2007 Awards

‘Paws on the Moors' takes a refreshingly different approach to an issue which is often dealt with by restrictions and prohibitions. The project has clearly made good use of Kennel Club advice, and delivers clear messages in an engaging and entertaining way, using a mix of new technology and live performance skills. However, we have well-founded doubts about the size of the target audience these mechanisms are currently reaching, and for that reason are recommending a Commendation rather than a full Award.

We are pleased to see that the entrants are aware of the need for better targeting of appropriate audiences and more proactive marketing. The audience reached so far is insignificant compared with the overall number of dog owners who visit the Peak District (one in seven visitor groups has a dog according to the latest MFF-PDNPA visitor survey). The web pages are probably the most successful element of the project in terms of meeting audience needs.

We would particularly urge review and improvement of the audience survey done at the live performances, which was somewhat amateurish in both design and execution. The website would also benefit from an online evaluation form. We would draw attention to the need to update the website, which was still (in October 2007) advertising a live performance on 27 May 2007!