Evaluation Report - Development Phase - The Phillip Astley Project.

This is a research report relating to the development phase of the Philip Astley project (2015-16). Philip Astley (1742-1814) is known internationally as the “father of the modern-day circus”. However, his roots in Newcastle-under-Lyme are less recognised, both in the circus world and in his hometown. In the run-up to the 250th anniversary of the modern circus in 2018, Staffordshire University led a Heritage Lottery funded project (with a range of local partners) that aimed to harness the local connection to Philip Astley to raise Newcastle’s profile and provide an anchor for tourism and business development.
This baseline report provides evidence about levels of interest in and knowledge about Philip Astley in the region, and the potential for facilitating community pride in the town’s heritage. It was designed to inform the activities and the evaluation framework for the second-stage application to HLF. The research was based on the Get Talking approach developed at Staffordshire University Creative Communities Unit, a version of Participatory Action Research that emphasises the importance of community researchers’ interests. It explored how to plan projects and activities that meet the needs of the potential audiences, in order to more successfully raise awareness of Philip Astley and to use this awareness for business improvement in Newcastle.