Ledbury Poetry
Hild is supporting Ledbury Poetry in transforming their organisational resilience through The Poetry House project, helping them navigate from a seasonal festival model to a year-round, building-based approach while addressing critical challenges in governance, community engagement, and financial sustainability.
The Poetry House: Building Resilience Through Strategic Evaluation
The Commission
In late 2024, Ledbury Poetry commissioned Hild as external evaluator for The Poetry House, an ambitious resilience project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The organisation sought to enhance their sustainability by making optimal use of the Grade II listed Barrett Browning Institute in Ledbury, transitioning from seasonal operations to a year-round model.
They needed an evaluation partner who could capture both immediate project outcomes and the deeper organisational learning required for long-term resilience. From the outset, we established collaborative evaluation frameworks through co-designed Theory of Change workshops, regular reflection sessions, and embedded learning tools including mood catchers and learning logs.
The Journey (Ongoing)
Since January 2025, we've been following the project's multi-strand approach: business planning and visual identity development, building accessibility surveys, retail offer pilots, and community engagement initiatives including a Community Steering Group.