As mentioned in our EU projects section the SAIL project has offered the opportunity to build on previous coastal work (Blackwater Project and Colne Estuary Strategy), by supporting their continued implementation, and to develop a regeneration strategy for the rural coastal area.

Community events are an important part of the development of the strategy as they are an opportunity to find out what local people (who are the experts on where they live) consider to be the main issues facing them, and what ideas they have for positive change. A programme of six events was undertaken over Summer 2001, advertised as the 'Essex Estuaries Time Tunnel' reflecting the past, present and future themes.

Foot and mouth disease caused the cancellation of the first Essex Estuaries community event. However, there are clearly more serious implications of the virus. In the UK the outbreak has turned peoples attention to the food processing sector. One important factor in the rapid spread of the virus throughout the country is thought to be the centralisation in recent years of slaughter houses. There are now calls for a return to more regionalised processing and distribution. The regeneration strategy being developed in Essex as part of SAIL has already identified constraints on farm diversification as a key policy area.

All events were very successful, being run as an attraction with a climbing wall on hand to add interest.

Current work involves collation and analysis of results from the events which will be brought together with the other work of the SAIL project (ecolabelling initiatives and policy audit), through a process of analysis and engagement with many organisations, to produce the draft strategy for consultation.