Category: heritage

Local Communities Invited to Submit Their Traditions to a New ‘UK Living Heritage’ Inventory

Local Communities Invited to Submit Their Traditions to a New ‘UK Living Heritage’ Inventory

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The UK Government has launched a call for submissions to the UK’s first-ever national inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Also known as Living Heritage, the resulting inventory will help to celebrate cultural traditions and highlight their contribution to communities and the economy. It is the first major step following UK ratification of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

DCMS said living heritage encompasses practices passed down through generations, with examples ranging from tartan weaving and dry-stone walling, to cèilidh dancing or Gloucestershire’s cheese-rolling, Eisteddfodau, or Burn’s night suppers. It could also include traditions brought to the UK by immigrant communities, such as the Notting Hill Carnival and steel-drumming, it said.

Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross said activities such as Highland Dancing, and the carving of Welsh love spoons “from the rich tapestry of UK culture and identity. These crafts, customs and celebrations are often what makes people feel proud of who they are, where they come from and where they live. They also boost local economies and businesses. Whatever living heritage communities value, we want to hear about it. I encourage people to get together and share their traditions through this national conversation. “

Submission must be made by the communities practicing the living heritage under the following seven categories:

  • Culinary Practices
  • Oral expressions
  • Performing Arts
  • Social Practices
  • Nature, Land and Spirituality
  • Crafts
  • Sports and Games

Details on how to submit, including support and advice, can be found at http://www.livingheritage.unesco.org.uk. Submissions for the inventory close Friday 27 March 2026. If you would like to attend a DCMS information session to learn more about making a submission to the inventory, click here.

More details here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/from-cheese-rolling-to-bagpiping-uk-launches-search-for-traditions-that-define-our-communities

DCMS Report Highlights the Impact of Local Authority Funding Cuts on Heritage Organisations in England

DCMS Report Highlights the Impact of Local Authority Funding Cuts on Heritage Organisations in England

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The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has released a new report that compiles evidence on the budgetary pressures facing England’s heritage sector, using a regional case study approach focussing on local and combined authority funding in West Yorkshire. The findings will be familiar to many industrial heritage sites.

The report outlines how over a decade of local authority funding cuts, alongside the loss of EU funding and the continuing effects of the pandemic, have placed significant pressure on small to medium-sized heritage organisations. While some have adapted through asset transfers, income diversification, and new governance models, others, particularly organisations in deprived regional areas, reliant on volunteers, or working with rural or intangible heritage, face an increasingly uncertain future.

The findings show, that since 2010 there has been a notable decline in local authority support for heritage, the limited long-term impact of project-based grants for smaller organisations, the essential role of support networks, and the close relationship between place and heritage. Thus, Local Authorities, the main providers of heritage services in their areas, have seen real-term cuts of up to 49% in central government grants since 2010, alongside a 35% fall in cultural service spending, and a 36% per capita reduction in planning, environmental, and cultural expenditure.

At the same time, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) reported real-term reductions of up to 24% durign the years 2011–2015. These cuts have led to closures, reduced opening hours, and the scaling back of public programmes, particularly in more deprived areas.

The impacts reported differ significantly by location and heritage type. Urban and asset-based heritage were found to often attract regeneration-linked investment, while rural and intangible heritage remain underserved and under-researched. The report also noted that there is evidence to show that funding cuts risk diminishing social cohesion and wellbeing, especially where heritage spaces serve critical civic and educational roles.

You can read the full report here. 

New Heritage Sector Resilience Plan Launched

New Heritage Sector Resilience Plan Launched

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The Historic Environment Forum (HEF) has launched the new Heritage Sector Resilience Plan 2025-35 (“HSRP2”). This provides a clear roadmap for collaborative working to deliver a robust and resilient heritage sector, including industrial heritage.

HEF says that the new plan, funded by Historic England, is structured around four cornerstones that will significantly strengthen the resilience of the historic environment and heritage sector in England. These cornerstones are:

  • relevance
  • physical resilience
  • workforce & organisational resilience
  • and financial resilience.

You can find out more about the new plan for 2025-35 by following this link:

Heritage Sector Resilience Plan 2025-35

The Historic Environment Forum (HEF) is a collaborative initiative that brings together senior representatives from organisations working across the historic environment sector in England. 

Historic England Launch Local Heritage Hub Webpages

Historic England Launch Local Heritage Hub Webpages

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Coinciding with this year’s Local History Month, Historic England has launched a new Local Heritage Hub. With nearly 400 locations, every county, city, district, major town, and national park in England now has a dedicated digital page that uncovers its rich and layered history.

Offering a wide range of content, from fascinating aerial photographs showing towns and villages through time, to curated selections of listed buildings, videos, blogs, and podcasts, the Local Heritage Hub invites members of the public to discover their local area through a new lens.

According to Savanta polling for Historic England in August 2024, 71% of those polled wanted to see more recognition of heritage in their area. Further Savanta polling for Historic England in February 2025 showed that 58% of those responding agreed that local heritage enhances their daily lives. The new platform will reflect what people are looking for in their local areas, and it’s designed not only to inform, but also to also encourage people to see familiar places in unfamiliar ways.

The new service – which will continue to expand with new places, information, and sections added over time – will make local heritage and histories more relevant, relatable, and engaging to more people’s everyday lives, inspiring conversations, unlocking memories, and sparking new interests.

To explore your local area on the Historic England website follow this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/local

Connor Hat Factory, Bute Street, Luton. Image courtesy of Historic England
Heritage and the Creative Industries – New ‘Heritage Creates’ Report

Heritage and the Creative Industries – New ‘Heritage Creates’ Report

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The Heritage Alliance have launched a new Heritage Creates report, updating work they did in the 2019 report Inspiring Creativity, exploring the relationship between the heritage sector and the creative industries in England.

Since the publication of Inspiring Creativity, the creative industries have continued to flourish, capturing the attention of the public and policymakers alike. Furthermore, the evidence base for heritage’s integral contribution to these industries has grown. The Heritage Alliance arges that the continued political and economic relevance of the creative industries under a new government, alongside the emergence of new technologies and bolder commitments to inclusion, makes 2025 a timely opportunity to update the 2019 report. 

The 2025 Heritage Creates report is organised into five thematic chapters, each of which focuses on a particular dimension of the relationship between the heritage sector and the creative industries. The themes are accompanied by case studies demonstrating how heritage delivers on each of these themes:

  • Heritage as a Host
  • Heritage as a Muse
  • Heritage as a Creative Practice
  • Innovative Partnerships
  • Inclusive Partnerships

Download the Heritage Creates report here: https://www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/THA_Heritage-Creates_2025.pdf

The 2019  Inspiring Creativity, Heritage and the Creative Industries report summarised available evidence and featured case studies showcasing partnerships from the breadth of the heritage sector and creative industries to highlight the mutual benefits of cross-sector working.

Spring 2025 Online Industrial Heritage Network Meetings

Spring 2025 Online Industrial Heritage Network Meetings

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The next round of online Industrial Heritage Network (IHN) meetings is taking place this Spring. The IHN networks are a chance to meet those working, volunteering, or researching in the industrial heritage sector.

Four lunchtime IHN meetings will be held in late March, and will run from 12noon to 1pm, and there will be an IHSO update followed by news and updates from members. The first round of 2025 IHN meetings will take place on the following dates and will include the following groups:

  • 21 March – East of England
  • 25 March – South East
  • 26 March -North East
  • 31 March – London

Zoom links for the meetings will be sent to each region nearer the dates. If you would like to join any of these Industrial Heritage Networks as a member please email the IHSO here: mike.nevell@mikenevell

Heritage Trust Network & Locality Bring ‘Heritage Toolbox’ to West Yorkshire

Heritage Trust Network & Locality Bring ‘Heritage Toolbox’ to West Yorkshire

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The Heritage Trust Network is launching a pilot programme of learning and skills development sessions for heritage organisations, including industrial heritage organisations and sites, in the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The programme has been commissioned by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority as a pilot to facilitate resilience and capacity building in heritage organisations, particularly grass-roots, community-led organisations.  

The pilot programme will be delivered in partnership with Locality, the national membership network supporting local community organisations to be strong and successful (see their website here: https://locality.org.uk/). There will be an in-person discovery event for organisations/groups that are interested in participating on the 13th February in Bradford, and an online discovery event on the 27th February where they can find out all about the programme.

If you’d like to take part, or you know an organisation who might please book a place via Eventbrite or share details. Any queries can be sent to: admin@heritagetrustnetwork.org.uk  

Folloow the link belwo for more details.

Heritage Trust Network & Locality bring ‘Heritage Toolbox’ to West Yorkshire
Applications for AIM Connected Communities Grants 2024 Now Open

Applications for AIM Connected Communities Grants 2024 Now Open

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Applications are now open for AIM’s next round of Connected Communities funding, from which several industrial heritage sites have already benefitted. Grants of £15,000 – £100,000 are available to museums delivering projects in the eligible areas that will improve community connections through high-quality volunteering opportunities and/or reducing loneliness and increasing social bonds. Expressions of Interest must be made by Monday 27 November.

Over the last few years nearly £3 million has been distributed on behalf of the Government by Arts Council England via partners Libraries Connected, Creative Lives and AIM, through the AIM Connected Communities programme. This has created more than 1,000 volunteering opportunities and support more than 4,000 people experiencing, or at risk of, chronic loneliness.

Who can apply? Museums and partnerships or consortia including a museum in one of the 27 eligible areas in England. Organisations do not need to be members of AIM to apply. The scheme is also open to Accredited and non-Accredited museums. Eligible areas include several industrial connurbations, such as Barnsley, Barrow-in-Furness, Burnley, Doncaster, Kingston-upon-Hull, Middlesborough, Rochdale, Sandwell, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Tameside, Wakefield and Wolverhampton.

Further details on how to appley here: https://aim-museums.co.uk/for-aim-members/grants/aim-connected-communities/

To support potential applicants, AIM are hosting online workshops:

  • 8 November – Introduction to Connected Communities.
  • 21 November – The role of museums in supporting wellbeing and alleviating loneliness.
Historic England Free Industrial Heritage Webinar on Elsecar

Historic England Free Industrial Heritage Webinar on Elsecar

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Historic England’s next free lunchtime industrial heritage webinar takes place on 23 February, 1300 – 1400. This webinar will describe the work and findings from the Elsecar Heritage Action Zone which ran from 2017 – 2020.

The model industrial village of Elsecar was developed in the late 18th- and 19th-centuries by the Earls Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse to exploit nearby abundant coal and iron reserves and much of the landscape comprising ironworks, collieries, housing and supporting infrastructure survives to this day.  The webinar will consider this nationally important landscape through the research programme, protection and management strategies, community outreach and engagement, how Barnsley Museums are building on this legacy with an ambitious programme and vision for the village, and potential lessons for elsewhere. It will be of interest to all those involved in the investigation, interpretation, management and presentation of our rich industrial heritage and how it can be at the forefront of place-shaping and regeneration.

Details of the event and how to register can be found here: https://events-emea5.adobeconnect.com/content/connect/c1/1414989231/en/events/event/shared/default_template_simple/event_landing.html?sco-id=5413177798&_charset_=utf-8.

Heritage Open Days – Register Now!

Heritage Open Days – Register Now!

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Registration is now open for Heritage Open Days 2022, which this year runs from the 9th to the 18th September. Last year more than 100 industrial archaeology and heritage sites opened their doors for free to the public in England alone.

You can join the largest festival of history and culture in the UK as an organiser by simply submitting your event, thereby putting your local area on the map, enabling you to tell the stories of people, places, and events that really matter to your local area. This year’s theme is Astounding Inventions, which seems tailor-made for industrial sites. Potential organisers can download a resource pack full of inspiring materials and ideas for events and activities.

Follow this link for more details on Heritage Open Days website