The company runs Walking the Land (WtL) CIC, whose purpose is to deliver activities which benefit its community through cultural education and artistic creation connected to landscape. WtL became a CIC in May 2024. During the financial year 2025-2026, Walking the Land’s activities have benefited the community in the following ways: A. Providing regular free to attend core community events: Participation was promoted locally, nationally and internationally online via WtL website, social media channels, and subscribed to mailing list. WtL offered the chance to make artwork, share experiences and gain from peer support as we met and had conversations together, both online and out walking. - 12 monthly First Friday Walks for its network of creative practitioners providing themes and prompts promoting engagement with the land, cultural and natural meanings. Group walks were hosted across Gloucestershire, Scotland and Wales. Those unable to attend in person were offered further prompts to participate. Facebook and Instagram accounts provided a space to connect all those taking part. The walks served as a stimulus for creative development and networking through sharing experiences and artwork resulting from the walks. We invite participants to lead First Friday Walks, with support offered for anyone who is new to the project. - 6 bi-monthly Last Tuesday Cafes as online community events served a number of purposes. The calls offered new artists the opportunity to discover more about Walking the Land and its current/planned events and activities. They encouraged and supported dialogue within the community, connecting those attending regardless of location, allowing the network to extend to new regions and countries around the world. An emphasis has been placed on encouraging individuals to share their creative practice through presentations and Q&A’s. The Cafes offer participants the chance to speak publicly about their work to engage interest and widen their audience. Several calls provided the opportunity for invited speakers from outside Walking the Land to share their walking artist practice. These calls have allowed Walking the Land to broaden its connections and potential collaborations with new groups/collectives in the UK and abroad. The Cafes also provided an invaluable opportunity to seek input from the network, invite ideas for events and projects, and get feedback from those involved in activities and projects in progress or completed. B. The WtL website and frequent social media content offers active online interaction for our community to connect with others, understand and engage with the programme of activities: There has been an emphasis on making the website and social media more timely. They provide specific content sharing ways to engage with upcoming projects or events as well as more detailed content on current and past projects as a way to maintain a visual history of the work and opportunities Walking the Land offers. - The details of upcoming events and activities can be found at the WtL website (walkingtheland.org.uk) including a schedule of First Friday Walks and Last Tuesday Cafes. Social media also shares news of upcoming events and provides options for community interaction and individual sharing of practice. - The website shares information of active projects to inspire participation. Artists involved in projects are identified providing an opportunity to extend their network and creative practice audience.- They provide an historic record of projects and experiences of activities and events. They offer a space for participating artists to share images of their artworks and celebrate our collaborative and individual values. C. Create and deliver projects or events: 3 new projects were proposed by network artists. These are now active and due to run for at least 12 months with participants from across the Walking the Land network: - Walking in Pairs - A collaborative enquiry open to Walking the Land artists and others using walking art. Project meetings will compile research findings and provide opportunities for artists to share their work and consider it in relation to other work made across the project. 14 artists from Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland and the US have initially paired up.- Deep Encounters - A proposed year-long project involving 14 artists working in different areas/locations across the UK, Canada and Australia. Working collaboratively, but from different parts of the world. The project will commence more fully once potential funding sources have been resolved. Already artists have been invited to share their approach to the project and through online calls have been able to connect and speak about their work. It is hoped we will secure funding from Landscape Research Group (LRG)allowing the project group to develop research from the project to be shared publicly.- Salmonsbury Moot - 6 Walking the Land artists were invited to investigate and respond to the archaeology of the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust’s Greystones Nature Reserve historic landscape. Artists are benefitting from access to museum archives and archaeological collections, guided walks by archaeology and nature experts, as well as participation in a month-long exhibition at the Corinium Museum, Cirencester where their work can engage with the wider Museum audience. 1 x Ongoing project - The Gingerbread House, is a continuing element of the previous years Growing Places project that provides access to affordable creative residency options. 2x Walking events - A pilot event with West Midlands based walking artist collective, building on connections made through previous projects. A day-long event to connect with another walking artist group with a view to developing further collaborative events or projects. Following the successful walk a Last Tuesday Cafe has been scheduled to share differing approaches as walking artists networks and explore potential for future ways of working collaboratively. A day-long in person event held in Gloucestershire provided the opportunity for Walking the Land network members to meet and participate in a walking memory mapping drawing workshop led by visiting Canadian artist and Walking the Land network member.

The company’s stakeholders: A. 5 volunteer WtL company directors B. Core support and project champion volunteers. C. WtL’s artist network of local, regional, national and international creative practitioners engaging with projects, events and activities. D. Organisations and venues the company collaborates with to deliver projects. E. Local communities in the surrounding area of in-person walking events and projects. F. Guest speakers and attendees at public events and exhibitions of artwork. A. WtL Volunteer Company Directors Four WtL company directors have lived in Gloucestershire for many years. One director is a founding member of WtL, established in Stroud approximately 22 years ago. Other directors' involvement with WtL ranges from approximately 17 years to 5 years. One director represents the ‘remote’ element of WtL, living in an adjoining county they attend online and in-person events and activities. The business model for the company has been developed based on the history and extensive experience of three directors’ input into Walking the Land over the last 22 years. Directors communicate regularly via email and WhatsApp, and in-person or online for planning and administration meetings as required and quarterly. Responding to previous year's consultation with key stakeholders Directors collated the following feedback and action task list to be addressed over the year: Feedback - a need to invite the WtL network to propose new community projects providing options for local and remote participation. Proposed Action - provide open invitations to network participants for project proposals. Action Taken - a series of Last Tuesday Cafes dedicated to project presentations were hosted with follow-up details sent to the whole network on how to engage with a project Outcome - 2 new projects by Remote artists now live with participants from across the UK, Canada and Australia. Feedback - Identify and action elements of previous projects which could be continued and developed further. Providing opportunities for artists to continue developing and sharing their practice. Proposed Action - Initially consult participating artists to gauge interest and assess project management and administration demands. Action taken - Directors consulted Core Group and project artists through a combination of online meetings and . Outcome - New projects scheduled with a project management core group established for each project to share admin workload Feedback - Recognise the need to balance potential workload of supporting new projects alongside elements of older projects across the year. Proposed Action - Develop a funding strategy that can support development of WtL and administration required to deliver projects and events benefiting the community. Directors will review NLHF and ACE funding options with regard to submitting an application. Action taken - Directors are researching funding possibilities. Outcome - Alternative options to NLHF and ACE are also being explored. A sub group is creating a proposal for Directors and Core Group to respond to. B. Core Support and Project Champion Volunteers The company is supported by a core group of volunteers and project champions representing local and remote individuals within the CIC’s community. Opportunities for volunteers and project champions to share feedback and input, either in person, via online meetings or email correspondence at various points throughout the year has been provided. Directors see this as an important part of maintaining the inclusiveness the company aspires to and contributes to building a profile of the type of projects, events and walks our community would like to see us deliver more of. All volunteers and project champions were consulted via email asking for feedback. They were asked if they are happy to continue in their role for the year ahead and to share ideas for improving the services provided to the community. Feedback - All volunteers were happy to continue Proposed Action - Provide ongoing regular opportunities for feedback throughout the year Action Taken - Schedule Core Group meetings. Allow time during LTC’s for feedback and queries to be raised. Outcome - Need to consolidate communication flow for events across emails, website updates and social media. Feedback - The company continued to recognise the need for developing its social media strategy to support engagement and communication across a wider audience within its community Proposed Action - Ongoing consultation between directors and social media volunteers will be established in the year ahead with outcomes feeding into developing the company's communication to support improvement and resilience. Action Taken - Consultation via email and core group meetings to clarify and define approach to support communication of FFW’s,LTC’s and other events. Outcome - Recognised improvements. Time allocated to support clear communication across network and external audiences through social media, emails and website channels. Meeting of key support volunteers needed C. WtL’s Artist Network Our programme of online meetings provides opportunities for consultation and input into defining future projects, topics for discussion and presentations. Throughout the year the network is encouraged to share feedback and suggest ideas for future events with an emphasis on leading First Friday Walks (FFW) or featuring as a Last Tuesday Cafe (LTC) host. As a result, 3 projects, 2 daylong walking events, 12 FFW’s and 6 LTC’s were facilitated during 2025-2026, benefitting a total of approximately 240 WtL creative practitioners and other artists. The Walking the Land website provides dates of upcoming community events with email contact details for existing network members, and anyone else interested in finding out more or participating. Emails are sent inviting the network to group online meetings to hear about current projects, upcoming events to participate in, opportunities to consult and engage with new projects, planning future events and projects. These calls can provide the opportunity for individuals to share their practice to a new audience, extending their personal network and collaborative opportunities. Our interactive social media pages also allow for direct communication. D, E & F Organisations and Venues, Local Communities, Event Speakers & Attendees Opportunities have existed to engage with local communities, event speakers and attendees through the events provided. Walking the Land received the Stroud Town Council Environment Award for 24/25. Nailsworth Town Council and a local Community Orchard Group have been engaged as part of Deep Encounters project. Regular stakeholder consultation has been integral across all aspects of planning and hosting regular events and project management. Consultation was undertaken through an agreed variety of methods to suit individual needs:- In-person project meetings. - Online project meetings. - Email correspondence with participating organisations/venues/individuals. - Meeting outcomes circulated to those unable to attend meetings. Feedback and Action Examples: Speakers at Last Tuesday Cafes: A series of online meetings offer guidance and support preparation leading up to the event. Where technical support has been raised as a concern we have responded by providing the level of support required by each individual. Attendees at Last Tuesday Cafes: Feedback requested a mechanism for those unable to join the online gatherings in person to have an option to watch a recording of guest speaker presentations. This is something not previously offered. Presentations are now recorded and made available by request to view via a private Youtube channel. First Friday Walks: Feedback suggested a need to re-introduce a more local focus for those in the Stroud area who have been active participants in Walking the Land FFWs for many years. In response care has been taken to ensure the schedule of FFWs contains a clear balance of local/remote walks. Research focus: All of our project work incorporates an element of research - participatory action research. Both formally and informally they research the role of artists in developing and understanding communities of place. There has been new emphasis on researching the relationship, implications and role of walking with landscape heritage. Walking the Land’s ethical landscape research approach has been documented, made publicly available on the website and will be shared as part of any project. Actions for 2026-2027: We want to ensure that the wishes of the core and wider network of local, regional, national and international creative practitioners are taken on board in future projects, events and the general delivery of WtL services. Looking to the year ahead, core network contributors were consulted requesting more specific feedback on ways to support the role they play. The feedback received formed the basis of actions identified for 2026/27: - Continue working towards establishing a spread of projects for the year ahead that clearly cater for local and remote artists. Include some projects which are not dependent on securing funding, ensuring the company’s desire for transparency and inclusivity is experienced by both local and remote artists. - Continue to invite more admin support to reduce the load on directors and a mechanism for greater inclusivity of any network members (local and remote) who are keen to be more involved. - Continue to create opportunities for in person gathering events to 1) share and celebrate collaborative project outcomes 2) future planning. - Continue to develop steps to deliver clear communication across the network on how to become engaged in projects.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration