Cydcoed evaluation project

 

Helping community groups influence the decisions made about their local area

News from Forest Research: November 2007

Forest Research’s social and environmental research group is helping to evaluate progress of a £16 million grant programme run by Forestry Commission Wales. Funded by the European Union and Forestry Commission Wales, the programme, called Cydcoed (pronounced ‘Keed Koyd’), focuses on the Objective One region of West Wales and the Valleys. Cydcoed has been helping community groups influence the decisions made about their local area, as well as maximising the long-term social, economic and environmental benefits of woods, and helping individuals to play a positive role in their community.

During 2001-2004, the Phase 1 project awarded grants totalling £3,986,295 to 40 individual projects. Phase 2, which has been underway since 2003, has provided a further £12 million, for 123 new projects.

Roz Owen is assessing the Cydcoed programme, to establish how well the projects are achieving the long-term goals of the programme.

The Cydcoed project groups have almost 8,000 local members and have involved around 18,000 schoolchildren. They also involve about 6,500 people from other groups, such as the Womens’ Institute, health groups and Scouts, etc., and have helped 147 people into employment outside of the Cydcoed project through training.

Roz is examining the impacts of the Cydcoed programme more closely and is also carrying out an economic analysis of its public benefits. She is using both quantitative and qualitative techniques to examine people’s values, opinions and use of Cydcoed woodlands both before and after the programme began. The evidence collected will help evaluate social return on recreation, health, wellbeing and volunteering. The final report will be ready in August 2008.
 
For more details of this work, contact Roz Owen.