Introducing CUPHAT

Coastal Uplands: Heritage and Tourism (CUPHAT) is a project seeking to work with local communities to showcase the cultural and natural heritage of upland areas of the Cambrian Mountains and Preseli Mountains in Wales, along with the Wicklow Mountains and Blackstairs Mountains in Ireland. The project is focused on developing sustainable and regenerative forms of tourism – in other words, tourism that is owned by and benefits local communities.

One important aspect of the project is to support local microenterprise and community development in the project areas. The project team is currently designing an educational programme tailored to the needs of local communities in the project areas. The aim is to support local ambitions around developing or enhancing entrepreneurial ideas connected to regenerative tourism.

If you are currently running a micro/small enterprise and want to enhance your business, or are interested in starting one up; or if you are a community group that wants to explores ways of generating income from regenerative tourism, we need your input please! Your input at this stage is vital to ensure that the programme is designed in order to meet your needs and goals. 

We are running 2 community info sessions for you to learn more about this programme and share your views. These will be run on November 22nd, 7-8:30pm at the Tea Shed Pontrhydygroes, Ceredigion and November 23rd, 7-8:30pm at the Bluestone Brewery, Cilgwyn, Pembrokeshire. 

The information sessions will be followed by a focus group discussion to help us design a programme for you and your local community. You may attend the info session only, but we encourage you to stay for the focus group discussion, as your input is vital to an effective programme design. 

Please complete this sign-up form to register your attendance at the information session and/or to indicate your interest in participating in the programme.

How will your data be used?

The responses you provide on this sign-up form will allow us to know how many individuals/groups will be attending the information session and focus group, as well as to get an initial idea of how you might benefit from a tailored support programme. For those not already signed up to the wider CUPHAT Tourism Network, there will be an opportunity to register. Extracts from the responses you provide may be used in project reports and publications on the understanding that neither you nor your specific organisation will be named. Your personal contact details will be kept by the CUPHAT project based in Aberystwyth University in order to add you to a mailing list only for the purposes of communication about the programme.

What will happen if you decide to take part in this research study?

By completing the registration form you are indicating your initial interest to participate in the information and focus group discussion session and agreeing to share your responses in this form with the CUPHAT project. Participation is restricted to individuals aged 18 and above.

You may attend the info session only, but we encourage you to stay for the focus group discussion, as your input is vital to an effective programme design. Your written informed consent to participate in the focus group session will be requested at the session. If you are unable to attend the focus group sessions and still wish to participate in the study, please contact us as per the details below, as there is an opportunity to have an individual interview instead.

What if I change my mind and no longer want to submit the sign-up form?

You have the right to change your mind and stop completing the following form at any point.

If you do not wish to continue please simply exit this sign-up form by closing the browser and no data will be recorded or forwarded to the project team. If you change your mind about participation in the information session and focus group discussion, simply contact us as per the details below and your contact details will be removed immediately.

Contact Details:

If you have any questions or wish to discuss any aspect of your involvement in the CUPHAT project you can contact us by email via cuphat@aber.ac.uk. To discuss the Microenterprise and Community Development aspects of the CUPHAT project, contact Christine Bonnin at christine.bonnin@ucd.ie

If you are happy with the above please click here to complete the sign-up form. In doing so you are agreeing to the terms and condition outlined above.

Sign-up to attend: Microenterprise and Community Development Programme Information Session and Focus Group Discussion