During a £90m investment programme Yorkshire Water needed to close sections of a popular footpath and cycleway in the Spen Valley. Diversion routes would be set up and the company needed this information to be recreated on a map that would be displayed at key points along the route and used in a leaflet informing local people about the project.
As well as being well known in Yorkshire as a scenic traffic-free path the Spen Valley Greenway also has national significance. It forms part of the Sustrans National Cycle Network that criss-crosses the whole of the UK. A technical drawing of the area affected by Yorkshire Water’s proposed work was available but this had to be translated into a consumer friendly map that would be easily understood by the general public.
Capital Communication Manager for Yorkshire Water, Louise Bradbury said: “We have worked well with Quiet Storm before so asked them to create a clear and simple map to show the closed sections of the Greenway and the diversion. They supplied a pdf version of the map for us to use as required and it was also an essential element of the leaflet design. Quiet Storm suggested a DL format for the leaflet as this would give us the space we needed to explain the overall purpose of the project, the reason for the disruption to the popular pedestrian and cycle routes and how long it would all take. We were able to provide the brochure copy and photographs and were delighted with the finished product. We have now printed 20,000 copies and these have been distributed to local shops, libraries and business as well as tourist information points. We have also included a pdf download of the leaflet on our website.
“The feedback has been great. The public are grateful that we have provided them with such comprehensive information and as a company we feel it has been a very worthwhile exercise.”
Yorkshire Water manages the collection, treatment and distribution of water in the county and with around 72,000 acres of land is one of Yorkshire’s biggest land owners. It is also dedicated to protecting and enhancing Yorkshire’s environment and goes to great effort to encourage people to make the most of the stunningly beautiful countryside.