Manchester's countryside final report

What is the Manchester’s Countryside Project?

Since 2005, the Manchester’s Countryside project has worked to attract an increasing number of visitors to the rural tourism product offer of Greater Manchester. This public/private sector initiative supported the rural businesses and economies of Greater Manchester whilst enhancing the visitor experience potential of the sub-region.

Five key strategic activities were identified: Investigating and developing the product in Manchester’s Countryside Investing in the Manchester’s Countryside brand Improving the visitor experience

What we wanted to achieve In 2010 the Manchester’s Countryside project made a successful funding bid to the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). This was supplemented by private sector and local authority support and for the first time the project was able to recruit a full-time Project Manager to manage the partnership working of all stakeholders, but fundamentally, deliver large-scale marketing activity that wasn’t possible before the RDPE funding.

Ensuring we develop the area and act responsibly Establishing public / private sector partnerships

• 156,800 people have visited Manchester’s Countryside in the past two years - This is 16% of those who visited Greater Manchester - 144,000 day visitors - 12,500 staying visitors • Over half of visitors have made multiple trips • Family groups are the most likely to make multiple trips • 25% of those who have visited said they would visit again • Walking routes and trails are the most popular activities • Over 40% of visitors would recommend Manchester’s Countryside to friends and family • The website saw nearly 581,000 views in the two years up to December 2012

Creation of project website manchesterscountryside.com.

Walking trails – nineteen branded walking trails were created to form a suite of leaflets which are available in paper and digital formats.

Cycle routes – a cycling specialist was engaged to create new routes and a guide containing eight trails was produced in print and digital format.

Visit manchesterscountryside.com

Russh HHour Rush our IN MMANCHESTER ANCHESSTER

Visit manchesterscountryside.com

CYCLE GUIDE

Rural activities campaign – a campaign for spring / summer 2011 to encourage day visits from local and regional residents.

Short breaks campaign – launched spring 2012, a short breaks guide was produced.

A traditional print media advertising campaign targeted visitors from the north west.

A digital advertising campaign targeted national visitors.

Another wild weekend in manchester

‘‘ There is scarc ely any write r that has celeb rated the happin ess of rural privacnot y, and deligh ted himse lf and his reade with the melo dy of birds, the whisp er of rgrove s, and the murm ur of rivul ets’’

SHORT BREAKS GUIDE

Samuel Johnson (Writer).

Manchester’s countryside

A short ride from the vibrant city centre is an undiscovered outdoor playground just waiting to be enjoyed.

Welcome to one of the North West’s best kept secrets…Mancheste r’s countryside.

More than 500 square miles of picturesque landscapes, lush woodland s, lakes and waterways are waiting just for you.

You may choose to explore them on foot, on a bike, by boat or in the saddle.

With beautiful scenery, historic houses, vast parks, quaint villages, quirky events, outdoor activities and attraction s of all types on land or on water; Manchester’s countryside has it all.

After an eventful day exploring why not kick off those walking boots and relax at one of the numerous award-w inning restaurants, cosy country pubs or character filled cafes and tearooms.

Looking to stay longer?

No problem. There’s a wide range of accommo dation to suit all tastes and pockets. A warm welcome guaranteed.

For a brilliant family day out or a holiday to remember, try somethin g new…try Manchester’s countrysi de.

ide.com manchesterscountrys

What’s on & fest ivalS 2012 MARCHMarch- 1st April

31st Festival Ramsbottom Chocolate market, With fantastic chocolate ent. workshops and entertainm

April

er Marathon The Greater Manchest in the takes This 26 mile course e around attractive countrysid Dunham Massey.

May 5-7th May Days Out With Thomas and his Thomas the Tank Engine Lancashire friends visit the East Railway, Bury.

20th May Competition Scarecrow Making Chadkirk Chapel, Stockport.

June 1st June Contests Whit Friday Brass Band year every Dating back to 1884, in the dozens of bands compete of Saddleworth. picturesque villages 2nd- 4th June 1940s Weekend East Lancashire Railway This major event includes music renactments, tea dances, and parades.

14th-17th June Racing Horwich Festival of e town of Set in the picturesqu features British Horwich, the event and standard cycling, running hips, a road walking champions run, and and young persons swim street orienteering.

24th June The Bury Show show at Burrs Annual agricultural Country Park.

July 21st-22nd July Littleborough Rush Bearing Weekend celebrates the This annual folk event with a procession coming of autumn Rush Cart, of the Littleborough dancers accompanied by Morris and musicians.

r 8th-23rd Septembe South Pennines Walk and Ride Festival talks, horse A fortnight of free walks, Saddleworth and and bike rides across the wider South Pennines.

22nd July Iron Man UK for the 4th year, Returning to Bolton to offer a Ironman UK continues heart of the the world-class event, in countryside. This beautiful North West Ironkids on year’s event also includes new runbrand Saturday 21 July, a town centre for Bolton in only event years old. children aged 3 to 15

August 10th-12th August Weekend Saddleworth Wartime 1940s A weekend of fabulous entertainment.

8th September Throwing Bury Black Pudding Championships Centre.

Ramsbottom Town Tel: 0161 253 5111

October 27th & 28th Oct Halloween Ghost trains Bury.

East Lancashire Railway,

Novembe r 18th November Tudor Living History time and discover Take a step back in Family event. how the Tudors lived.

Bramall Hall, Stockport.

18th-26th August Rochdale Canal Festival e based events Canal and countrysid the canal from along the whole of to Sowerby Manchester city centre, Bridge in Yorkshire.

24th-27th August Festival Bolton Food and Drink tions, free Celebrity chef demonstra a fabulous family entertainment, over 70 stalls, speciality market with plus much more. r 31st Aug- 1st Septembe Festival Rochdale Feel Good celebrity chef Free event featuring and drink demonstrations, food r music stalls and a spectacula stage in the evenings.

Septemb er r

1st Septembe Proms in the Park, Mesnes Park, Wigan evening of A fabulous outdoor and enjoy a music. Bring your picnics display. spectacular firework 01942 828 281 For tickets contact:

Decembe r

Markets Ramsbottom Christmas

Regular events Farmers Markets of the month Every second Sunday Littleborough. in Ramsbottom and April- December Walks & Water and often Relive the fascinating past on surprising story of Salford’s walks or one of the guided heritage canal cruses.

July- September Maize Maize at Red House Fun for all the family Farm, Dunham Massey.

East Lancashire Railway Rail Ale Trails Irwell Valley’s Discover some of the exceptional most beautiful locations, heritage, all pubs, and fascinating linked together by the railway. y.org.uk www.eastlancsrailwa

and cycle routes, new walking trails n on events, or to download For further informatio 0161 253 5111. side.com or contact manchesterscountry

visit

Image by Steve Haddican

The total project budget was £276,510. This was made up of grant from Defra’s Rural Development Fund of £218,907 plus contributions from public and private sector partners of £57,603.

Match Funding Partners • Bolton Council • Bury Council • Oldham Council • Rochdale Council • Stockport Council • Salford Council • Tameside Council • Trafford Council • Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust • Marketing Manchester • Go Ape • Pennine Prospects • Red Bank Farm • East Lancashire Railway • The Rake Tapas • Huddersfield Canal • The Secret Garden

Breakdown Activity

Costs (£)

Staffing

70,217

Staff on costs

3,150

Overheads

23, 268

Product Development

15,340

Marketing

133, 503

Web Development

7,031

We leave Manchester’s Countryside in fine health. The brand continues to be in the public domain with branded walks and trails continuing to be distributed.

Lancashire Living Magazine is running monthly trails with the Manchester’s Countryside branding and URL. 17,500 copies of the magazine are distributed each month, reaching over 75,000 ABC1 readers.

Black’s Leisure is also behind the project, with trails going into their store in Manchester city centre as part of a ‘discover your local area’ initiative.

Manchester’s Countryside presence also continues in digital format. The existing web content has been integrated into visitmanchester.com, with the URL pointing at these new pages. This allows Manchester’s Countryside to benefit from the 200,000 unique visits the site gets each month.

This integration has kept the Manchester’s Countryside message up to date and relevant. Activities and events can be fed into the site via Marketing Manchester and product information downloaded.

Rural tourism businesses can still access information and get promoted through Manchester’s Countryside and Marketing Manchester activity.

Get listed: if you send event information through to your local tourism manager or tourist information centre for addition on the Manchester’s Countryside website, continue to do so. If you don’t, or you’re not sure, you can email listings@visitmanchester.com with the details.

Get involved: if you’d like to get involved in Greater Manchester marketing campaigns please contact audrey.peers@marketingmanchester.com