Just think, our association Rönneådalen Skånes Nordvästpassage celebrated ten years last year. But it all started as a Leader project in 2010!
”"I had many active years in the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, but had never heard of Leader until a year or so before we started. We were three associations that had an idea to highlight a geographical area for visitors, near and far. The Leader office seized on the idea and a project was born. It was about the Klippan region but also affected the neighboring municipalities along the Rönneå and its tributaries.
There had been a lot of focus on Söderåsen for a long time, but there was so much else! At first we thought of cycling on the beautiful winding roads in the area, but then the idea grew. We were a small group that worked very hard, there was a time when the undersigned worked part-time on a voluntary basis with the project. Networks were built, interviews were conducted and countless field visits were made to describe excursion destinations, many of which had not been described before.
The entire time, Klippan Municipality was there, helping practically with everything possible and enabling the production of leaflets and much more. Our project manager also did a great job to drive the whole thing forward. But in 2013, the project was over and it could have ended there if there hadn't been a number of enthusiasts who continued, fantastic people from the local history association and the nature conservation association. Thousands of hours of work have probably been put in since we became a non-profit association.
Managing our stories
We now have a website that is perhaps unparalleled in the country in terms of information for visitors regarding excursion destinations, nature, ancient monuments, volcanoes, churches, industrial history and hiking trails. More than a hundred places are described and much has been added after the project period. There are personal stories about the villages in the Klippan region, legends, Klippan pop and much more. Several of the people who helped us are no longer alive, so we are managing their stories for the future.
We have a sign program where we have signposted many places in the landscape and we have produced and publish Klippan's only tourist magazine and leaflets describing cycle routes and hiking trails. Of course, all of this would not have been possible without Leader. We also organize lectures and guided tours and, not least, collaborate with other associations.
Why is Rönneådalen called Skåne's Northwest Passage? The name was born in a garden in Forestad when someone pointed out that Rönneå flows from southeast to northwest. We couldn't think of anything better. And the photo is from the magical Natthall there with the windings of Rönneå. The place where the idea was born.”
Bengt Hertzman, Chairman of Rönneådalen Skåne's Northwest Passage
To the project's Facebook page
Tips for those of you who have your own idea
- Before you start a project, anchor it firmly among the people who are affected. If it is a non-profit organization or several, make sure that more than just a few on the boards and working groups are prepared to work on the whole thing.
- Think through the purpose of the project carefully and make sure there are people who are prepared to work, even when the project time is over.
- If a municipality is a party, make sure to build networks that are sustainable for the future.