Table 2 OPAL original programme (2007-2013) impact data

1. Spending time outdoors, observing and recording

a. Engagement with 500,000 participants at field events

b. Engagement with 500,000 online visitors

a. >850,000 participants at field events (>20 % of regional project engagement with disadvantaged beneficiaries)

b. >540,000 visitors to the OPAL website;

>1.1 m visitors to iSpot;

>520,000 visitors to Indicia sites or iRecord

a. Data provided monthly by OPAL staff

b. Web generated data (NHM/ICL; OU; NBN)

2. Creating an educational programme

240,000 survey packs to be designed, printed and distributed

>275,000 survey packs designed printed and distributed;

c50,000 educational resources downloaded

Print run data (FSC) and distribution data (OPAL partners);

Web generated data (NHM/ICL)

3. Inspiring a new generation of environmentalists

a. Increasing access to natural history societies (membership at 10 societies increased by 10 %)

b. working with schools

a. 32 (46 %) of societies monitored >10 % increase in membership

b. working with 3100 schools

a. Data collected by NHM through monitoring associated with OPAL grants programme

b. Data provided monthly by OPAL staff

4. Supporting a greater understanding of the state of the environment

No numerical target

>30,000 field surveys submitted (>22,000 further observations of contrail observation sub-activity)

>20 research manuscripts citing OPAL methods, using OPAL data or supported by OPAL funding

OPAL website survey entries

Publications

5. Building stronger partnerships between voluntary, community and statutory sectors

a. Raising awareness through media engagement > 500,000

b. Engaging with community groups (no numerical target)

a. National coverage by >180 radio, TV and print media hits; >100 websites; total circulation figures exceeded 100 million

b. Working with >2400 organisations

a. Media cutting service managed by OPAL Communications Project (NHM)

b. Data provided monthly by OPAL staff