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8 January 2009
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PARTNERSHIPS

Breathing Places aims to inspire people to get involved in their local environment

The BBC recognises the power of great partnerships and we want to make building new working relationships one of the defining characteristics of a more open BBC of the future. We want to discover new avenues of creative opportunity.

In recent years the BBC has recognised the potential for achieving greater impact, and for generating greater public value, by creating formal relationships and networks with other non-commercial organisations that share complementary goals. Through these partnerships, we strengthen our connections with the wider community and help realise the full potential of many programmes and projects.

Get Involved

If you want to help transform an area near you, we can put you in touch with a Breathing Place that needs your help.

For example, our Breathing Places campaign is ongoing, aiming to inspire a million people to get actively involved in improving their local natural environment.

Working with a host of partners including the Countryside Agency, the National Trust and the Forestry Commission, we have already created dozens of 'breathing places' around the UK with help from grants from the Big Lottery Fund.

Get Involved

Encourage your children to read AND plant a tree at the same time through the 'Big Wild Read' during the summer of 2007.

In 2007 Breathing Places have held 'Springwatch Festivals' in 15 cities across the UK. They offer close up encounters with wildlife and a range of activities for a family day out. They’ve also launched the Big Wild Read to encourage reading amongst children – for every book read, children receive a tree token which will go towards 20,000 trees being planted.

Partnership Code

The BBC introduced a new Partnership Code in 2005 which outlined our commitments to dealing fairly and equitably with partners and spelt out our new approach to collaborative working.

+ Read the full Partnership Code
  • The BBC seeks to work with partners who wish to share its commitment to building public value for the people of the UK, and in some instances for the BBC's international audiences, through the work that they undertake together.
  • The BBC will enter into partnerships in a spirit of exploration, equity and openness to ideas, recognising that partnerships can take many directions and forms.
  • The BBC will need to ensure that its editorial impartiality and integrity are not compromised by any partnership arrangements and that it retains editorial control of its output.
  • We will communicate the BBC's partnering objectives clearly and widely. Up-to-date guidance about partnership opportunities will be made available on bbc.co.uk. This information will include a relevant named contact within the BBC.
  • We will respond to all solicited and unsolicited approaches from potential partners in a timely and appropriate manner. Every partnership opportunity will be considered against fair criteria and, if an approach is deemed unsuitable, the BBC will explain why.
  • We will work with potential partners to identify mutually acceptable objectives, timetables, value and outcomes before committing to a partnership. We will continue to engage in debate with partners and to work to ensure that all parties remain clear about each other's expectations and commitments.
  • We will work equitably with all partners to review objectives, timetables, value and outcomes on a regular basis. Where necessary, we will also review and make improvements to the BBC's own performance in managing its partnerships and adhering to the Partnership Code.
  • We will work to ensure that all partnerships undertaken are mutually beneficial, that recognition for the partnership is shared equitably with the partner and that, where editorially appropriate, the profile of the partnership is highlighted to both internal and external audiences.
  • We will aim continually to improve the BBC's internal management of partnerships by offering guidance and training to staff and by endeavouring to work with partners to identify and develop the structures, skills and people to support our partnerships.
  • All partnerships will be carried out under written and signed terms. After discussion and agreement between the partners, these terms will reflect the aspiration and nature of the partnership and will set out each of the partner's contributions, obligations and remedies as well as safeguards for their respective rights and interests.
  • Partnerships must reflect the BBC values, are subject to compliance with competition law and must conform to the BBC's Editorial Guidelines, Fair Trading Guidelines, Branding Guidelines and all other applicable law and regulation.
  • The BBC is committed to working closely with partners to resolve any differences promptly. However, should any unresolved grievances from partners occur, they will be handled by a named senior individual inside the BBC who, in collaboration with a named representative nominated by the partner, will review and act upon complaints as necessary.

The Code aims to provide clarity about what the BBC is looking for in its partnerships, what commitments we will make to our partners and what we ask them to deliver in return.

Since the launch of the Partnership Code, we have continued to learn from our experiences. We recognise that we have to have clear points of contact within the BBC so that our partners know who to talk to and to ensure that we make the most of good ideas.

We are now putting more emphasis on the way that partnerships are developed. We want to make sure we share our resources and creativity more widely.

In the rest of this section, you can read more about a range of key partnerships which we have developed since 2006.

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