announced by mid-August 2007. If we are
  successful, we will begin around February 2008.
• The BEN Rainbow Countryside Scheme proposed by
  BEN consists of portfolio of projects worth
  around 16million over 5 years. BEN will work in
  the 9 regions across England.