There is only one answer to the question, it is “our place.”
‘There is a great importance with the sectors work to broaden the sense of heritage and what it means to others.’
‘Heritage has wonderful power to create prosperous communities.’
Our notion of heritage has become more inclusive, but how do we make it reflect the communities that make up this diverse country we live in? There is passion across communities to develop and talk about a sense of:
Where do we belong?
How do we build on this together?
Heritage cannot be owned by one class or culture. We have a shared history. But where better to talk about some the issues than Manchester, with its rich past and involvement in the industrial revolution? It’s a knowledge and cultural capital with a rich future. She continues to speak of the regeneration and housing projects that have taken place and are currently under way in the city.
The Baroness concludes by providing an example of an underprivileged area of Birmingham that has been regenerated through a community project and has seen a strong sense of social cohesion and pride in the community’s heritage since.
Click to download a brief soundbite from Baroness Andrews of press play below:
To download a transcript of Baroness Andrew’s speech, click here.
Management of heritage in an age of ever more disparate identities is becoming more challenging.
Fragmentation within society has come about through diverse ethnicity, and movement from rural / suburban areas into cities. Now is the time to examine these issues.
‘This conference is a real opportunity to find answers’
‘Britain is a world leader in cultural and heritage vision.’ The ‘Heritage fund’ will go a long way towards strengthening the UK’s position.
The role of the government in providing free access to museums to the public is fundamental to allowing us to find out what heritage and identity means.
A&E departments of hospitals are used as an example to describe as a place where we meet everybody and anybody in society – a point of contact – these are very important. These are places where a genuinely shared sense of community takes place.
There is a need to think beyond the buildings, behind the structure, and think about the bodies behind heritage.
Where do these buildings fit into the stories that are our Britain?
How do we interpret and convey their importance?
The recent ‘History matters, pass it on’ campaign aims to raise the importance of history in our lives and is crucial to raising our awareness.
DCMS is working closely with a number of bodies and authorities such as DFES. Next year will see a new online network aimed at connecting people with resources on heritage.
Outreach is recognised as important, accessing hard-to-reach groups and attracting them into galleries, museums and so on. Doing so will hopefully make it part of their everyday life.
Lastly is the role of volunteering.
There needs to be greater professionalism, and a need to create a sense of ownership. Quality training is essential to keep up the work and maintain motivation.
Volunteers are an essential part of our environment and work in heritage.
Tolerance, human dignity and human rights are all part of the history of this country. That’s why the sector is important.
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Unfortunately David had to leave quickly after his speech, therefore we couldn’t get an interview. However, here’s a short soundbite from the speech.
better to talk about some the issues than Manchester, with its rich past and involvement in the industrial revolution? It’s a knowledge and cultural capital with a rich future. She continues to speak of the regeneration and housing projects that have taken place and are currently under way in the city.
