Estate Matters Episode 3: Dr Liz Mattison – the value of proactive communications for landed estates.

Changes to the way the landscape is managed as the UK moves towards a greener future makes it increasingly important for landowners to forge strong communications’ links with local communities and other stakeholders.

So says Dr Liz Mattison, the Education and Environment Officer for the Englefield Estate in the latest episode of KOR Communications’ podcast, Estate Matters.

Hosted by KOR’s rural affairs specialist Anna Byles, the podcast explores Liz’s role in coordinating the educational, environmental and sustainable activities at the estate, which covers a diverse landscape of farms, woodland, gardens and buildings covering 14,000 acres in West Berkshire.

Liz highlights the importance of having a two-way conversation with people living, working and taking their leisure on the estate, informing them of the work the estate is doing and encouraging local residents and visitors to provide feedback.

She says that conversation becomes essential as the way the land is looked after changes, following Britain’s exit from the European Union. As a result, farm subsidies paid on an acreage basis under the Common Agricultural Policy are being phased out and replaced with support for environmental initiatives.

Liz says:

“I think that as we’re moving towards a system not having the Single Farm Payment - and engaging in big strategies to do with nature recovery and the path to net zero - it is going to be increasingly important to communicate what you are up to. Being able to do that quickly and easily without interfering with the work you’re trying to get done is going to be increasingly important.”

The podcast explores how Liz has worked with KOR to gain media coverage for the Englefield Estate on a range of activities, from the annual Schools Day, which brings 1,500 primary school pupils to the estate for a day of activities, to monitoring insect life on the river Kennet to gauge water quality.

The river fly monitoring work was covered by ITV Meridian on television.  Liz tells the podcast:

“That was nice because people were genuinely interested in what we were doing and why we were doing it and felt it made a good story.”

Using a range of channels, from social media to newspapers, websites, radio and television, Liz and KOR Communications have been able to promote the positive environmental and educational work at Englefield and she is in no doubt about the importance of professional communications.

She says:

“The benefit is we are able to say the good things we are doing and other people are able to access the information easily.”