Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 8024 A Welcoming Place This section recognises the culmination of everything done well. A welcoming place is one that invites and draws people into it. This means creating a space which, through its visual appearance, range of facilities, standards of maintenance and ease of access, makes people feel that they are in a cared-for place. This generates an innate understanding for why things are as they are, which is in turn reflected in the greater enjoyment of, and respect for, the place itself. It is assessed through the following criteria: 1 Welcome 2 Good and Safe Access 3 Signage 4 Equal Access for All In the desk research, Section 1 assesses the presentation of the management plan: how easy it is to understand, to navigate (page numbers, contents page), and from its content the sense of how useful it is as a practical day-to-day management document. 1. Welcome This is assessed on site, and judges should consider how welcome they feel throughout the visit and calculate the score from the overall sense that they leave with. On arriving at the site, would you be encouraged to enter? On entering the site, would you be encouraged to stay? + All major entrances should be visited, and all of the facilities where possible. For large sites such as country parks and waterways, judges should be shown a representative variety of entrances and facilities, and during each subsequent visit their tour should take in a different cross-section + The welcome given should be appropriate to the site + Every element of management combines to give a sense of welcome, or otherwise + Well considered and innovative, yet practical, design features can really encourage people to enjoy using the site. Incorporate elements such as interesting planting, varied textures, and natural and built features that can be explored in play and used for relaxation 2. Good and Safe Access It should be easy for anybody, irrespective of their ability, to enter and get around the site, where practicable. This criterion assesses the safety and practicality of physical routes into, out of, and around, the site, and how these affect the visitors to, and residents of, the site or its immediate environs. Managers should consider, and judges will assess, issues such as these: + Presence of clear sightlines in and out, and welcoming entrances (but practical ones – vehicular barriers can be used) + Public transport links and whether they can be improved + Pedestrian routes – whether they are logical, useful and suitable for the whole range of users. For example, are they wide enough for the likely combinations of cycles/pedestrians/prams/ wheelchairs/children/dogs to use safely together? Section 1