Tyfu Powys Evaluation

Descriptions

Introduction and BackgroundSocial Farms and Gardens is a UK wide charity supporting communities to farm, garden andgrow together. Our vision: ‘People and communities reaching their full potential throughnature-based activities as a part of everyday life’.Tyfu Powys Project OverviewTyfu Powys will provide capacity building support to community growing sites and social enterprisesacross Powys, creating:- Resilient, sustainable and accessible sites- Embedding responsibility for, and pride in, place- Supporting the creation of beautiful spaces across Powys towns and rural areas for all toenjoy and get involved inSupport no matter where you are on your development journey to create those beautiful spaces,better soils and habitats and more connected people.Delivered through network/s, tailored mentoring development support, Have A Grow participationsupport, event support, mapping and orchard leader training.Each site we work with is embedded in its own community, empowering local people, includinghose who are: hard to reach; economically inactive; in food & fuel poverty; single parents; aging -keeping them active, healthy and continuous learners.The specific activities Tyfu Powys will deliver are:1. Powys Community Growing Network/s: asset-based community development model toshare knowledge and experience, increasing skills of local people through training sessionsand gatherings for community growers in Powys. Anticipated number of participants: 75.2. Development Support for established and new groups: to encourage development of newcommunity growing projects and sustain existing, including some capital infrastructureexpenditure. 60 days support.3. Have A Grow days 2024: supporting 20 community gardens to open their gates andwelcome those who haven’t previously participated in growing, widening prospectivevolunteering opportunities. An SF&G national initiative designed to bring in new visitors andvolunteers and create opportunities to raise funds through sales, donations and newsupporters.4. Low Carbon Grow Local: encouraging positive behaviour change from individuals and groupso reduce their carbon output by working with Powys groups on low carbon growingknowledge sharing events, with those attending delivering further low carbon communityactivities. 10 sites.5. Grow, Buy, Eat Local: changing habits to seasonal food, with beneficiaries gainingconnection with community growing sites and introducing capabilities to create resilienceagainst cost of living. 10 sites.6. Mapping: working with our Powys Community Growing Network/s to enable self-use of ourGIS mapping, developed with Digital Commons, compatible with LA, Welsh Government andNatural Resources Wales. 10 sites.7. Orchards: Orchard Leader programme for 10 orchard leaders and establishment of localisedPowys Productive Community Orchard networks to make use of the fruit from the new andestablished community orchards.Increasing the use of Welsh language throughout the course of the project and evaluating TyfuPowys are key project outcomes.Tyfu Powys Evaluation: Key Aims1. Present robust, transparent evidence of the impacts of the project activitiesEvidence of project aims, outputs, outcomes, plus any unexpected outcomes, challenges andchanges that are robust and engaging (photos, videos, video diaries).2. Reveal and document how project impacts and aims are achievedIllustrate what key mechanisms were needed across the project for the aims, outputs andoutcomes to be achieved – plus identifying any unexpected outcomes, challenges andchanges. A clear path/timeline of what occurred to achieve the project aims, outputs andoutcomes and how the unexpected outcomes, challenges and changes happened, giving specificexamples where appropriate.3. Advise on evidence gathering and presenting our outputs and outcomesTyfu Powys has a variety of outputs and outcomes to report upon and your work will assist us inemploying the best methods to achieve and present this with impact.4. Support and facilitate sharing of learning between actors.Tyfu Powys will have a variety of project actors:• Network/s of organisers of community growing activities and sites (‘sitebeneficiaries/project sites’): exploring their feelings on the network, in their own words.Asking questions about how they are learning, the benefit, impact and continuation.• Internal Project deliverers: Social Farms & Gardens (SF&G) staff, freelancers and contractors• Beneficiaries of the project sites (volunteers/visitors to community growing activities andsites)• Stakeholders: those who assist with and may benefit from project activity, e.g. PAVO, PowysPSB, relevant Powys County Council departments, ecodyfi and other SPF Communities andPlace projectsTalking to a robust selection of those involved/affected by the project, uncovering their goals,understanding where they want to go to and how being part of the project helps.In particular here, organisers of community growing activities and sites (‘sitebeneficiaries/project sites’) should feedback clearly and honestly to SF&G, to deeply feel thebenefits of the network, ensuring that a self-sustaining network is a priority. Evaluator evidenceon how this learning occurs during project delivery via actor feedback will support SF&G and weenvisage the final months of the project to share this learning between project actors, as part ofhe project exit strategy.5. Test assumptions about how to achieve changeWe require evidence of the benefits of Tyfu Powys. You will provide us with facts and figureshat will externally demonstrate the changes we have brought about by engaging people withour project. We also wish to test our internal assumptions about the way change is broughtabout.6. Gather learning about how to expand and extend project impactsRecommendations for future work, linking to relevant policy. Providing SF&G and the sitebeneficiaries (the organisers of community growing activities and sites) with evidence to gainfuture support.Key Aims will be achieved by:• Participation in project planning, development and dissemination• Collecting primary data from beneficiaries, project partners and stakeholders e.g.questionnaires/ interviews/ surveys/ video/ photo• Analysing secondary data from beneficiaries, project partners and stakeholders e.g. reports/social media/ website content/ news stories• An understanding of local strategic prioritiesFurther Information:Evaluation will deliver qualitative and quantitative data by an independent, with internal supporton data collection. Data to be collected and reported regularly, with evaluators advising onsuitable indicators, methods, tools and analysis.• We want: key information, facts and figures that can be used as a way of influencingdecision makers which should allow us to share outcomes with our membership in a userfriendly and accessible way. To do this, the evaluation will provide us with infographics,imelines and visual representations of facts and figures, that are accessible and visuallyattractive.• Consideration that different audiences have different needs. E.g. dyslexia (friendlydocuments), neuro-divergency, auditory learners and kinaesthetic learners. We will aid theevaluator in collecting this data, evaluator to analyse, gather, and present the data.• Data collection should be quantitative (e.g., no of groups; no of events) and qualitative data(e.g., interviews, quotes and stories) and include stories, quotes, and information fromprimary sources (our site beneficiaries). The qualitative data collected by the evaluatorshould be turned into quantitative data where appropriate e.g. ‘72% of attenders said theirhealth had improved’.• Initially we (SF&G Tyfu Powys team) will meet regularly with evaluators to establish what isrequired, both from us and from evaluation team. These meetings will become less regularonce roles, requirements and expectations are agreed and established. (Bi-weekly,progressing to monthly).• Evaluation will be embedded into the project activity from the outset, as soon as evaluatorsare appointed. Evaluators will work closely with the Tyfu Powys team and will provide adviceand guidance to make data collection simple and consistent.• Evaluators will participate in at least two Network meetings to ensure findings areembedded in the wider picture of land access for horticulture.• Evaluators will meet with a robust number of participating groups 1:1 to collect data.• Evaluators will visit a number (tbc) of Have a Grow events.• Evaluators will keep abreast of planning legislation, policy and other initiatives in Powys andfurther afield in Wales, to ensure the final report is in tune with wider strategies andpractices. In particular, links should be made with UK Levelling Up/Shared Prosperity, NetZero Strategy; UK Industrial Strategy; Wales Net Zero 2030; Wellbeing of FutureGenerations; Nature Recovery Plan for Wales; WG’s Programme for Government, EconomicAction Plan and Foundational Economy principles; Prosperity for All – Low Carbon Wales;emerging Community Food Strategy; Healthy Weight Wales; Growing Mid Wales RegionalInvestment Plan; Powys County Council Corporate & Strategic, LDP and Nature RecoveryPlan; Health & Care Strategy for Powys; Powys PSB Wellbeing Plan and Sustainable LandManagement objectives as prioritiesSF&G will be responsible for translation and printing of the evaluation and coordinating a final eventwhere the findings of the evaluation will be shared. This is tentatively scheduled for early December2024.Outputs – by 10 December 2024• One final designed evaluation report ready for translation and distribution, to includerecommendations for policy and decision makers in Powys and beyond• One Executive Summary ready for distribution• Infographics / visual report for use on social media / websiteWe are interested in seeing responses that consider ways of working with our project participantsand beneficiaries – methodologies and styles that will result in a deeper engagement with them, andnot result in multiple feedback. For example, Egin’s Proving and Improving.