Updates from The Heritage Alliance

Join the Heritage Alliance Team - Final Call for Applications!

We're seeking a new Head of Policy and Communications to lead our small advocacy and comms team out of the final stages of the pandemic and represent the Alliance’s members on key upcoming issues such as the environment, climate change, planning and funding.

The deadline for applications is 1 September. Please see the 'jobs' section of this issue of Heritage Update for further details of both roles and how to apply.

Moving & Changing

Changes are afoot for our two National Lottery Heritage-Funded sector-support programmes. With the Rebuilding Heritage programme now at its evaluation stage and with the initial Heritage Digital programme wrapping up, we are this week saying goodbye to two fantastic members of staff who have worked hard to provide support for the sector through these programmes over the past year and a half:

Rebuilding Heritage Project Manager Sarah Murray has delivered training and support for the sector through the pandemic to help a range of organisations prepare themselves for the future.  And Carmen Talbot, as Project Manager for Heritage Digital, has led the consortium to deliver free digital skills training and support for heritage organisations.

Sarah and Carmen have been wonderful additions to the Alliance team and will be missed! We are delighted to have appointed Caroline Peach as Rebuilding Heritage Project Manager. She will carry the project through its final stages with Vanessa Moore, Project Engagement Officer. And you will be hearing more from Sarah Shaw, Programme Manager for the second phase of Heritage Digital, very soon.

Survey Season

A key part of the Alliance's work is gathering insight and evidence from our members and across the broader sector. As we return to a level of ‘normality’ post-Covid and Parliament returns from recess, we will be gathering your views and insights on a number of important areas of work. Please don't be surprised to receive more asks to fill in surveys than normal!

These are crucial exercises in data collection which inform our policy work, building the basis of our briefs and influencing strategies, as well as informing the design of new sector facing projects.

We appreciate Update readers’ engagement with our insight work, and we encourage you to share these surveys with your broader network.

Without your generous time and thought, we would not be able to deliver the high calibre of work we do. We are so grateful for your continued sharing of expertise with us.

Diversity & Accessibility in the Heritage Sector - Share Your Views

Diversity, Inclusion & the Heritage Sector

Please complete this survey by 10 September to help us understand the sector's engagement with Diversity and Inclusion issues and the support needed for heritage organisations to embed inclusive working, engage wider audiences and improve hiring practices.

Accessibility & Heritage

Help us and Ecclesiastical [Alliance Corporate Partner] gain an understanding of how accessibility is being prioritised within the sector. Please contribute your insights, based on your experiences of working in heritage. The deadline for this survey has now also been extended to 10 September.

Alliance Members - Tell us Your Policy Priorities

It is time again for us to renew the advocacy priorities of the Heritage Alliance and its membership for the coming year.

This week, Alliance Members received an email with an important link to our Policy Priorities Survey. This survey helps the Alliance understand our member’s engagement with policy and advocacy issues. We are grateful to all our members for making the time to complete this survey and shape our policy work for the next year.

Policy Updates

This fortnight:

The Alliance team continues to prepare for when Parliament returns on 6 September, which will see the return of the Environment Bill, the publication of the upcoming Planning Bill and Comprehensive Spending Review.

Take a look at our latest related briefings and responses here on our website.

Welcome to Our New Members!​

We are delighted to be joined by two new Alliance Members this fortnight: Durham University has joined as a core member and Robin Joy has joined us as an individual supporter.

Durham University describes itself as "a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting". The University strategy sets ambitious targets for growth and development, to ensure that it remains at the cutting edge.​

Explore Our Member Benefits

Did you know that members of the Heritage Alliance receive free insights, offers and benefits to support their work, including a fortnightly update from our CEO, free consultancy and training from our affiliate members and having their views directly represented in our conversations with Government.

See a full list of benefits, and how to join the 160+ organisations that form England's largest coalition of heritage interests, here on our website.

Share Your News with The Heritage Sector

Want to share your news, jobs, events and courses widely across the heritage sector? Here's a step-by-step guide on how to share your news in upcoming issues of Heritage Update, which reaches an estimated 14,000 inboxes.

All content should be sent through our advertiser's form (maximum 70 words), and there is a charge for non-members, so please be sure to follow the instructions.

Heritage Digital

A quick reminder that it’s the final month of our first Heritage Digital programme (supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund). However, the initiative lives on in two further programmes that you will be hearing about soon.

Resource Portal

Whether you are looking to improve your social media messaging, start planning online events for the winter months, understand copyright when collecting digital content or how to plan your marketing better, the Heritage Digital resource portal may have the answer. Follow these quick links to browse:

• Webinar recordings
• Guides and templates
• Case studies and articles

Thank you for taking part

A short word of thanks from the Project Manager, Carmen Talbot:

Heritage Digital has been a fantastic project to grapple with over the last 16 months. From plans for 100+ person conferences around the country to moving everything to virtual delivery, I’ve had a great time figuring out how and when and where to get our digital skills training out to the UK heritage sector. We’ve seen over 3,000 attendees from around 900 organisations participate in 7 standalone webinars, 10 dedicated workshops and 3 #HeritageDigitalNow event days, and I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for taking part in this initial project.

Government News

Our summary of the latest announcements and guidance for the heritage sector.

Headlines

• New Fund to Increase Community Led Affordable Housing

• ERP Data Confirms Mass Participation Events Can Take Place

• Changes to Self-Isolation Policy & Updated Guidance

• Efforts to Widen Participation in the Arts

COVID-19

Latest Updates for Heritage

• From Monday 16 August, it was confirmed that people who are double vaccinated or aged under 18 will no longer be legally required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case.

• The data for Phases I, II and III of the Events Research Programme have now been released, including detailed management information about each event. The Government has said that the data from NHS Test and Trace shows that mass participation events "can be conducted safely", but with a degree of caution.

Social & Sector Impacts

ALVA (the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions) [Alliance member] has published Wave 10 of its Attractions Recovery Tracker (3 - 9 August). The data reflect "another strong positive shift in appetite for visiting attractions", with nearly 80% of the market having either visited an attraction in 2021 or planning to "as soon as the opportunity arises". However, around a third of those who would ordinarily visit indoor attractions/events claim that they would not visit unless all visitors had some form of 'proof of vaccination'.

Attitude is Everything is urging event organisers to reassess measures and communications with accessibility and disabled audiences in mind. According to survey data from July, 67% of respondents said they would actively choose a venue that requires an NHS COVID Pass to gain entry over one that does not.

Indicators from the latest ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (11 - 15 August) showed that almost 9 in 10 (87%) people would be 'likely' or 'very likely' to have a booster COVID-19 vaccine if offered. Personal well-being measures remained stable compared with last week.

The latest ONS Business Impacts data show that the arts, entertainment and recreation industry had the highest proportion of its workforce on partial or full furlough leave, at 34%, compared with 9% across all industries.

Guidance

The latest guidance includes:

• Working safely during coronavirus - (updated to reflect changes to self-isolation policy from 16 August)
• Enabling safe and effective volunteering during coronavirus -(as above)
• NHS Test and Trace in the workplace (as above)
• How to stay safe and prevent the spread from 19 July (updated 20 August)
• NHS COVID Pass (updated 20 August)
• Guidance on claiming for wages through the CJRS (updated 19 August)

We will continue to collate relevant guidance for heritage in our COVID-19 Hub. 

DCMS & Culture

Arts Access Card - Widening Participation in Art, Culture & Sport

As part of the National Disability Strategy, the Government has pledged to widen participation in arts and culture by supporting disabled people through a national arts access scheme. Arts Councils across the UK and the BFI will jointly launch a free, UK-wide arts access card by March 2022.

Government Responds on Future of UK Music Festivals

DCMS has formally responded to the DCMS Select Committee report on 'The Future of UK Music Festivals', which includes responses to the six recommendations made by the committee in the report, which include a sector-wide insurance scheme.

Record Bids for UK City of Culture 2025

DCMS has announced that a record 20 places from across the UK have submitted an expression of interest to become the UK City of Culture 2025. The new winner will be announced next year and will take over from the 2021 UK City of Culture, Coventry.

New Digital System to Support Government Indemnity Scheme

Arts Council England has commissioned the development of a new digital system to support and simplify the Government Indemnity Scheme (GIS), which is expected to go live in 2022. The GIS offers an alternative to the cost of commercial insurance and allows organisations to display art and cultural objects that may not otherwise have been shown due to high insurance costs.

Reappointment of Lottery Trustees

The Prime Minister has reappointed Dr Claire Feehily, David Stocker and Maria Adebowale-Schwarte as Trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Tourism & Hospitality

Improving Access to Towpaths to Fuel Active Travel Boom

A reminder that at the end of July, the Department for Transport announced increased funding for infrastructure upgrades to support to boost cycling and walking across the country. The £338 million package includes over £2 million of investment, which has been allocated to Canal and River Trust [Alliance member] in partnership with Sustrans to improve 9km of towpaths and address improved access and barriers to use in other locations. This forms part of the broader cycling and walking plan for England.

Planning

New £4m Fund to Increase Community Led Affordable Housing

MHCLG has this week announced the launch of a new grant programme which aims to give community-led housing groups increased access to high quality, affordable housing that meets local needs. The fund will support community groups to cover costs incurred in trying to develop housing, including design work and planning applications. The grant programme will be managed by the Community Led Homes Partnership.

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund - Open to Applications

​BEIS has announced that Wave 1 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is now open to applications from registered providers of social housing (including private and local authority providers). The fund has been set up to support the installation of energy performance measures in social homes in England.

Measures to Facilitate Self & Custom Housebuilding

The Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has "warmly" welcomed proposals set out in a new report by Richard Bacon MP, commissioned by the Prime Minister, on scaling up self-build and custom housebuilding, that would aim to help people across the UK build their own homes. This follows the Government's existing commitment of £150 million for the Help to Build scheme.

Environment

Blue Planet Fund Launched to Boost Marine Recovery

DEFRA has announced a new Blue Planet Fund, which will deliver £16.2m for five programmes aimed at tackling climate change, restoring ocean health and reducing poverty in developing countries. The projects include a new UK-led programme which aims to help developing countries partner with UK scientists to better manage marine protected areas and improve understanding of the impacts of climate change and contaminants in the ocean.

Nature Handbook - Get Nature Positive

The Council for Sustainable Business (CSB) has published its Nature Handbook - a toolkit for businesses exploring solutions for nature and showcasing studies by sector. The first three chapters - covering 'fashion', 'water' and 'tourism' - are now live, with future chapters to be added that will include 'buildings and infrastructure' and 'environmental services'.

Guidance on Local Government, Climate Change & Environment

A reminder that MHCLG has published a new collection of guidance, bringing together information for local councils on climate change, net zero and the environment.

Education

Details of the New Turing Scheme

​A reminder that details of the Turing Scheme (designed to replace the UK's participation in Erasmus+, following the UK's exit from the EU) are now live. Over 120 higher education providers will be awarded grants from the £110 million scheme and 48% of places will go to those from disadvantaged backgrounds. A programme guide for the scheme is available here.

Brexit & Immigration

Want to keep up with the latest news and guidance around Brexit? ​

The Heritage Alliance Brexit Hub collates the latest Brexit guidance that is relevant to the heritage sector.  And read our briefings on Heritage, Brexit and Immigration on our website.

Do you have any questions about Brexit and its impact on heritage?

The Historic Environment Forum continues to update its Brexit FAQs Trello Board with material to help the sector navigate the post-Brexit period.

Parliamentary & Other Government News

• DWP has published new guidance on the Kickstart Scheme for participating businesses, which states that where there are an insufficient number of Participants aged between 16-24 available to fill the Kickstart job vacancies, 25-29 year olds will also be eligible, where referred by the DWP.
• DCMS is looking to recruit 20 individuals for its (unpaid) College of Experts, which is in place to ensure that the Department's work is informed by up to date research and expertise across DCMS sectors.
• The Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden is in talks with UNESCO officials on how the UK Government could work with them to lead international efforts to protect cultural heritage in Afghanistan.
• It has also been reported that the British Council has suspended all operations in Afghanistan in light of the Taliban takeover.

Funding

A round up of the latest funding for heritage:

• Culture Recovery Fund - Round 3 (Strand 1 - Emergency Resource Support - deadline: 30 September 2021)
• Culture Recovery Fund - Continuity Support (deadline: 29 October)
• National Heritage Memorial Fund - COVID-19 Response Fund (ends April 2023)

Culture Recovery Fund - Continuity Support

A reminder that applications to Culture Recovery Fund: Continuity Support are now open. This additional funding is being offered for organisations that have already received a grant through the Culture Recovery Fund and are at risk of ceasing to trade viably by March next year.

Applicants can apply for grants of between £10,000 and £1million to cover core operating costs up to a point where they can demonstrate a return to financial viability. The closing date for applications is 12 noon on 29 October 2021.

Sector Digest

Read on for a breakdown of the latest news from across the sector.

The Economic & Social Impact of Cathedrals in England 

A new report produced by Ecorys for The Association of English Cathedrals [Alliance member] has highlighted the importance of Cathedrals as standing "at the heart of communities and regions", and reveals the considerable contribution of cathedrals to their local economies and communities.

Decision Made to End Archaeology Teaching at Worcester

The University of Worcester has announced that from September it will no longer be offering courses in Archaeology due to "very low" numbers of applications over recent years. Organisations across the sector including Alliance members UAUK and the CBA have criticised the move and are calling for the subject to be saved. The online petition now has over 7,000 signatories.

"Dramatic" Uplift in Arts Job Prospects

​According to new data released as part of the CIPD's Labour Market Outlook: Summer 2021, there has been a 46% uplift in summer recruitment by arts, entertainment and hospitality employers, compared to the same time last year. The figures are based on a survey of over 2,000 employers across 14 sectors. See a summary from The Stage, here.

Curating for Change: Disabled People Leading in Museums

According to a new report from Accentuate, Covid-19 has improved disabled people's engagement with museums as both workers and audiences. The shifts have largely been due to beneficial changes in terms of digital engagement, as well as increased opportunities for flexible remote working and changing interview practices.

Calls for 'State of Nature' Target in the Environment Bill

Over 208,000 people have signed in support of a 'State of Nature' target in the Environment Bill, which CPRE [Alliance member] and others across the environment sector have called for to halt the decline of wildlife by 2030.

Heritage & Sustainability – A journey down one iconic street​

​​The Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS) launched a new film about heritage and sustainability, which asks: '...how do the long-term needs of our environment fit with the changing use of our places?'.

Avoiding Maladaptation in Retrofit & Construction

A new article by Dr Robyn Pender (at Historic England) explores work around retrofit failures to deliver promised reductions in energy use in the built environment.

Designation Scheme for Cultural Collections - Applications Open

The Designation Scheme for cultural collections of outstanding significance is open for new stage one applications until midday on 8 September. Following this round, new stage one applications will not be considered until the scheme re-opens in 2023.

Export of Objects of Cultural Interest

The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, which advises the Secretary of State for DCMS on whether a cultural object intended for export is a 'national treasure'. The Committee has published a new report, highlighting cases of objects referred to the Committee between 2018 and 2020.

Alliance Member News

A snapshot of the current work of our members.

Consultations

Open Consultations:

• HM Revenue & Customs - Income Tax Self Assessment - 31 August 
• DEFRA - Amending the Civil Procedure Rules to Establish Environmental Review - 6 September
• DfT - Mandating the Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels in the UK - 19 September

• BEIS - Smart Meters for Non-Domestic Consumers - 24 September

• DEFRA - Strategic Policy Statement (SPS) for Ofwat - 27 September

• BEIS - Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) - 28 September

• DEFRA - Marine Protected Areas: developing compensatory measures - 30 September

• BEIS - Independent review of research bureaucracy - 1 October

• DWP - Shaping future support: the health and disability green paper - 11 October

• MHCLG - Creating a Vision for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc - 12 October

• DEFRA - Local Nature Recovery Strategies - 2 Nov

• MHCLG - National Infrastructure Planning Reform Programme: stakeholder survey - 17 December

Independent Review of Research Bureaucracy

BEIS has launched a call for evidence seeking views on ways to substantially reduce research bureaucracy, which aims to primarily benefit individuals and teams conducting research. The overarching goal of the Review is to identify areas where unnecessary bureaucracy can be addressed.

Deadline: 1 October 2021

Shaping future support: the health and disability green paper

DWP is consulting on aspects of the health and disability green paper to help provide more support for disabled people to more easily access benefits and services and improve employment support. Further details are here.

Deadline: 11 October 2021

Local Nature Recovery Strategies: how to prepare & what to include

DEFRA is consulting on Local Nature Recovery Strategies, which will be put in place to establish priorities and map proposals for specific actions to drive nature’s recovery and provide wider environmental benefits. This consultation seeks to gather views on key questions that will inform Government regulations and guidance alongside the upcoming Environment Bill.

Deadline: 2 November 2021

National Infrastructure Planning Reform Programme: stakeholder survey

As part of the review of the NSIP (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Planning) process, MHCLG is inviting views on the process and all its interactions. The consultation includes questions around what Government and statutory bodies could do to accelerate NSIP applications.

Deadline: 17 December 2021

Events

Upcoming Heritage Events - Quick Look

• 1 September - 31 December: European Days of Jewish Culture & Heritage

• 3 September: FAME Forum & AGM 2021, York

• 7 September: Tour of St Anne's Church, Limehouse, SPAB, London

• 11 September: Leeds Minster: ‘noblest among the noble’ of the early-Victorian churches, The Ecclesiological Society

• 11 - 12 September: Oxford Open Doors, Oxford Preservation Trust

• 13 September: Rendered Invisible: Telling LGBTQ Stories from the UK's Built Heritage, Heritage Trust Network

• 14 September: The taste for Chinese wallpaper in the British Isles in the long eighteenth century, Georgian Group lecture

• 16 September: Historic graffiti at Kibworth Harcourt windmill, SPAB, online lecture

• 16 September: Build for the Future; East Midlands, Heritage Lincolnshire

• 21 September: Wilton House: the art, architecture and interiors of one of Britain's great stately homes, Georgian Group lecture

• 22 September: Conservation on the Edge: The Northern Lighthouse Board - online lecture, SPAB Scotland

• 24 September: High Street Regeneration: Finding the Right Strategy, Heritage Trust Network 

• 25 September: Walking Tour: Pontefract, the hidden gem, SAVE, West Yorkshire

• 2 October: The Lay Experience of the Medieval Cathedral, The Annual Conference of the Ecclesiological Society

• 6 October: Conservation on the Edge: Scapa Flow Museum, Orkney - online lecture, SPAB Scotland

• 10 October: Walking Tour: Historic Sunderland, SAVE, Sunderland

• 12 October: Making print rooms in the late eighteenth century, Georgian Group lecture
• 19 October: Collecting and displaying fakes and copies in the eighteenth-century home, Georgian Group lecture

• 20 October: Conservation on the Edge: Mountain Bothy Association - online lecture, SPAB Scotland

• 24 October: The History of Interfaith Dialogue through Culture, Art, Literature & Politics, B'nai B'rith UK

• 28 October: Living amongst the Cities of the Dead: historic cemeteries of New Orleans, SPAB lecture

• 30 October: Day Conference: Communities of Dissent – Chapels Society, Oxford

• 3 – 4 November: AHI Annual Online Conference - Part 1

• 3 November: Conservation on the Edge: Building Repairs at Height - online lecture, SPAB Scotland

• 15 November: The Castles of Wardour: building an Anglo-Catholic identity in eighteenth-century Britain, Georgian Group lecture
• 16 November: Noble Ambitions: The fall and rise of the post-war country house, Georgian Group lecture

• 17 - 18 November: AHI Annual Online Conference - Part 2

• 23 November: William Wrighte's Grotesque Architecture of 1767, Georgian Group lecture
• 23 - 24 November: COTAC Conference 2021 - 'Protecting our world, protecting our heritage'

Courses

Upcoming Heritage Courses:

• 22 September: Photographing Old Buildings online workshop, SPAB
• 6 October: Photographing Old Buildings, SPAB
• 7 and 8 October: Copyright Essentials for Museums and Galleries, Naomi Korn Associates
• 25 November: Good Housekeeping - Part 1: Caring for your old building’s historic fittings, fixtures and furnishings, SPAB/Icon
• 8 - 9 October: An Introduction to Lime Plastering, SPAB
• 22 - 24 October: An Introduction to Letter Cutting in Stone, SPAB
• 11 November: An Introduction to Lime in Building, SPAB
• 12 November: Hot Limes in Building, SPAB
• 13 November: Living with Your Old House online course, SPAB
• 25 November: Good Housekeeping - Part 1: Caring for your old building’s historic fittings, fixtures and furnishings, SPAB/Icon

Naomi Korn Associates - Copyright Essentials for Museums and Galleries

On 7 and 8 October, Naomi Korn Associates [Alliance member] are running an online workshop for anybody working in cultural heritage who needs to know the basics about copyright and how copyright affects the sector, with a particular focus on reproducing, creating, sharing, publishing, commissioning or digitising content. The comprehensive full-day programme covers the management, protection and exploitation of copyright with plenty of opportunities to raise any copyright related questions.

Visit the Naomi Korn website for further details and how to book a place.

Jobs

Salaried

Notes & Subscriptions

The voice of the independent heritage movement, Heritage Update is a free e-bulletin produced on a fortnightly basis by The Heritage Alliance.

You can also visit our website to access an archive of previous issues.

Advertise in Heritage Update

Heritage Update reaches an estimated 14,000 inboxes, is tweeted to over 22k Twitter followers, and is shared on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

Sharing news, events, courses and vacancies in Heritage Update is free for Heritage Alliance Members, or costs £165 per ad per issue for non-members.

We also welcome image-based advertising for academic courses, projects and services of interest to the sector. This costs £75 for members (to feature an 'enhanced' member news item) and £185 for non-members.

More information about advertising with us can be found on our website.

Schedule of forthcoming issues:

• Issue 451 - Thurs 9 September (content deadline: Fri 3 September)
• Issue 452 - Thurs 23 September (content deadline: Fri 17 September)
• Issue 453 - Thurs 7 October (content deadline: Fri 1 October)
• Issue 454 - Thurs 21 October (content deadline: Fri 15 October)

If you wish to use or quote from items in Heritage Update, you should always check the accuracy and current position with the source. The Heritage Alliance cannot guarantee the accuracy of (or accept any responsibility for) the contents of Heritage Update.

Become a Sponsor for Heritage Update

As we work to improve Heritage Update as an important resource for the sector, we are currently developing sponsorship packages for the new and improved Heritage Update.

Sponsors of Heritage Update receive a package of benefits including having their name and logo displayed on our website, having their logo displayed at the top of each issue of Heritage Update, and receiving recognition for their contribution to the sector in our communications about the newsletter.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of Heritage Update, please email development@theheritagealliance.org.uk.

Support The Heritage Alliance

A donation to The Heritage Alliance will help us to champion, inspire, catalyse and support the independent heritage sector. Thank you.

Contact Us

Chief Executive
Lizzie Glithero-West
lizzie.glithero-west@theheritagealliance.org.uk

Head of Policy & Communications
Hannah Shimko 0207 233 0700
policy@theheritagealliance.org.uk

Advocacy & Communications Officer (Heritage Update Contact)
Daniella Briscoe-Peaple 0207 233 0800
comms@theheritagealliance.org.uk

Head of Development & Membership
Delphine Jasmin-Belisle 0207 233 0600
development@theheritagealliance.org.uk

Projects Officer
Faridah Rahman
projects@theheritagealliance.org.uk

A full list of our staff contact information can be found on our website here.

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Heritage Update is produced by The Heritage Alliance, with thanks to our generous sponsors the Historic Houses Foundation.

Image credits (in order of appearance): The Landmark Trust; Waterloo Uncovered; English Heritage; The Ragged School Museum; Heritage Open Days; The SPAB; Sussex Heritage Trust; National Historic Ships UK. Details of the header image are listed at the top of each issue.