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National Lottery Heritage Fund Project

Conservation grazing

Background

The DPHT have been awarded a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund of £58,200. The purpose of the grant is to assist the DPHT in creating a more sustainable and stable charity to enable it to continue to provide core services and support to its beneficiaries – Dartmoor Heritage Ponies – for the longer term. The NHLF Grant is a ‘restricted’ grant, that is the funding can only be spent on approved project activities that are laid down in the grant agreement. The DPHT provides two detailed reports to the NHLF, one at the mid-way point and the other at the end of the project. One of the work-streams of the project is the employment of an evaluator who will benchmark where the charity is at the commencement of the project and its tangible achievements/progress at the conclusion.

Organisation

Project Manager will report to the Board of Trustees. The PM is employed for 12 months for 2 days per week. Accountable for management of the work streams and delivering the output required from the project. Project Evaluation Specialist reports to the Board of Trustees and a dotted line to the PM. The person appointed will use an approved methodology for evaluation of the project, including determining data to be collected.

Communications and PR Specialist reports to the PM. Arrange and conduct a stakeholder workshop to consult on, develop and agree a ‘Message House’ diagram to ensure consistent and clear messaging in all DPHT Communications. Outputs are:

  • Stakeholder Workshop
  • Message House Diagram
  • New Media Web Page
  • Draft and deliver 3 media releases, 9 FB, Twitter and Instagram posts

Fundraising Specialist reports to the PM. The Fundraising Specialist will supervise the Additional Sources of Income Specialist. The selected individual will develop fund raising plan linked to the Message House. Signposts potential sources of funding to establish a pipeline of future funding approaches. Consult with DPHT members to develop an effective approach to legacy promotion. Outputs are:

  • Secure one new founder for charity’s work
  • Develop a fundraising strategy
  • Develop a legacy strategy
  • Draft legacy promotion on website

Additional Sources of Income Specialist reports to the Fundraising Specialist. This is a subset of Fundraising but focuses on reviewing the activities in the DPHT’s Business Plan to investigate potential sources of income through delivery of services including: Bellever conservation grazing site, brokering sales and pony handling. The output of this activity feeds into the Fundraising Strategy. Specific
deliverables are:

  • Consultation with previous clients to confirm both demand and pricing
  • Recommendations on potential income from delivery of DPHT services or sources of funding for DPHT services

Education Specialist reports to the PM. This is a key role in the project. The selected individual will be required to develop, test and refine new online education material for pupils up to Key Stage 3 on subjects relevant to the National Curriculum utilising examples from the Dartmoor Heritage Pony and their role on the moor, its landscape, biodiversity, archeology and heritage. The Educational Specialist is
to work with DPHT school partners, staff and Trustees both in school and at Believer. Deliverables are:

  • Online Educational material
  • Trial and evaluation with 2 pilot schools
  • Revised walk material for Dartmoor Guides

ELMS Expert reports to the PM. The individual will work with DPHT Trustees and staff to identify the implications for the future of Dartmoor Heritage Ponies of the Government’s response to the Independent Review of Dartmoor’s Protected Land Management, formation of Dartmoor Land Management Group, formation of Farm Clusters on Dartmoor and delivery of Nature Recovery Projects.
Outputs are:

  • Hold DPHT Members Meeting to explain implications for the future of the Dartmoor Heritage Pony of the above.
  • Deliver DPHT presentation to LUMG to underline the potential role of Dartmoor Heritage Ponies in sustainable management of Dartmoor for increased biodiversity and to tackle invasive plan species.

Community Outreach and Engagement Specialist reports to the PM. The individual will work with the PM, DPHT Head of Operations, Head of Volunteers and Communications Consultant to arrange 3 community engagement and consultation events with local communities t determine what people value about the DPHT and how they would like to be involved in the charity. Deliverables are:

  • 3 Community workshops
  • Report on feedback from each event
  • Development of an online community engagement strategy for the DPHT

Website Design Specialist. Review current DPHT website and identify changes needed to communicate new Message House effectively. Ensure website is simple to navigate and for users to engage with towards achieving the charity’s operational objectives. Deliverables are:

  • Re-platform website to ensure that DPHT Staff are able to easily access, update and modify
  • Ensure website meets accessibility standards
  • Provides website administrator training and documentation to reduce reliance on website host to make modifications
  • With assistance of Communications and PR Specialist, Education Specialist, Fundraising Specialist and Community Outreach and Engagement Specialist ensure online material are published and easily navigated and messages are in line with Message House

Timing

The project is funded for a 12 month period. The official start date is February 2025. Some preparatory work commenced in January to replatform the DPHT Website to enable updates to be published as required together with early findings to facilitate comment and feedback.