Our heritage is made up of extraordinary buildings, treasures and people. These historic sites are an asset to the UK’s economy. They create employment, links to our past, a sense of pride and place for communities and impact positively on the wellbeing of individuals. However, preserving the historic environment for future generations to enjoy comes with a variety of challenges.
The organisations that look after these important assets are tasked with their protection and maintenance. Ecclesiastical’s research shows the following top concerns felt by organisations in the sector and looks at ways to mitigate those risks:
- Threat of a major incident such as fire;
- How to attract larger and more diverse audiences;
- The cost of maintenance, safety and reputation.
Their research focusses on three main areas:
- People, those who interact with heritage sites including the local community, decision makers, maintenance and restoration, visitors, staff and volunteers;
- Assets, how we can plan and prevent our buildings and contents against risk, how to respond and recover;
- Funding, the threats and opportunities.
From snatch lists to sleepovers, resources to rappers, business interruption to Brexit, they ask:
- Why is community engagement and support so important?
- How do we make the right decisions for the good of the site?
- How do we keep people safe, whilst at the same time protecting the site’s fabric and history?
- Can we prepare an efficient response in the face of a disaster?
- How can we futureproof a historic building and its contents?
- Can we do any of this in a cost effective and time efficient way?
Read the full report here.