Updates from The Heritage Alliance

Shorter Issue

A note to all Heritage Update readers that this issue is shorter than usual, as the team has also been working to deliver Heritage Day and our AGM this week. We’ll be back to normal with a full edition in two weeks’ time.

Catch up on Events from Heritage Day 2022

Thank you to all those who were able to join us for our signature annual event Heritage Day this week. To reflect on our events over Wednesday and Thursday, you can look back through our live commentary on Twitter for our virtual morning of events on 9 March and our in-person afternoon event on 10 March.

We'll be unpacking further details on the fantastic winners of the 2021 Ecclesiastical Heritage Heroes Awards next week, so be sure to check our website and social channels. Huge congratulations to this year's Heritage Hero Richard Johnson, volunteer at the Restoration Trust [Alliance member] and to our 2021 Digital Heritage Hero Steve Ash, volunteer at Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust [Alliance member].

The Heritage Alliance AGM

Many thanks also to all the members who attended our twentieth annual general meeting on Wednesday afternoon. We were delighted to formally appoint Pam Alexander OBE as our Chair, and that Dr. Tola Dabiri and Alice Purkiss were voted in as our newest trustees.

We are also very grateful that Dr Ingrid Samuel, Roy Clare CBE DL, Henry Cleary OBE, and Peter Aires were all re-elected as trustees. Our sincere thanks to Heather Jeremy, Dr Anna Whitelock, and Ian Baxter, who stepped down from the board this year, for their commitment and hard work. Ian will be continuing to support THA as the co-chair of our newly-christened Skills, Education and Engagement Advocacy Group. 

We are also delighted to share the news that our new Chair Pam Alexander OBE has been selected as one of The Planner's Women of Influence 2022.

To catch up on the event from our AGM, you can take a look back here at our Twitter thread.

Policy Updates

This fortnight:

• We attended a roundtable on UK-Russia cultural relationships

• Our CEO Lizzie Glithero-West also attended Culture Heritage Capital conference - see her reflections in this thread on Twitter.

#HeritageChat - Storytelling & Heritage

The next #HeritageChat will be on 15 March (1-2pm) on international engagement and work in the heritage sector. This chat will be led by the Heritage Alliance CEO Lizzie Glithero-West, and we look forward to engaging with many of you in this timely discussion.

You can follow @HeritageChat to see the set of questions in advance. 

Welcoming New Alliance Members

This fortnight, we are delighted to welcome the Alliance's newest members Britannia Sailing Club, Holmfirth Civic Hall Community Trust, the Printing Historical Society and the Society of Genealogists.

Britannia Sailing Trust cares for the last remaining Class 1 East Coast Smack, currently undergoing restoration in a purpose built shed in Winkleigh, Devon. The Trust’s aim is to complete the land-based stage of the restoration by next spring, relaunching Britannia on April 10 2023 - the 108th anniversary of her launch in Kings Lynn in 1915.

The Printing Historical Society (PHS) is a learned society devoted to the study of the history of printing, in all its forms. The aims of the PHS are stated to be 'to foster an interest in the history of printing and encourage both the study and the preservation of printing machinery, records, and equipment of historical value'. In 2016 it subsumed the National Printing Heritage Trust, and added to its aims to raise funds to preserve printing equipment and archives, and to lobby for the creation of a national printing museum for the UK.

The Society of Genealogists is a charity, founded in 1911, with a unique purpose – to help people discover their place in history. The Society preserves the records of everyday lives and makes them available to anyone wanting to understand where they’ve come from – grassroots sources, rich data of unlikely origin, exceptional assets that capture the unfolding, unofficial history of us all.

Did you know? Members of the Heritage Alliance also receive more regular, direct insights and unique offers to support their work. Find out more about becoming an Alliance Member on our website.

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Government News

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

Headlines

• Cultural Heritage & Ukraine

• UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK Launched in Scotland

• Planning Bill to be Incorporated into Levelling Up Bill 

• Funding for Brownfield Regeneration

• Government Response to COVID-19 Committee Report

Concerns for Heritage in Ukraine

In response to the situation in Ukraine, the UK Government has issued guidance on how people can #StandWithUkraine - including an upcoming opportunity through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities for people, charities, businesses and community groups to apply to be a sponsor for Ukrainians who do not have family ties to the UK.

On 3 March (8 days into the conflict) DCMS Secretary of State Nadine Dorries issued a statement to the House of Commons, recommending that Russia should be banned from taking part in international events and activities across sport, the arts and entertainment, and notably stating that “Culture is the third front in the Ukrainian war.” Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Heritage, also reiterated the Government's support for Ukraine and condemned the destruction of Ukrainian identity and culture in his keynote speech at Heritage Day, emphasising that “Russia will not be welcome on the sporting or cultural stage until Ukraine is once again allowed to exist peacefully and democratically”. 

A joint statement signed by 40 UNESCO National Commissions, including Alliance Member UNESCO UK, has expressed solidarity with the people of Ukraine amidst the current Russian invasion. While UNESCO has reinforced its protective measures, cultural bodies including ICOM US (the US Committee of the International Council of Museums) and ICOMOS (the international council on museums and sites) have released statements pertaining to news of the destruction of cultural heritage in Ukraine by the Russian military, reminding of the protections afforded to cultural heritage by international humanitarian law.

And organisations including Alliance Member World Heritage UK (WHUK) have welcomed the Government’s stance on calling UNESCO to bar Russia from hosting its annual World Heritage Committee as planned for this June.

The Guardian has listed examples of cultural events that have been postponed indefinitely after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. And The Art Newspaper has asked what will happen to works on display that have been loaned from Russia for major exhibitions in the UK and Europe.

The Heritage Alliance team’s thoughts are with heritage colleagues working in and with connections to Ukraine. We are looking to gather data on the impacts of the conflict on heritage organisations within our membership and are calling Alliance Members to share any specific points/questions you would like us to raise with DCMS on this topic (relating to either international engagement or domestic heritage) (by emailing Polly Martin at policy@theheritagealliance.org.uk).

COVID-19

Planned Lifting of Remaining Restrictions

A reminder that in line with the Government’s phasing out of all remaining restrictions, a) from 24 March the COVID-19 provisions within Statutory Sick Pay and Employment and Support Allowance regulations will end, and 2) from 1 April the Government will carry out steps to implement its Living With Covid Plan, including replacing the existing set of ‘Working Safely’ guidance with new public health guidance. 

The Government has established an Independent Inquiry into the Government’s response to Covid-19 (deadline of Reponses: 7 April), and the Inquiry team will be holding a series of round tables as part of their scoping of issues for their investigation, one of which will be on the on the impact of Covid-19 on the Travel and Tourism industry.

Alliance Members - send us your evidence. We continue to meet with DCMS to report the impact of Covid-19, and the lifting of restrictions. This is most effective when we have evidence and information from our Members. Many thanks for those who continue to feed in their experiences, please all continue to do so by emailing Polly, our Head of Policy and Communications: Policy@theheritagealliance.org.uk.

Guidance Updates

Further updates to key guidance have been made to reflect the removal of restrictions. Here is a roundup of the latest guidance:

• Living with COVID-19 Plan (updated 23 February)
• Enabling safe and effective volunteering during coronavirus (updated 7 March)
• Using your NHS COVID Pass for travel abroad and at venues and settings in England (updated 2 March)
• Student Sponsor Guidance (updated 2 March)

We continue to collate relevant guidance for the sector in our COVID-19 Hub. 

Social & Sector Impacts

The latest ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (16 February 2022 to 27 February 2022) reveals a continuing decline in the percentage of people working from home, a gradual decrease in the use of face coverings and people socially distancing, and an increase to 81% of people reporting their cost of living had increased.

And the data from Wave 11 (18-21 February) of ALVA’s [Alliance member] Attractions Recovery Tracker includes a reflection that 40% of potential visitors have ongoing concerns with visiting attractions, mainly centred around a continued anxiety about crowds.

DCMS & Culture

• UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK launched in Scotland on 1 March.

• DCMS has published a report into local patterns of volunteering during COVID-19.

• DCMS has published new guidance on reporting safeguarding concerns in a charity.

• A temporary export bar has been placed on the Portrait of Omai by 18th century artist Sir Joshua Reynolds.

• The Government has announced new laws to erase mobile coverage ‘not spots’ in rural areas.

• East Yorkshire and the Humber has been named UK’s fastest growing region for digital jobs and Tech Minister Chris Philp has formally launched a new Local Digital Skills Partnership.

• New legislation is set to improve the security of digital identities.

• Dave Moutrey has been appointed Chair of the Theatres Trust [Alliance Member], and James Dacre, Suba Das, Stephanie Hall and Lucy Osborne have been appointed as Trustees.

Tourism & Hospitality

• The Department for Transport has launched a new package of over £150 million to support vital bus and light rail services across the country.
• The Government has agreed a fourth extraordinary funding settlement for TfL, worth £200 million.
• A new package of infrastructure upgrades aims to “transform journeys” for train passengers in the North West of England.
• Bikeability has been awarded £20 million investment to improve access to cycle training.

Planning

• DLUHC Secretary of State Michael Gove has reportedly told backbench MPs that the government will be scrapping plans for a standalone Planning Bill to deliver the proposals outlined in the Planning White Paper, and instead will ‘tidy up the planning system’ through upcoming levelling up legislation. 
• Funding has been awarded to 3 regions (West Midlands, Greater Manchester and the Tees Valley) to regenerate brownfield sites and create 2,500 new homes.
• 25 areas in England have now been awarded a share of £3 million funding to produce local design codes, and support community development in neighbourhoods.
• The Government has published a response to the House of Lords COVID-19 Committee report “Towns and Cities: Local Power is the Path to Recovery”.

Environment

• The IPCC has released the second part of its Sixth Assessment Report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability to climate change.
• Applications for the Local Authority Treescapes Fund and the Urban Tree Challenge Fund have now reopened, with an ambition to plant early 680,000 trees in urban and rural areas.
• An area of the River Thames in Oxford and a coastal area in the Isle of Wight have been put forward for bathing water status.

Education

• The Department for Education has published an equality impact assessment into Higher Education reform.

Brexit & Immigration

Follow the Latest News & Guidance Around Brexit

We continue to update the Heritage Alliance Brexit Hub with the latest Brexit guidance of relevance to the heritage sector. You can also read our briefings on Heritage, Brexit and Immigration on our website.

Have 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

Also this fortnight:

• The ONS has published Wave 49 of its data on the Financial Impact For Business Rate Fund Applications.

• The National Cyber Security Centre has called on UK organisations to bolster their online defences, using its guidance on steps to take for when the cyber threat is heightened.

• Nigel Huddleston MP gave a speech on the launch of the Estimating and Describing the Impact Investing Market report.

   

Funding

Funding currently available for the sector includes:

Arts Council England (ACE) has announced that applications to join its list of National Portfolio organisations are now open, with an application deadline of Tuesday 26 April 2022. As noted above, an addendum to the application guidance was published this week, which lists the priority places where ACE is particularly looking to allocate funds. 

The Social Investment business, a partner of the Architectural Heritage Fund [Alliance member] have launched a Recovery Loan Fund to help organisations impacted by Covid-19 to survive, recover and grow. The application deadline is 20 May 2022.

The Government has opened the first round of applications for Landscape Recovery projects. This round will close on 24 May 2022.

DLUHC has announced that £624 million of loan funding will be made available for house builders, including SMEs, to support the creation of thousands of new homes.

Land owners, land managers and public bodies can apply to the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) for support to create new woodland, including through natural colonisation, on areas as small as 1 hectare.

Sector Digest

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

This fortnight, in brief:

• A fire has destroyed the Grade II listed Dalton Mills in Keighley, West Yorkshire. The incident is being treated as arson and five arrests have been made.

• The Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance [Alliance Member] have launched a new report: From Surviving to Thriving: Building a model for sustainable practice in creativity and mental health.

• The Arts Professional has raised concerns over how the government’s Living with Covid plan could erase a ‘significant minority’ of arts audiences.

• The Valuing Culture and Heritage Capital Conference took place today, bringing together academics, experts, and leaders from across the sector will be discussing the importance of the Culture and Heritage Capital approach.

Alliance Member News

A snapshot of the current work of our members.

Also This Fortnight

• The YHA [Alliance member] has published a new blog, celebrating its status as a member of The Heritage Alliance and sharing its top picks of heritage sites in the UK that are located nearby to many of its hostels.

• The National Churches Trust [Alliance member] has received £1.5m from Historic England for church repairs through the Heritage Stimulus Fund.

• The parent group of Ecclesiastical Insurance [Alliance Corporate Partner] has changed its name to the Benefact Group, reflecting its position as the fourth largest corporate donor to good causes. 

• ALGAO UK [Alliance member] has published a new report into models of local authority archaeology services since 2010

• The Heritage Railway Association (HRA) [Alliance Member] is turning 60, and has announced the shortlist for its 2022 awards. The HRA has also warned that “the spectre of coal shortages in 2022 is real” for railways.

• The deadline (31 March) is approaching for AIM’s [Alliance Member] Collections Care and Conservation Grants, funded by The Pilgrim Trust [Alliance Member].

• A reminder that the closing date for entries to the Sussex Heritage Trust 2022 awards is 25 March.

• The Theatres Trust [Alliance member] is supporting 13 more theatres through its Small Grants Programme, which The Linbury Trust will fund the programme for another three years. It has also awarded £120,000 in grants to eight theatres to improve their environmental sustainability.

• Getting on Board [Alliance member’ is making all its regular webinars free, as well as many other of its events, as part of its mission commitment to spreading the word of open recruitment and diverse boards.

• Charles Wagner, co-chair of the Heritage Alliance’s Spatial Planning Advocacy Group (SPAG), has been presented with the SPAB [Alliance Member] 2021 Esher Award.

• The FBHVC (Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs) [Alliance Member] has reported that since last December the historic vehicle community has successfully carbon balanced 553,564 miles.

Consultations

Open Consultations:

• DEFRA - Ending the retail sale of peat in horticulture in England & Wales - 18 March

• BEIS - UK Advanced Materials: call for evidence - 18 March

• Intellectual Property Office - Reviewing the designs framework - 25 March

• Disability Unit - Disability workforce reporting - 25 March

• HS2 Phase 2b: Crewe – Manchester Environmental Statement Consultation - 31 March

• HS2 Phase 2b: Crewe – Manchester Equality Impact Assessment Report Consultation - 31 March

• DfT - Low Carbon Fuel Strategy: call for ideas - 3 April

• DEFRA - Biodiversity net gain consultation - 5 April

• Natural England - Open Access Restriction at Dersingham Bog National Nature Reserve (Dersingham Fen & Wolferton Fen) - 5 April

• DEFRA - Landscapes Review (National Parks and AONBs): implementing the review - 9 April

• Environment Agency - Changing the River Esk byelaw from temporary to permanent  - 11 April 2022 

• BEIS - Payment Handling by Employment Agencies - 20 April

• Ofqual - Regulating academic and technical qualifications at level 3 - 20 April

• Ofqual - Regulating Academic and Technical Qualifications at Level 3 - 20 April

• Department for Education - Review of post-16 qualifications at level 2 and below - 27 April

• DfE - Higher Education Policy Statement & Reform - 6 May 2022

• DfE - Lifelong Loan Entitlement - 6 May 2022

• DCMS - Online Advertising Programme consultation - 1 June

Recent additions to the list above:

• Environment Agency - Changing the River Esk byelaw from temporary to permanent  - 11 April 2022 

• Ofqual - Regulating academic and technical qualifications at level 3 - 20 April

• Department for Education - Review of post-16 qualifications at level 2 and below - 27 April

• DCMS - Online Advertising Programme consultation - 1 June

Events

Upcoming Heritage Events - Quick Look

• 15 March: Hidden in Plain Sight: Fifty Fabulous Features in the Land of the Fanns by Dr Twigs Way, London Gardens Trust (online talk)
• 15 March: Net Zero - Retrofit & Refurbishment, Suffolk Preservation Society
• 15 March: Victorian Short Story Reading Group, The Victorian Society

• 19 March: The HRA 2022 Annual Awards Evening – Birmingham

• 22 March - Community-led Town Centre Regeneration, Heritage Trust Network

• 23 March - Wellbeing in Heritage, Heritage Trust Network

• 23 March: David Bryce an online talk, The Victorian Society

• 24 March: Developing Audiences for Archaeology Inclusion Projects, Wessex Archaeology

• 29 March: webinar - Phillip Webb at Red House and Standen, The Victorian Society
• 6 April: webinar - Looking at Butterfield, The Victorian Society
• 12 April: Enlightened Eclecticism: the grand design of the 1st Duke and Duchess of Northumberland (lecture), Georgian Group
• 27 April: BIG UPDATE, Historic Religious Buildings Alliance - Save the Date
• Various dates: from 13 January - 28 April: Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust 2022 Lecture Series

• 30 April: A Visit to Victorian Churches in Watford, The Victorian Society

• 7 May - Conference: The Future of Genealogy- Young Genealogists at the Helm, Society of Genealogists

• 24 May: The Doctor's Garden (online lecture), Georgian Group
• 28 June: Reinterpreting Horace Walpole's Little Gothic Castle: Strawberry Hill (online lecture), Georgian Group

Courses

Upcoming Heritage Courses:

• Until 6 April: Heritage Interpretation Online, AHI
• 15 March: Health & Safety for Conservators, Icon
• 25 - 26 March 2022: An Introduction to Plain Lime Plastering, SPAB
• 9 April: Understanding Damp in Traditional Homes, carringtonLIME Heritage

• 25 April: Listed Buildings - myths, repairs & alterations, carringtonLIME Heritage

• 26 April: Making and Using Hot Lime, carringtonLIME Heritage
• 6 - 7 May: An Introduction to Letter Cutting in Stone, SPAB
• 9 - 13 May: The Repair of Old Buildings Course, SPAB
• 20 - 21 May: An Introduction to Ornamental Lime Plastering, SPAB
• April - June: Photographing Old Buildings Online Workshop - SPAB

Understanding Damp in Traditional Homes

In this half day workshop, carringtonLIME Heritage Skills Training CIC [Alliance member] will look at the most common reasons for damp in an older property, why a solid walled building needs to breathe, and what can be done to remedy and prevent future damp issues.

Course date: 9 April 2022

Listed Buildings - myths, repairs & alterationS

This one hour training session from carringtonLIME Heritage [Alliance member] will include a 30-minute presentation which will outline the following:

• What is a listed building?

• Common Myths

• Repair and Maintenance - what can be completed without the need for LBC and how to maintain your property

• When is repair an alteration?

• A summary of considerations for energy efficiency upgrading

Course date: 25 April 2022

Making & Using Hot Lime

Through theory sessions, demonstrations and practical hands on opportunities, students on this course will learn about the properties of hot lime, the benefits of its use as well as additional practicalities that need to be taken into consideration when using onsite.

Course date: 26 April 2022

Jobs

Salaried

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.

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Schedule of forthcoming issues:

• Issue 464 - Thurs 24 March (content deadline: Fri 18 March)
• Issue 465 - Thurs 7 April (content deadline: Fri 1 April)
• Issue 466 - Thurs 21 April (content deadline: Fri 15 April)
• Issue 467 - Thurs  5 May (content deadline: Fri 29 April)

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Contact Us

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

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

Head of Policy & Communications
Polly Martin 0207 233 0700
policy@theheritagealliance.org.uk

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

Projects Officer
Saffron Ralphs
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; Heritage Open Days; Wessex Archaeology; The SPAB; National Historic Ships UK. Details of the header image are listed at the top of each issue.