tourism - Hidden Britain centres
Hidden Britain Centres - is a different kind of Church tourism - looking outwards! The project seeks to:
- Regenerate the rural economy
- Encourage locally-owned initiatives
- Open up the secrets of the countryside
- Develop networks across rural Britain
Much of the countryside (away from the honeypots) is experiencing decline. Villages are losing shops, schools, bus routes. The churches can play a key role in working with local community groups to encourage tourism - which is one way to bring about economic regeneration, and at the same time share with the visitor aspects of the countryside they don't often get to see..
The whole community gets involved in a Hidden Britain project - not just the church but the pub, the post office, the guest house...
That way its not someone from above/outside telling your village what to do - its their ideas, their vision and tourism on their terms.
If the church takes a lead role in this kind of development you can also benefit enormously... you reach people who wouldn't normally "darken the door" and they see concrete evidence of your care for the whole community.
And when more tourists visit your Hidden Britain Centre area - the church has a greater mission opportunity in engaging with them and can also benefit financially. Everybody wins!
- Pilot programme in Cumbria
- 20 Hidden Britain Centres by 2008
- Handbook of best practice for future projects
- Development of Hidden Britain Limited
- National website www.hidden-britain.co.uk
The 2 year pilot in Cumbria was a considerable success - and churches have played a key role in some of the 10 Centres developed so far.
The Hidden Britain project in the SE is already under way, and we hope to have projects in the North-East and Yorkshire up and running next year.
Our vision is to develop a national network of Hidden Britain Centres across the rural areas of England and Wales - 600 over a 10 year period with the churches playing a leading role in making it happen.