Welcome
Helping you understand your audience
Independent research and insight services to support evidence-based, people-focused decision making.
sc-insight - about
About me
I’m Sarah, an experienced Research and Insight Consultant based in Bristol, and I run sc-insight.
I’ve worked for almost 20 years across the public and not-for-profit sectors, including and most recently 6 years in the central Insight team at the National Trust.
I help organisations see things through the eyes of their audience, through high-quality research and analysis. I love working with and finding out about people (some might say nosy...I prefer curious!) - essential qualities for a researcher if you ask me!
I have worked on a number of brilliant projects since setting up independently in late 2022 – from financial services through to culture, heritage and the outdoors.
If you would like to find out more, do get in touch for a chat.
sc-insight - what i do
Research
Evaluation
Evaluation
I offer quantitative (survey work, data analysis) and qualitative (focus groups, depth interviews, online communities) research, bringing in trusted fieldwork partners as needed.
Most projects will also incorporate desk research - consolidating existing evidence from across a range of sources.
Evaluation
Evaluation
Evaluation
I can support you with project and programme evaluation, from setting up logic models, to evaluation and monitoring frameworks, to designing research methods to collect evaluation data.
Insight
Evaluation
Insight
All my projects conclude with strategic recommendations through a few, simple actionable insights.
This might include a framework to help you prioritise audience engagement, as well as setting out next recommended steps.
SC-INSIGHT: RECENT WORK
Festival of Blossom Evaluation, National Trust
Audience Insight support for Visitor Strategy, Avalon Marshes
Festival of Blossom Evaluation, National Trust
Evaluation of the Trust's first Festival of Blossom - a celebration of the blossom season running across multiple National Trust sites, as well as cities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
My approach combined desk research with on-site interviews and Vox Pops with visitors across several locations, alongside focus groups with staff, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders.
My findings highlighted audience impact, alongside successes and learning points against the Festival's objectives.
“Sarah was a pleasure to work with on the evaluation of the Festival of Blossom. It is easy to work with Sarah, who is responsive to requests, timely in delivery and very personable, which makes the whole process really enjoyable. The succinct reports she delivered have been useful tools, enabling us to shape the next phase of the project, make informed choices and develop case studies to support delivery.”
Online Community Research, Boring Money
Audience Insight support for Visitor Strategy, Avalon Marshes
Festival of Blossom Evaluation, National Trust
I supported the Market Research Agency Boring Money with qualitative research testing consumer responses to investment and pension communications.
Work included survey and discussion design, setting sampling frames, community moderation, and reporting on findings.
Reporting focused on actions needed to ensure consumer understanding of important financial messaging.
“Sarah is a pleasure to work with, being a really experienced researcher, flexible and adaptable. She has supported us with technical investment-related communications research, quickly getting up to speed with the subject matter and producing quality reporting. Sarah is efficient and reliable, and we’d happily recommend her qualitative research services to others looking for additional support.”
Audience Insight support for Visitor Strategy, Avalon Marshes
Audience Insight support for Visitor Strategy, Avalon Marshes
Evaluation of Plant Community Interest Company, National Trust and Plant
The Visitor Business was appointed to develop a 10-year Visitor Strategy for the Avalon Marshes, a wetland nature reserve in Somerset.
I was brought in to help improve understanding of the visitor base. I delivered an online and on-site survey exploring who visits, why, and what they would like to see from the site in the future.
Reporting focused on key insights to inform the Visitor Strategy, drawing on both the survey findings and analysis of visitor trends in the outdoors.
"This was a complicated project where we were attempting to understand how visitors used an area of land with pockets managed by five different organisations.
Sarah was able to quickly assimilate what we needed to understand from visitors and produced a research methodology to deliver baseline knowledge. Her insightful analysis of the data enabled us to make a series of recommendations to enhance the experience for a range of audiences as part of a long-term business plan for the Avalon Marshes.
I enjoy working with Sarah. Her thoughtful and considered approach to the projects we work on leads to the gathering of high quality audience data that helps both clients develop their offer and us meet the brief. She is always looking for the best solution to each project rather than simply relying on what's gone before."
Evaluation of Plant Community Interest Company, National Trust and Plant
Evaluation of Plant Community Interest Company, National Trust and Plant
Evaluation of Plant Community Interest Company, National Trust and Plant
Evaluation of the community interest city gardening project, Plant. Plant had grown significantly since it was formed in 2021 - engaging local people in gardening in Manchester, and providing access to nature and green space. A need was identified to quantify the impact of the work.
I used a combination of on-site surveys with visitors and volunteers, Vox Pops, an online business survey, and stakeholder interviews to explore impact across a range of audiences.
Reporting identified the successes and learning points of the project to date, with a focus on telling the stories of who the project has impacted and how.
“Sarah was great to work with – she quickly grasped what I was trying to achieve, developed a robust research approach, and delivered high-quality, action-focused insights to support my project. Thank you!”
Audience Development Plan, Morecambe Winter Gardens
Evaluation of Plant Community Interest Company, National Trust and Plant
Gloucester Nature Park and Crickley Hill, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
In partnership with The Visitor Business, work involved assessing the current and potential visitor base for the Morecambe Winter Gardens, to inform the next phase of restoration and plans to re-open this historic music venue.
We combined an online survey and on-site comment cards with analysis of local population and segmentation data, to develop an audience prioritisation framework and action plan for the future.
“You were both amazing, so organised, so flexible in understanding my time restraints – and really helped us get to the next phase – thank you so much”
Gloucester Nature Park and Crickley Hill, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Evaluation of Plant Community Interest Company, National Trust and Plant
Gloucester Nature Park and Crickley Hill, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Currently (Autumn/Winter 2024) working on two further partnership projects with The Visitor Business for Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Gloucester City Council.
Work involves developing a Business Plan for a proposed new outdoors nature haven in the centre of Gloucester, and a feasibility study exploring future audience potential at an existing site.
Both projects will incorporate a range of methodologies including online surveys, working with community partners to reach seldom heard audiences, and exploring segmentation models to prioritise future audience engagement.