ERC supported Resources for Change (R4C) to carry out interim and final evaluation of the Snakes in the Heather (SitH) project. Snakes in the Heather (SitH) was a four-year project (2019 – 2023), led by ARC and funded by the National Lottery Heritage fund (NLHF).  The project aimed to conserve the smooth snake throughout its range in Southern England by advancing knowledge of the species and providing better coordinated conservation efforts that are essential for its long-term survival.

Working with Resources for Change (R4C), ERC carried out an interim evaluation in 2021 which focused on the delivery performance and the learning that could be applied to create improvements before the project ended, with a particular emphasis on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability to complete some of the activities during the lockdowns. In 2023/24 ERC worked with R4C to carry out the final evaluation which focused on the overall delivery performance, how the project and the project team responded after the interim evaluation, the experience of the reptile surveyors and legacy outcomes.