Updates from The Heritage Alliance

Our Recent Publications

It has been a busy few weeks in heritage policy, and the Heritage Alliance team has been producing further helpful briefings and summaries of key announcements for the heritage sector.

Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill - Summary

We have published a detailed briefing on the draft Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill, and have been holding further discussions on the key aspects of this legislation and potential impacts on heritage ahead of its second reading.

Queen's Speech - Summary

We recently published a summary of The Queen's speech, highlighting the areas that have most impact for the heritage sector. 

UK Shared Prosperity Fund – Summary

We have produced a summary of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) prospectus, which outlines how Government will allocate £2.6 billion of funding to support communities across the UK. The UKSPF is one of four funds which replaces much of the EU structural funding which the UJ received as part of the EU.

Policy Updates

• Analysis of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill is underway. The Bill is heading for Second Reading in the Commons next week and you can read our summary of the Bill, highlighting the areas that seem most pertinent to heritage, here.

• We have participated in the sector bill briefing hosted by Historic England and convened a SPAG (Spatial Planning Advocacy Group) at the end of last week to discuss the draft legislation in more depth.

• Our Funding & Investment Advocacy Group recently met to set out key priorities for the coming year in relation to heritage funding and investment. Our Skills, Education & Engagement Advocacy Group will be meeting next week (on 9 June) - all Alliance members are invited to attend.

Rebuilding Heritage

The Rebuilding Heritage team is publishing a series of participant case studies - short articles intended to give an overview of some of the organisations that took part in the live programme. Four case studies are now up on the Rebuilding Heritage website, from:

• Britannia Sailing Trust [Alliance member] – on how they coped after the lockdowns dissolved their volunteer team and disrupted their donation-reliant funding stream
• Wye Heritage - on how they sought support in finding the best way forwards as they planned their new Heritage Centre, while reopening the doors to members, donors and volunteers. 
• Holmfirth Civic Hall Community Trust [Alliance member] – on how support from Rebuilding Heritage helped them to develop their plans and ideas, getting the Trust off to a flying start.
• Tavistock Heritage Trust – on how they managed to plot a strategic course as the historic Guildhall opened with a heritage offer for the first time.

Rebuilding Heritage is also hosting to a weekly #FunderFriday Twitter event spotlighting a few of the myriad opportunities for heritage organisations found in the Heritage Funding Directory (co-managed by The Heritage Alliance and the AHF [Alliance member]).

Digital Heritage Academy – Free Training Events

Heritage Digital Academy are offering free online training events on all things digital for heritage organisations across the UK. These sessions are design to help individuals develop new digital practices and build key skills that can be brought back to their organisation.

Here’s what’s coming up:

• 8 June – Webinar: What is a data protection officer and why does your organisation need one? 
• 9 June – Webinar: What is copyright and creative commons?
• 23 June – Workshop: Copyright considerations for digital services
• 28 June – Workshop: Building and growing your audience with digital
• 5 July – Workshop: Understanding Data Protection and making a plan to stay compliant

To sign up or learn more, visit the Heritage Digital Academy Website.

#HeritageChat - Citizen Science in Heritage

The next Twitter #HeritageChat – a monthly Twitter chat run for the sector - will take place on 21 June (1-2pm) and will discuss ‘#CitizenScience in #Heritage’.

You can add the questions you would like to see discussed in the upcoming chat to this Google Doc (before 13 June). Be sure to follow @HeritageChat for updates and to discover the final set of questions ahead of #HeritageChat!

Welcome to our Newest Alliance Member!

We are thrilled to announce that Taryn Nixon has become an Individual Supporter of The Heritage Alliance. Taryn is ‘first violin’ at Taryn Nixon Heritage Works, which was formed in 2017 to help organisations working with heritage as a force for good. Taryn was recently appointed as a Trustee of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

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Government News

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

Headlines

• Platinum Jubilee: Funding & Support for Communities

• Community Ownership Fund - Eligibility Expanded

• Youth Investment Fund Updates

• New Biodiversity Projects

DCMS & Culture

Youth Investment Fund

DCMS has announced the first recipients of the Government’s £380 million Youth Investment Fund. The Fund will benefit various youth organisations across England as part of the Government's plan to level up communities. It is hoped that by 2025 all 11-18 year olds, and 11 - 25 year olds for those with special educational needs or disabilities, will have the option to access and engage with frequent out of school activities.

Phase 1 of the Youth Investment Fund has seen 418 organisations deliver projects and Phase 2 of the Fund will run this summer.

Applications are open for the ‘Youth Investment Fund Pilot Build Site Launch’ which allows up to four youth organisations to pilot new facility concepts that will help smaller youth organisations. The application guidance and criteria can be found here and the deadline is 11 June.

Bradford Wins UK City of Culture 2025

Bradford was announced as the UK City of Culture 2025 from a shortlist which included County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough. Bradford will initially receive £275,000 to start the process of creating plans for 2025 and runners up will be given £125,000 for their projects. The panel admired Bradford’s determination to include local artists and residents in their bid.

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Historic England has announced that 6 sites have been listed in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee. These are: The Imperial Hotel (Stroud, Gloucestershire), All Saints’ Church (Shard End, Birmingham), The Queen’s Theatre (Hornchurch, Greater London), Hampshire Archives (Winchester, Hampshire), The Sun Pavilion and Colonnade (Harrogate, North Yorkshire) and the M62 Motorway Plaques (Yorkshire/Lancashire).  

Eight locations have been awarded city status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. This is the highest number of successful applicants to win in a single competition. The new cities are Bangor (Northern Ireland), Colchester (England), Doncaster (England), Douglas (Isle of Man), Dunfermline (Scotland), Milton Keynes (England), Stanley (Falkland Islands) and Wrexham (Wales).

Celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee are expected to be held by millions of people in the UK and across the world, with over 200,000 UK street parties and local events planned.

Live Events Reinsurance Scheme

The Government has shared that the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme has assisted with 150 events and helped nearly 15,000 jobs. The scheme will end this September following summer events season, having supported more than £400 million of investment in the live events sector.

DCMS Annual Report & Accounts (2020-21)

DCMS has published its Annual Report for 2020-21, which includes key achievements of the Department during the height of the pandemic. The report acknowledges that “DCMS sectors will be vital in the recovery from COVID-19, particularly through supporting national renewal, driving growth and preserving the UK’s cultural heritage.”

It is worth noting that from the DCMS budget last year, £636m went to Heritage, with £1775m going to Arts, Culture and Libraries, £546m to Museums and Galleries, £160m to Media and Creative Industries and £41m to Tourism.

Planning

Jubilee Fund for Village Halls

To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, £3 million is being awarded to help 125 village halls. This is through the Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Improvement Fund which will provide funding up to 2025 and work on renovating as well as modernising the community spaces.

Community Ownership Fund

Eligibility for the Community Ownership Fund has expanded to include historic buildings as well as music venues, sports facilities and pubs. This is part of the second round of funding which has been updated in the prospectus.

Over the next four years, £150 million of funding will be allocated across the UK ‘to help communities take ownership of assets at risk of closure.’ This includes eight projects that will use the money to restore places such as a theatre pub venue and a community centre. The complete list of successful bidders is available here.

2022 Windrush Day Grant Scheme

To help commemorate Windrush Day on 22 June, 35 projects throughout England have been given a share of £500,000 as part of the Windrush Day Grant Scheme. A full list of projects is available here and funded organisations include National Maritime Museum, Bristol Reggae Orchestra, The Huddersfield African Caribbean Cultural Trust and Prime Theatre.

5000 Public Buildings Connected to High-Speed Broadband

As part of ‘Project Gigabit’ - a UK Government scheme to level up public services - over 5000 public buildings have been connected to high-speed broadband. Libraries, schools, hospitals, community centres and other public buildings in locations such as Manchester, Yorkshire and Norfolk have been upgraded with access to high-speed broadband.

Environment

Statistical Digest for Rural England – May Edition

The May edition of the Statistical Digest for Rural England has been published. For this month, the following sections have been updated: small and medium businesses, business count, business start-ups, additions to affordable housing stock, housing affordability and secondary education. Previous editions are available here.

Grants & Funding: Round-Up

Funding to Protect Species in UK Overseas Territories

£6.4 million of funding will be given to UK Overseas Territories to protect biodiversity. This will be through 20 projects focused on researching and improving methods of tackling climate change for species. Locals will also be equipped with the skills needed to protect and restore the natural environment.

Funding for Woodland Projects

Woodland projects across England have been awarded £6 million to help create jobs and opportunities in the sector as part of the Trees Call to Action Fund. There will be a total of 12 projects designed to train forestry leaders, teach workers new skills, support landowners in woodland management and more.

Green Recovery Challenge Fund

Woodland Trust have thanked DEFRA’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund and The National Trust’s [Alliance member] help in examining and recording over 4,000 ancient and veteran trees. This has been added to Woodland Trust’s online Ancient Tree Inventory to protect tree heritage.

Flood & Coastal Resilience Innovation Fund Updated

New information has been added to the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Fund. This includes the three programmes which make up the Fund. They are: the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, the Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme and the Adaption Pathways Programme.

Tourism & Hospitality

High Increase in Electric Vehicle Use

In the North of England, registration for Electric Vehicles (EVs) have more than doubled to 74,000. The sharp rise in use and interest in EVs has led to the Government installing around 600 new chargepoints monthly for the public. This transition to Electric Vehicles is part of plans to reduce the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.

Education

New Training for Local Communities

The Department for Education and The Open University will be working with local colleges to expand their offering to provide high-quality higher and technical education.

Courses will be shorter than a traditional three-year degree, offering a mix of blended, face-to-face and on-line learning to fit around people’s lives. They will also boost access to new higher education and technical training options ahead of the introduction of the Government’s Lifelong Loan Entitlement. More information is available on The Open University’s website.

Brexit & Immigration

For a round-up of recent guidance:

The Heritage Alliance Brexit Hub lists recent Brexit guidance of relevance to the heritage sector. You can also read our briefings on Heritage, Brexit and Immigration on our website.

The Historic Environment Forum Brexit FAQs Trello Board also sets out useful material to help the sector navigate the post-Brexit period.

Parliamentary & Other Government News

• The Culture Recovery Fund Board held its last meeting yesterday (31 May). The final awards, through Strand Three of the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage (CRF), were announced at the end of March – details can be found here. YHA [Alliance member] received nearly £1 million, the final and largest grant of the Continuity Support strand of the CRF.
• Recent appointments:
  • Mark Read has been appointed as a new trustee Natural History Museum for a term of four years until 31 May 2026.
  • Sandra Dinneen, Paul Farmer, Patrick Newberry, Susie Thornberry and Richard Upton have been reappointed as Commissioners of Historic England.

Sector Digest

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

Volunteers’ Week

This Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June), activities are taking place to acknowledge and mark the hard work of volunteers in various organisations including heritage. NCVO has free guidance on supporting, supervising and managing volunteers.

Heritage Solidarity Fellowship for Ukraine

The Heritage Solidarity Fellowship for Ukraine has been launched by Europa Nostra and Global Heritage Fund to financially support heritage professionals in Ukraine who have been affected by the war. Each recipient will receive €500, and names can be submitted by heritage institutions, NGOs or individuals. The deadline for the first round of applications is today (1 June), and a second round will be announced soon.

Movement for Good Awards

The Movement for Good Awards, launched by Ecclesiastical Insurance [Alliance Corporate Partner] and Benefact Group, are under-way. This is the fourth year of the Awards and a total of £1 million will be awarded in £1000 grants to chosen organisations. The first winners will be announced 8 – 21 June and the remainder in September and December.

Please consider nominating The Heritage Alliance for an Award. Our registered charity number is: 1094793.

New TV Series on Traditional Crafts

A new TV series from Sky Arts titled ‘The Prince’s Master Crafters: The Next Generation’ highlights the rich heritage Britain has with traditional crafts. The show is backed by The Prince’s Foundation [Alliance member] and features six craftspeople who will face tasks and the final pieces will be presented to The Prince of Wales. Episodes will showcase woodcarving, stained glass, weaving, blacksmithing, stone carving and pargeting, before the grand final. The episodes are airing every Wednesday this month at 8pm on Sky Arts.

Public First - Report on Heritage and Civic Pride

Public First has conducted a report for Historic England entitled ‘Heritage and Civic Pride: Voices From Levelling Up Country.’ The report found that heritage was a main force behind civic pride, particularly through town centres and historic landmark buildings which participants believed should be protected. The full report can be read here.

Lowest Pay Rises for Arts Workers

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has revealed that in the past year arts workers received the lowest pay rise out of other industry sectors. The UK median was 6% but the arts, entertainment and recreation sector only saw a 2% rise in their salaries even though there was a high record of vacancies in the same industry.

Historic England Counting Carbon Webinar

Historic England’s next Technical Tuesdays Webinar ‘Counting carbon in the built environment’, is taking place on 7 June at 1pm. Participants can register to join the conversation here. The recordings of past sessions are also available on the website.

AHRC Continues Funding Creative PEC

The AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) will continue its funding for the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) for five years. The AHRC is seeking a new host organisation for the PEC from June 2023 as part of its next stage. Interested applicants can find additional information here and must complete the form by 4pm on 21 July.

Mapping England’s Rural Creative Microclusters

Creative PEC has published new research led by the University of Sussex and funded by NICRE on documenting creative microclusters in rural locations on an interactive map. This is important in visualising the rural creative hubs within the UK and understanding how they form networks in their surroundings.

Creative UK + Mayor of London’s Culture Team – New Partnership

A new partnership has been announced between Creative UK and the Mayor of London’s Culture Team to help under-represented groups in Creative Industries overcome inequalities and challenges faced in the sector. On 11 July, the free webinar ‘Redesigning Freelancing: London’ will take place and feature talks to develop the industry and form new ideas. Interested participants can register here.

Alliance Member News

A snapshot of the current work of our members.

Insights from Alliance Members

Member Blog - ‘Signs and Stuff’ 

Anita Kerwin-Nye, Executive Director of Strategy, Engagement and Commercial at YHA [Alliance Member] has recently written a blog post titled ‘Signs and Stuff’. Her insightful blog explores the impact and outreach that signs, leaflets, books, posters and other resources have on visitors at cultural sites. Anita is interested in how heritage organisations facilitate engagement or accidentally create barriers through the materials they share. Anita presented on this during her breakout session at Heritage Day 2022 in March. 

Member Blog - ‘Heritage-led Regeneration and Cultural Placemaking’ 

We are also taking this opportunity to re-share a blog from Jason Jones-Hall, Director of Development at Five10Twelve [Alliance Member] and Project Director of Pioneering Places, on Heritage-led Regeneration and Cultural Placemaking – which we published ahead of our last Heritage Debate on Levelling Up and Heritage. This blog explores these topics, looking in particular at Levelling Up, funding, and activities to share research, reports and case studies to support work in this area.  

Consultations

Open Consultations (with closing dates):

• DLUHC - Independent Review of Social Cohesion and Resilience: call for evidence – 2 June

• BEIS, DEFRA, HM Treasury - Update to Green Finance Strategy: call for evidence – 22 June 

• DEFRA - Environment Act 2021: environmental targets – 27 June (extended) 

• DHSC - Mental health and wellbeing plan: discussion paper and call for evidence – 5 July

• DCMS - UNESCO World Heritage Sites - UK Tentative List Review – 15 July 

• DLUHC - Business Rates Revaluation 2023: Consultation on the transitional arrangements – 18 July

• DCMS - views sought to boost the security of UK data centres and cloud services – 24 July

Events

Upcoming Heritage Events - Quick Look

• 9 June - Free Training from London Historic Buildings Trust: Understand Funding and Finance

• 15 June: Historic Pubs Symposium, TDR Heritage & Lincolnshire County Council

• 16 June: Creating Family Friendly Trails and Packs, Museum Tales LTD & GEM 

• 16-17 June: AIM Conference 2022

• 21 June: Private Tour of West Dean College of Arts and Conservation - to see the completion of the roof restoration project and gardens, Sussex Heritage Trust

• 22 June - The 2022 Tourism Conference - Changes During Recovery

• 22 June - Free Training from London Historic Buildings Trust: Establish a Meanwhile Use

• 23 June - Liverpool – One Year On, World Heritage UK

• 23 June: Creating Family Friendly Exhibition Spaces, Museum Tales LTD & GEM 

• 25 June: Bike ride through Dulwich, Peckham & Forest Hill, The Victorian Society

• 28 June - Reinterpreting Horace Walpole's Little Gothic Castle: Strawberry Hill (online lecture), Georgian Group

• 30 June - 1 July: Children & Heritage: A two-day colloquium, Centre for the History of Childhood & National Trust Partnership, University of Oxford

Courses

Upcoming Heritage Courses:

• April - June: Photographing Old Buildings Online Workshop, SPAB
• 12 May - 21 November: Libraries Preservation & Collections Care – West Dean College of Arts and Conservation & British Library

• 23 June: Writing heritage interpretation day course, TDR Heritage Ltd

• 6 Aug - 3 Sept: Tracing Your Female Ancestors, SoG 
• 17 October – 26 November: Understanding Your Old House Course, SPAB
• 5 Nov 2022 - 10 Dec 2022: Researching 17th Century Ancestors, SoG

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.

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Schedule of forthcoming issues:

• Issue 470 - Thurs 16 June (content deadline: 10 June)
• Issue 471 - Thurs 30 June (content deadline: 24 June)
• Issue 472 - Thurs 14 July (content deadline: 8 July)
• Issue 473 - Thurs 28 July (content deadline: 22 July)

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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

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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.