Cysur y Sêr Evaluator Brief

Fee: £2,200 based on calculation of 8 days work at £275 per day including case studies and report. 

About The Project:
Humans have always told stories about the Night Sky.  Stories are one of the most reliable ways humans have found to pass on knowledge between generations.  The language in which we tell stories affects the meaning we make from them.  This project explores the heritage of constellation stories in Wales – drawing on Welsh myths and experiences, as well as Greek myths through which many constellations are currently known.

Background to the Project and its Evaluation
10 storytellers have been recruited to lead high quality storytelling activities and conduct heritage-based research in a range of community settings, during Wales Dark Skies week in February 2026.   Each storyteller is attending an intensive 3-day training course held at Tŷ Newydd in November 2025 to pool their collective current understanding of Welsh-specific myths and legends of the stars, document what we collectively know, what we want to learn/discover and plan research and engagement activities to expand our knowledge and reach, throughout the remainder of the project. Between the training course and Wales Dark Skies week, each storyteller will create a Welsh-language audio recording of one of the myths relating to the stars which can be catalogued and uploaded as part of a project archive at the People’s Collection Wales.  

Our overall goals are to: 
•    provide opportunities for more people to hear, learn about, enjoy and retell stories of the Night Sky Constellations in the language of their choosing
•    celebrate Wales’ unique cultural heritage, in relation to its Night Skies
•    support Welsh language and bilingual storytellers to incorporate Night Sky stories into their repertoire and to pass on the storytelling skills which sustain them
•    preserve these stories for future generations in Casgliad y Werin Cymru/People’s Collection Wales
•    build excitement and interest in Adverse Camber’s March 2026 Wales-wide tour of Stars and their Consolations 

Who are we looking for and the role:
We are seeking an evaluator with experience delivering research based evaluation, with a heritage and co-creation focus. 
We want to find out the benefits and impact of the project, what people enjoyed or would like more of and recommendations for future work to build longer term legacy.  
We want to report back to the funders on the benefit and impact of their investment and to influence future stakeholders and investors.
We want insight into our own practice as an organisation, to help us develop follow up projects which help us achieve our mission and vision. 

We need an evaluator to:
•    Establish a framework for evaluation with participants and partners
•    Help us gather useful intelligence to evaluate successes and learnings 
•    Capture quantitative data, with storytellers and partners support
•    Conduct independent qualitative evaluation, including interviews/case studies
•    Inform the collection of photographs and film to document learning, particularly around the Tŷ Newydd residential session and activity during Wales Dark Skies week.
•    Summarise learning into an easily digestible report which can be shared with Adverse Camber Team, Trustees and the project funders

Timeline: 
8 Oct - Project Launch 
24 Oct - Closing Date for Expressions of Interest 
29 Oct - Selection of Evaluator 
4 – 6 November - Tŷ Newydd Residential (option to attend)
17/24 Nov – Online Catch Ups with Storytellers (option to attend)
2 Feb – Online Evaluation Check in with Storytellers ensuring data capture methods agreed and useful (obligation to attend)
13 – 22 Feb – Wales Dark Skies Week Activities (option to attend to gather evidence) 
22 Feb to 2 March – independent evidence gathering/collating
2 March – Online Evaluation Check in with Storytellers (leading session to reflect on project learning and impact)
30 March – writing up key learnings and recommendations to be shared with key partners, storytellers and Adverse Camber by 30 March
 
Criteria for Successful Evaluator
•    Track record evaluating research based evaluation, with a heritage and co-creation focus. 
•    Fluency in Cymraeg and English – to conduct interviews with participants
•    Value for money – able to deliver within budget and timeframe

To express interest please send us:
•    Brief statement of interest, outlining relevant experience and track record (1 side A4 equivalent) plus CV and details of how you would allocate the time/fee. We can also share a more detailed brief with info about our measures of success if useful.

Closing Date: Please email naomi@adversecamber.org by Friday 24 October, 2025, 5pm