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PLANED has regular activities, events & meetings, check the Noticeboard.

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PLANED
The Old School,
Station Road,
Narberth,
Pembrokeshire
SA67 7DU

Tel:
+44 (0)1834 862113
Fax:
+44 (0)1834 861547

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Website approved.
Creating a Culture of Entrepreneurship.

An exciting new website which gives a fresh insight into Pembrokeshire’s heritage and environment has been declared a winning concept by a Welsh Assembly minister.

Rhodri Glyn Thomas launching website with Stephen Alderman and Sarah Griffiths

Rhodri Glyn Thomas launching website with Stephen Alderman and Sarah Griffiths

Rhodri Glyn Thomas, who was at PLANED’s offices in Narberth on Friday to launch the Experience Pembrokeshire Web Portal, described it as “absolutely wonderful’’.
“It brings together many aspects of PLANED’s work, it’s a winner,’’ said the Heritage Minister. “It is about people in their own communities being able to access information about those communities. It will add tremendously to the tourism experience in Pembrokeshire.’’
The minister was particularly impressed by its accessibility. “The format is easily accessible, even to people like me who find technology somewhat frightening!’’
Through the Web Portal more detailed information held by the Countryside Council for Wales, Dyfed Archaeological Trust, Pembrokeshire County Council, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, Wildlife Trust, West Wales Biodiversity Centre and the National Trust can be browsed.
Once the site is fully operational, visitors to it will be able to access varying levels of information like never before. Using digital mapping they will be able to search communities throughout Pembrokeshire to uncover the numerous hidden treasures in the landscape. These include sites of ancient standing stones, colourful dragonflies and stunning views, all of which is stunningly depicted by local photographers and artists.
Sarah Griffiths, PLANED’s Heritage and Environmental Tourism officer, said the project made information that was already available more accessible. “It links all the existing information out there,’’ she said. “We are not repeating what has already been done, we are presenting it in a different way.’’
Sarah said it had originally been intended as a useful tool for tourists. “But as the project progressed we realised it would be just as useful for local people, to know what’s on their doorstep,’’ she said.
“It will help strengthen community pride and sense of place so that local people will become guardians of special places in Pembrokeshire.’’
Matthew Webster, of One Bright Space, the company which developed the portal, said many organisations had already contributed to the site content but there was a lot more information that he hoped others would provide for inclusion.

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An enterprising community can help to build a better future. Developing local resources can strengthen the local economy. The greatest resource of any area is its people, their skills, knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment.

Gathering ideas

PLANED believes that developing a culture of Entrepreneurship is an economic necessity for the sustainable development of Pembrokeshire.
The Pembrokeshire Partnership Local Action Plan has a key objective "to regenerate communities within Pembrokeshire by facilitating an enterprise culture"

What do we want to achieve?
We hope that as the result of the PLANED process:

Communities will have a better understanding of their local economy
Local needs and opportunities will be identified and addressed
New ideas and ways of working will be developed
Local people will have a greater involvement in economic activity in the widest sense - social, cultural, business and environmental.

LEADER+ Unlocking Local knowledge and Resources
Through funding from the European Union LEADER+ programme, PLANED will:

assist communities to unlock talents, knowledge and skills
facilitate the development of enterprise opportunities based on local resources - human, natural, cultural, social and economic
encourage the development of new products and services, which build upon the strengths of a local area and which are sustainable.

What will LEADER+ do?
The PLANED LEADER+ initiative is designed to help to develop a change in the thinking of local people so that looking for entrepreneurship opportunities over the widest range of activities and resources becomes part of the way of life.
The LEADER+ programme has three key activities:-

Plugging the leaks excercise

1. "Plugging the Leaks"

2. Economic Gardening

3. Pembrokeshire Enterprise Network

One key objective of the initiative is to ensure that as much money as possible earned in the local economy remains in and recirculates within the local area. First there has to be a good understanding of how much money is entering and leaving the area, followed by the identification of local opportunities to minimise the leakage.

1. 'Plugging the Leaks'
This process helps local people work out how to keep to a minimum the leakage of money from their area. At a simple level it might just be that people can make better informed decisions on how they spend their money; at another level, it might identify the need for a voluntary organisation to extend its range of activity, but, at a more complex level, it might mean a business extending its product range and as a result, employing and training more staff. It might mean someone taking that giant leap into starting a business, or it could mean bigger organisations committing themselves to sourcing more goods and services locally.

Examples of leak-plugging ideas include:-

Community energy projects
Local produce marketing and distribution initiatives
Festivals celebrating local pride in heritage, culture, farming and sport
Making better use of village halls to provide local services.

2. Economic Gardening - Irrigating the Desert
Through a process called 'Economic Gardening' all local assets - social, economic, cultural, environmental - will be examined to identify how opportunities can be created to add new economic dimensions.
Enterprise ideas are encouraged to grow from small seeds to strong flourishing plants, which survive and thrive.

Identifying hidden talents, hobbies, interests and skills, which could transfer, with advice and training, to newly identified economic opportunities, will be very important.

3. Pembrokeshire Enterprise Network
This group, consisting of all local and regional organisations that are involved or interested in supporting enterprise activity in Pembrokeshire, has been established to help to make sure that effective support will be given to develop any good enterprise ideas.

Partnership and Research
Research will be undertaken into the wide range of activities in Pembrokeshire and their current economic value and how with support, development and assistance they can contribute more fully to sustainable economic development.

To help develop this initiative PLANED has established new partnerships with the New Economics Foundation, London and the Centre for Enterprise and Regional Development at the University of Wales, Bangor. PLANED will continue to work with its long-term academic partners such as Pembrokeshire College and the Institute of Business Studies, University of Aberystwyth.

How will it work?
PLANED acts as facilitator, helping local people & businesses to come together and work through a process that will bring added benefit to the local economy and quality of life. PLANED then continues to work with local people and key partners to support the development of the projects included in the plan - providing staff time, expertise, resources and funding - to turn ideas into action. PLANED is a community-led, non-profit making company and a registered charity.

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