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Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning 2003

Application form

This application form can either be completed by hand or electronically (pdf version) on the Planning homepage at www.scotland.gov.uk/planning . Please complete all four questions. The deadline is 12 September 2003. An acknowledgement letter will be sent to the person who has completed this form.

Please provide a name and contact details of the organisation responsible for this work. If partners were involved, identify the lead organisation, and then list the other partners/bodies who had a key role.

Name of key partners (if appropriate)

Please complete the form by providing a brief summary (in no more than the space provided) of the piece of work you have entered. You must also conclude, with a key reason, as to why you think this work merits an Award.

Please tick the key criteria which relate to this entry:

You must describe in your written submission (below) how the criteria which you have ticked relates to your project.

Description of project

The aim of the "Take a Pride in Fife" Strategy and Initiative was to provide direction and focus for environmental improvement in Fife, while providing inspiration that real change could be made. At the heart of the campaign is the "Take a Pride in Fife" Environmental Strategy, a core part of the Fife Community Plan. The aim is to get everyone working together towards a better environment, pooling resources and providing assistance. By working under one banner and focusing on what has been achieved and what is still needed, the profile of the Fife environment can be raised and converted into action.

The strategy includes 7 key environmental themes to be tackled, identified through a series of seminars, brainstorm sessions and consultation. The themes are -

• Community Learning and Development
• Energy
• Local Environments
• Natural Heritage
• Pollution
• Transportation
• Waste Minimisation and Wise Resource Use

The strategy sets out how the Fife Environmental Network intends to achieve its vision during the next 3 years.

The Network is currently developing a long-term communications strategy but as an interim step it decided to launch the TAPIF Strategy and showcase in a blaze of publicity during European Environment Week in June. While the Strategy provides focus and direction, FEN thought it important to provide inspiration and a real sense that things were already happening. Launched soon after the Strategy, "Taking a Pride in Fife" is a showcase of 58 projects working towards a sustainable and inclusive Fife. This was designed to show everyone that Fife is a place where real action is happening and to encourage everyone to build on what is there already. The Showcase is designed to expand as action gets off the ground and is particularly aimed at local community projects. There was wide practical support for the project from partners as diverse as Communities Scotland, NHS Fife, Scottish Enterprise Fife and many others who appreciate the benefit of a high quality environment.

The partnership felt that a high profile launch was required and this was achieved through a Fife Environment Month, which was packed full of events, launches, a poster campaign and a local radio campaign. The month long radio campaign on Kingdom FM (which is listened to by a third of the Fife population) featured advertising and in-depth interviews with people driving forward the strategy.

The Fife Partnerships website at www.fifedirect.org.ukftakeaprideinfife was also a very important way or disseminating information to Fife residents.

Timescale (over which the project has developed)

The timescale for developing the TAPIF Strategy and Campaign is as follows

December 2001 Preliminary workshops
April 2002 Environmental Audit
August 2002 Consultative Draft Strategy
February 2002 Finalised Strategy
April 2003 Launch of Strategy and "Take a Pride in Fife" campaign
June 2003 Fife Environment Week

Context (the problem which had to be addressed)

The "Take a Pride in Fife" Campaign and Strategy began in 2001 with the recognition that a major Community Plan gap existed with respect to the environment. It was agreed that a Strategic Environmental Partnership be set up and a Strategy prepared.

The Take a Pride in Fife (TAPIF) initiative is characterised by a wide range of activities, commitment and a real feeling that old ways of doing things are now passing away. The Fife Community Plan identified the environment as an important theme. To tackle the wide range of issues a strategic partnership, the Fife Environmental Network (FEN) was set up. This partnership is wide ranging and includes Fife Council, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage, Friends of the Earth and many others.

While a great deal of effort is ongoing to improve a wide range of environmental issues, there was no single point of contact for environmental issues or overall vision of what we were trying to achieve. The strategic partnership provides a real focus and a simple point of contact for anyone wishing to contribute or find out about the environment and what we are doing to improve it.

Action taken

The main action taken is in integrating environmental actions within the Community Plan, creating a strategic partnership to drive action forward and producing a robust monitoring framework to ensure the intended action actually happens.

This was achieved by setting up two sub groups of the Fife Environmental Network partnership - 1) a communications group involving specialists in communications who could deliver an effective campaign and 2) a monitoring group, of information specialists who could develop a rigorous monitoring framework to ensure performance targets and actions are being met.

We are progressing the TAPIF initiative through 4 main elements:

1. The TAPIF Strategy - Take a Pride in Fife"
2. The TAPIF Showcase - Taking a Pride in Fife
3. The State of the Environment Report
4. The TAPIF Communications campaign

All of these core outcomes are attached as evidence.

Results achieved

A number of key results were achieved, notably -

1. The "Take a Pride in Fife Strategy" was produced and launched
2. "Taking a Pride in Fife" - The TAPIF Showcase, was produced and launched
3. The State of the Environment Report, the first annual report has been prepared
4. The TAPIF Communications Campaign, a strong campaign has been launched and continues to operate.

Highlights in terms of events included:

A Celebration of Fife Coastal Path - This included a formal launch of the Fife Coastal Path

Waste Aware Week - Including the launch of the Fife Local Area Waste Plan

Bike Week - A series of four events throughout a week to promote sustainable travel and the benefits of cycling

Energy Management Art Competition for Schools - A high profile event encouraging schools to participate in designing posters to highlight energy management issues

Take a Pride in Fife Schools Pack Launch of a Schools Pack designed to bring the Fife Environmental Strategy into the curriculum

Home Energy Week - A week long campaign in local press and various outlets to highlight the Fife EnergyWise campaign.

Local Biodiversity Action Plan -The launch of the second edition of Fife's LBAP

Launch of Fife Council Environmental Policy

Conclusion - Why does this piece of work merit an Award?

The "Take a Pride in Fife" Strategy and campaign represents an innovative approach to demonstrating what is actually happening ("Taking a Pride in Fife" showcase), how we will build on this good work (The "Take a Pride in Fife" Strategy) and how we will communicate with people (publicity events) and get real involvement. It shows that environmental action, although broad ranging across a wide range of disciplines can be brought together and effectively managed and monitored, and that all partners can play a full and useful role.

Date
04 September 2003

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