Making the connection using Action Research: serious leisure and the Caledonian Railway

ABSTRACT

Among the many different types of heritage activities, railways have been drawing interest from researchers over recent years with the focus ranging from volunteering to sustainability. This paper considers the value of Action Research (AR) to the wider field of leisure through the prism of Serious Leisure (Stebbins, R. A. 1992. Amateurs, professionals and serious leisure. McGill-Queen’s University Press) participants in the heritage railway sector. Using AR methodology, it discusses the importance of local community engagement and the dedication of leisure time in providing a range of benefits to local heritage sites. The focus of the research is on the engagement between the Caledonian Railway and the local community in Brechin, Scotland. The railway is a non-profit organisation, with funds being reinvested into restoration and preservation. In this sense the participation and effort of the community is essential for the survival of the heritage site and activity. The use of AR as the methodological approach enabled this project to follow a recurring spiral process of planning, acting, observing (or evaluating), and learning. The AR contributed to re-think the development of the railway’s activities as a transformational Serious Leisure experience to locals and recommended focusing on fostering social cohesiveness with stronger links with schools and other community groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Heritage railway
• serious leisure
• action research
• heritage
• Scotland
• Caledonian Railway

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Department for Transport.

Notes on contributors

Sandro Carnicelli

Dr. Sandro Carnicelli is a Senior Lecturer and the Leader of the Marketing, Events and Tourism Unit at the University of the West of Scotland. Sandro is on the Executive Board of the Leisure Studies Association, and of the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO).Sandro is also a member of the ABRATUR (International Academy for the Development of Tourism Research in Brazil). Sandro is on the Editorial Board of Tourism Management Perspectives, on the International Board of Annals of Leisure Research and he is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning.

Siobhan Drummond

Dr. Siobhan Drummond is an Associate Lecturer at the University of the West of Scotland in the School of Business and Creative Industries. Previous experience includes teaching and management in a range of senior academic posts in Tourism, Events and Hospitality. Siobhan also worked as a consultant in organisations from hotels to visitor attractions and earlier as a practitioner in different sectors of the tourism and hospitality industry at home and overseas. Siobhan’s present research interests lie primarily in volunteering within the events and heritage sector in relation to improving the quality of the service experience.

Heather Anderson

Heather Anderson is a Lecturer and consultant in Tourism and Event Management, University of the West of Scotland. Previous experience includes hospitality management and positions in the arts and entertainment industries. A qualified trainer, experienced lecturer and consultant, specialist research interests include: organisational and staff development in the arts and entertainment industries; quality service and marketing in the arts, events, leisure and tourism industries, the development of alternative tourism, the ethics of tourism, quality assurance and evaluation of the tourist experience.