Policy & strategy

The team at the Bulmer Foundation comprises people with a commitment to promoting sustainable development in Herefordshire.  It is our belief that the positive changes necessary to achieve this will be the result of enlightened public policy development combined with changing practice on the ground.  Both are necessary - and are mutually reinforcing.

In the team we have expertise in education, community health, sustainable land use, local food production and evaluation; and we have increasing experience of working with local organisations across the public, private and third sectors. 

This has helped us to gain an understanding of the challenges that Herefordshire faces - and is increasingly enabling us to develop the skills and relationships to influence local (and sometimes national) policies.

In order to advocate and influence policy change, the Bulmer Foundation has worked closely with the Herefordshire Strategic Partnership and Herefordshire Council, with local businesses and with third sector partners, amongst others, in recent years. Examples of our involvement are as follows:

Herefordshire Environment Partnership

The Foundation has been an active member of the Partnership for many years. One of our Associates, Rob Garner, currently chairs the Partnership, which has successfully campaigned for the inclusion of environmental priorities in the county's Sustainable Communities strategy and for a representative of environmental organisations on the Strategic Partnership's Executive group.  The Foundation and the Environment Partnership have also jointly championed new initiatives to reduce carbon emissions in the county, including New Leaf, Ecohere and h.Energy week.

Herefordshire Climate Change Strategy

The county's Strategic Partnership developed a ground breaking Climate Change Strategy in 2006 - which was the product of a great deal of behind-the-scenes collaboration, of which we were pleased to be an integral part.

Safer Herefordshire

The Bulmer Foundation actively supports the Safer Communities agenda, and represented the Third Sector on the Safer Herefordshire board until its role ceased in 2011.  The Bulmer Foundation maintains a role facilitating the sharing of information about safer communities between the public and third sectors, is a champion of evaluation, and acts as a critical friend in the commissioning process.

Herefordshire Food Partnership

We were delighted to have been instrumental in setting this partnership up and as a founder member, have been heavily involved in developing the county's first sustainable Food Strategy.

Third Sector Board

We have members sitting on the interim Third Sector Strategic board, helping to shape the leadership of and engagement with third sector organisations.  Our members have been actively involved in the process including participating in the scrutiny of proposed changes in the commissioning of third sector support services.  The Bulmer Foundation acts as an advocate for the third sector and asks the challenging questions to help develop the local strategy.  We aim to help develop an engaged and vibrant third sector which works as a partner in delivery of local services.

Herefordshire in Transition Alliance

The Foundation has been delighted to be associated with the growth of Transition initiatives across Herefordshire and with the recent emergence of the Alliance, of which we are a very supportive member.