We’re delighted to have the support of partner organisations whose combined skills, expertise and positive energy will enrich Sense of Here. Thank you to you all.
Ensemble
Ensemble is an umbrella initiative involving a large, cross-disciplinary team to examine the role of technology in supporting a new kind of environmental science. Ensemble combines data analysis with insights from natural and social sciences to improve understanding about environmental change, and explore ways to mitigate and/or adapt to change. We’re delighted to be able to talk with a wide range of experts in regular meetings to explore specific issues and the overarching complexity of systems. We’ll be brainstorming with them, drawing on their insights, following recommendations for research into pressing environmental issues, and welcoming occasional blog posts from the team.
University of Cumbria
The University of Cumbria is the only university in the UK to be within a National Park and a World Heritage Site. It’s perfectly placed for studies into environmental subjects, tourism, cultural heritage, outdoor learning and the challenges of achieving balance between differing demands in a lived-in and much visited area that also needs environmental protection. The university offers a wide range of degree and postgraduate courses, and hosts conferences and gatherings providing opportunities for debate and discussion around issues of nature, culture and sustainability. We’re delighted to be supported by the University, and will be working with students and lecturers in a variety of disciplines. The Institute of Outdoor Learning at the university will be working alongside us as we get out into the hills with young in 2020, and will host the Youth Symposium.
Esri
It would have taken us a very, very long time to learn how to create interactive, enticing and informative maps, so it’s wonderful to have support from Esri, who can crunch GPS and GSI data, blend numbers, pixels and maps together, track our walking routes, show us how to share stories and images, and provide an exciting way of seeing the Lake District – and share the technology that means we can zoom into fine detail, or take a satellite view to see how we’re connected to the rest of the world. Huge thank you to Addy particularly.
Langdale Hotel and Spa
Tourism is a fundamental part of life and a vital aspect of the economy in the national park. It’s great to have the team from Langdale Hotel among our partners. The hotel and timeshare resort in the Langdale Valley offers luxury accommodation and takes its responsibility very seriously when it comes to providing wonderful visitor experiences and also minimising the impact on the natural environment. They work closely with a number of partners to make a positive contribution to the natural environment and to the local community; their insights add to our picture of complexity with the perspectives of business leaders, hotel sector workers, and visitors.
The Lake District National Park Authority
When it comes to an overview of the National Park, the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) has an extensive team of people on hand to answer questions and, where necessary, point us to others who can help us. We’re very happy to have support from the authority, and opportunities to meet members of the team regularly to ask probing questions. The LDNPA works with 26 other organisations in the World Heritage Site Partnership.
The Wordsworth Trust
William Wordsworth is quite possibly the most famous English language poet, and his work has become, for many, synonymous with the Lake District. His sister Dorothy was also an accomplished writer and observer of place, and both of them have left records of work that continue to inspire and inform. Located on the site of William and Dorothy’s former home, the Wordsworth Trust has a vast collection of manuscripts, artwork, books and personal belongings from the Romantic period and is a treasure trove of literary works and visual art that not only celebrate the natural world, but also catalogue political opinions and debates. The Wordsworth Trust takes its inspiration from creative thinkers and continues to inspire new work. We’re delighted to be partnering with them in hosting an artists’ residency in 2020.
The Foundation for Common Land
The Foundation for Common Land is a national umbrella network to promote, advocate and care for a unique approach to landscape, farming and the management of common land that conserves the continues to offer public access, and enhances the natural environment in land that is managed by an active culture of hill farming. Cumbria has the largest area of upland commons in western Europe, and a complex system of management involving active graziers on the commons, land owners and conservation organisations. Insights and support from the Foundation, and conversations with commoners, both young and old, will greatly add to our understanding of upland commons and the challenges and opportunities of negotiating management strategies going forwards.
The Forestry Commission, Grizedale Forest
Grizedale Forest has an international reputation for its collection of open-air sculpture and artwork inspired by the natural world – it was England’s first forest for sculpture and continues to grow its collection with new work, residencies and exhibitions. We’re very excited to be showing the Sense of Here exhibition in the beautiful galleries in the Visitor Centre, right in the heart of the forest that embraces ancient woodland, old conifer plantations, and vast areas of new and varied planting. We’ll also be spending time with some of the foresters to learn more about professional forest management, changes over time, and plans to promote the forest’s resilience and increased biodiversity in the future. Grizedale works hard to bring together culture and nature – a thriving forest and an enviable network of walking routes, cycle tracks, tree-top adventures and a growing outdoor sculpture collection. We have exhibited here in the past, with The Long View, and are very proud to have a sculpture in the forest (treefold:north, just below Caron Crag).
Sense of Here 