Heritage Day 2025
Heritage Creates
Join us for this year’s Heritage Day Conference!
Wednesday 5th March 2025: In-Person Heritage Day is a leading annual sector conference, run by the Heritage Alliance for over 10 years. Our flagship event offers heritage leaders, staff, and volunteers a unique forum to hear from decision-makers, gain skills, and foster connections. This year’s Heritage Day will be held on Wednesday 5th March, hosted in-person at The Tower of London.
The conference generates sector-wide interest, attracting attendees from charities, government departments, academia, funding bodies, and commercial organisations. Our theme for 2024 is ‘Heritage Creates’, a celebration of how heritage shapes and fosters creativity across policy, communities, and opportunities for the future.
This will be an in-person-only event, providing a unique opportunity to connect with leaders, creatives, and decision-makers from across the sector.
Keep an eye on this page for updates and more information as we get closer to the event!
Date
Wednesday 5th March 2025, 09:00–19:00.Location
The conference will be in-person at The Tower of London.Tickets
Tickets have been released, purchase them below!
... until the conference begins!
Run by:
Sponsored by:
Tickets
Conference Programme
Heritage Day is a unique, sector-wide forum. It is designed to draw together and reflect the breadth and depth of the sector, stimulate strategic thinking on emerging trends and current challenges, and showcase inspiring stories from across the sector. Discussions will touch on topics including youth engagement, policy-making and the importance of community-driven heritage.
Here's an idea of what you can look forward to:
- Keynote speeches by Dr Nick Merriman OBE, the Chief Executive of English Heritage, and Carole Souter OBE, Chair of The Heritage Alliance and former CEO of the National Lottery Heritage Fund
- Panels featuring heritage leaders and policy-makers
- Inspiring case-studies from across the breadth of the sector
- Opportunities to expand your network with heritage leaders, staff, and volunteers from charities, government departments, academia, funders, and commercial organisations
- An evening drinks reception to celebrate the sector’s achievements.
More details on the programme will be released closer to the day.
The Ecclesiastical Heritage Heroes Awards
The winners of the Ecclesiastical Heritage Heroes Awards 2024 will be announced at Heritage Day.
For over a decade, these annual awards have celebrated the incredible contributions of volunteers across the UK heritage sector. More than a simple ‘thank you’, they recognise the unique contribution that volunteers make to the historic environment and to the heritage organisations they work with. The awards are run by the Heritage Alliance, thanks to the generous support of Ecclesiastical Insurance.
Our Speakers
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Dr Nick Merriman OBE
Chief Executive, English Heritage
Dr Nick Merriman OBE joined English Heritage as Chief Executive in 2024. He studied archaeology at Cambridge University and his PhD, also at Cambridge on exploring the barriers to participation in heritage, was published as ‘Beyond the Glass Case’ in 1991.
Dismantling those barriers has been the thread running throughout his career, and Nick has held roles at the Museum of London, the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, Manchester Museum, and the Horniman Museum and Gardens, where he was Chief Executive and Director of Content. Under Nick’s leadership, the Horniman won Art Fund Museum of the Year 2022 for its work on acknowledging the museum’s colonial legacy and in engaging the public with the climate and biodiversity crisis.
Nick recently edited the volume ‘Museums and the Climate Crisis’ (Routledge 2024) and wrote ‘Returning the Benin Bronzes: A case study of the Horniman’s restitution’ (Palgrave Macmillan 2024).
Ros Kerslake CBE
Chair, The Architectural Heritage Fund
Ros Kerslake has more than 30 years experience in heritage regeneration, property, and business. Ros is currently Chair of the Architectural Heritage Fund and Leeds Castle Foundation; a trustee of Re-form Heritage and the University College of Estate Management; a member of the Community and Voluntary Services Honours Advisory Committee; and a group board member of Sanctuary (the Housing and Care Group).
She was Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund from 2016 to 2021, where she led a UK-wide team of 300 staff, responsible for the distribution of up to £400 million per annum. Her earlier roles include serving Chief Executive at The Prince’s Regeneration Trust and RegenCo Sandwell, and Director at Railtrack, Booker PLC, and Gulf Oil (a UK subsidiary of Chevron Corporation).
Her previous non-executive roles include Senior Independent Director and Chair of the RemCom at U+I PLC (a regeneration-based property developer), Quintain Estates and Development PLC, Black Country Housing Association, and Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation. Ros is a qualified solicitor and holds an MBA. Ros was awarded an OBE in 2015, and a CBE in 2020 for services to heritage. She holds honorary degrees from Keele and Staffordshire Universities.
Andrew Jackson CBE
Tower Director, Historic Royal Palaces
Andrew joined Historic Royal Palaces in May 2019 after more than 33 years of leadership and staff roles in the Army. His early career as an Infantry officer with The Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire took him to Northern Ireland and Bosnia, as well as training in the UK, Germany and Australia. He has worked in the Ministry of Defence twice, and following a year in Afghanistan as Deputy Commander of Task Force Helmand in 2011/12 he was awarded a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service.
On promotion to Brigadier, he was the Director of Operations for the Army Recruiting and Training Division before a short period on secondment to the Cabinet Office. His final role in the Army was as Chief Training and Force Development for Headquarters, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, a NATO HQ based in Gloucester. Andrew designed and managed a programme to change the role of the HQ, including the delivery of a series of major training events. He was appointed CBE in the 2019 New Year’s Honours List.
A history graduate from the University of York, he also has a MA in Military Studies and is a Member of the Royal College of Defence Studies. He remains Colonel, The Yorkshire Regiment and Chairman of the Regiment’s Trustees until 2021 and is a Trustee of the Army Sailing Association.
Carole Souter CBE
Chair, The Heritage Alliance
Carole is currently Chair and Trustee of The Heritage Alliance. Carole is a passionate advocate for culture and heritage, with an outstanding record of achievement in the sector. She led the Heritage Lottery Fund (now the National Lottery Heritage Fund) as Chief Executive from 2003-2016, overseeing the distribution of billions of pounds of investment in culture, heritage and the environment. She has recently stepped down as interim chair of Historic Royal Palaces, having served in that role during the period of mourning for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, and the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed in Hillsborough Castle.
Carole served from 2016-2022 as Master of St Cross College at the University of Oxford, a graduate College with students from all over the world. She also chaired the Board of Visitors of the University Museum of Natural History and, as a Trustee, the Planning Committee of the Oxford Preservation Trust. She was an advocate for equality and diversity across the University, focusing particularly on the importance of supporting those with no prior connection to the University.
Sarah Holloway
Heritage Open Days Programme Manager, National Trust
Sarah leads the operational team for England’s largest festival of history and culture. She’s been involved for many years, seeing it through three organisational changes and a pandemic, always focused on fostering the extraordinary community network that powers it. She has also developed and curates the national website as a storytelling platform to showcase the diversity of the sector, its people and places, through blog posts, event spotlights and case studies.
She is an active member of The Heritage Alliance’s advocacy group for Skills, Education and Engagement, as well as the Wellbeing & Heritage sector working group run by Historic England, NASP and the Council for British Archaeology.
Lizzie Glithero-West
CEO, The Heritage Alliance
Lizzie Glithero-West has served as Chief Executive of the Heritage Alliance since 2016, bringing over two decades of experience spanning the heritage, culture, and public sectors. As a civil servant, she worked as Private Secretary to Culture Ministers and the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). She was also Head of Logistics at DCMS during a General Election, and completed secondments at English Heritage and the National Museum Directors’ Council.
Throughout her career, Lizzie has developed expert knowledge of archaeology, heritage protection, museums, and tourism. She lectures on heritage at Oxford University, and sits on several boards and advisory groups (including the Egypt Exploration Society, Royal Holloway’s Humanities Advisory Board, and the Canal and River Trust’s Cultural Heritage Advisory Group). As Chief Executive, Lizzie brings experience and passion to her leadership of the Heritage Alliance – and to Heritage Day.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Conservative Peer and Shadow DCMS Lords Minister
Stephen Parkinson (Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay) served as Minister for Arts, Heritage & Libraries in the previous Conservative Government, and now serves as Shadow Minister covering DCMS matters in the House of Lords. A history graduate and published author, he is a Trustee of the Cambridge Union and a Vice-President of the Public Statues and Sculpture Association.
Networking and Exhibitors
Heritage Day will feature networking and exhibition spaces. Expect to meet colleagues from the breadth of heritage: from built heritage to archaeology, industrial and mobile heritage to, skills, academia, collections and science.
Interested in being an Exhibitor at Heritage Day? Get in touch with us by emailing membership@theheritagealliance.org.uk, or purchase your Exhibitor ticket above.
Interested in being an Exhibitor at Heritage Day? Get in touch with us by emailing membership@theheritagealliance.org.uk, or purchase your Exhibitor ticket above.
Our Event Sponsors
Heritage Day 2025 is open to all those with an interest in heritage through the generous support of Ecclesiastical Insurance (our Corporate Partner), and Historic Royal Palaces.Ecclesiastical Insurance
Corporate Partner
We are a specialist insurer with a charitable purpose, as we believe it’s possible to do business differently and build a powerful movement for good across society. Proudly part of the Benefact Group, we give millions of pounds to thousands of charities every year. We’re a Directory of Social change top 3 company donor, and have given £200m to more than 10,000 donations since 2014. Our purpose drives our goal of being the most trusted insurer in our chosen markets. It shapes the way we do business, particularly our focus on doing the right thing for our customers and business partners. We believe in doing business better because we can create a real impact in the world and the more we grow, the more we can give to good causes.
Historic Royal Palaces
Venue Sponsor
We are the independent charity that loves and looks after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. The palaces are the setting for the stories that shape us all, and we’re bringing them to people in ways that mean more to them. We want everyone to find themselves in the spaces and stories we share.
We have a charitable duty, written into our founding charter, to help everyone learn about the sites in our care. We want everyone to feel welcome and accepted when they visit the palaces.
We have a charitable duty, written into our founding charter, to help everyone learn about the sites in our care. We want everyone to feel welcome and accepted when they visit the palaces.
Engagement Opportunities
Heritage Day is a great opportunity for you or your organisation to access a uniquely targeted and engaged audience that is energised to collaborate in the heritage space. If you are interested in extending your presence at the conference and making valuable connections, then we have various sponsorship and partnership opportunities open to you. You can:
- sponsor the event through a range of packages suited to different budgets and goals;
- showcase your organisation by hosting a stand in our networking and exhibition spaces (click here to see photos of exhibitors at last year’s event);
- advertise on the conference website or printed programme;
- act as a supporting partner and promote the event through your networks (a no-cost role, in exchange for reciprocal promotion).
Heritage Alliance Members are able to access exclusive discounts on conference stands and advertising . If you would like further information about any of our advertising and sponsorship opportunities, please get in touch with Emma (our Membership and Events Coordinator) at membership@theheritagealliance.org.uk
The Venue - HRP Tower of London
HM Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London (the Tower) is one of England’s most evocative ancient monuments. There is a tangible sense of history in every tower and around every corner, making it an endlessly fascinating place for visitors from all round the world.
The buildings and layout that we see today stand as the culmination of a sequence which started around 1067, and have developed dynamically ever since in line with the changing needs of the site’s occupants, users and visitors.
About the Heritage Alliance
The Heritage Alliance is the membership body representing the independent heritage sector in England. Established in 2002, we now bring together over 200 independent organisations which collectively represent over 7 million volunteers, trustees, and staff. We aim champion the breadth and diversity of the heritage sector: from built heritage to archaeology, from industrial and mobile heritage to academia and science.
We provide a supportive and trusted platform for heritage bodies to connect with each other, stay informed, and gain skills and insights. We act as an advocate for the sector, engaging closely with Parliament and government departments, as well as with arms-length bodies, think tanks, funding bodies, and commercial organisations.
“The Heritage Alliance brings the heritage sector together. There is strength in unity.”Heritage Alliance Member, 2023
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To discuss membership options, please email our Membership Team or visit our website.
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