Latest Inbound Visitor Stats Published by Visit Britain

Heritage Update 192

Friday 3 september 2010
The Heritage Alliance is the largest alliance of heritage interests inthe UK, representing 83 member organisations, with the aim of promoting the central role of thenon-Government movement in the heritage sector.Heritage Update is our voice; to, and for, the sector. It is estimated that Update reaches approximately 12,000 mailboxes in the UK and internationally; with readers as far afield as Abu Dhabi, Antarctica, Istanbul and California. For more information visit
CONTENTS
HEADLINES
Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt to speak at The Alliance’s Heritage Day: 8 December

Latest inbound visitor stats published by Visit Britain

The Taking Part Survey: headline findings for participation in the historic environment

Places of worship @ The Heritage Alliance: update on the LPWGS campaign

Government endorses Civic Voice’s Street Pride campaign

Heritage Open Days 2010: 9 - 12 September
Oops: rogue decimal point!
HAVE YOUR SAY: CONSULTATION ROUND UP
NEWS

London guidance on capital views issued

Heritage Blacksmith Bursary: seeking prospective students and workshops
The British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) announces voluntary liquidation
IHBC calls for research on Historic Environment Records & conservation service links
The Cultural Learning Alliance: The Big Link-Up, 1-5 November
Engaging Places: the future of cultural education
Ride or stride to support your local historic church this September
The Marsh Archaeology Award 2010: nominations invited
European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards: nominate now
ALSO THIS FORTNIGHT…
Seventh issue of Places of Worship @The Heritage Alliancenewsletter published

Cigarette bin row in conservation area to go to court

Wales’ terraces promised a new lease of life

The Rothschild Foundation: Jewish Heritage Grant Programme details announced
EVENTS AND COURSES
SITUATIONS VACANT
NOTES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
HEADLINES
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Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt to speak at The Alliance’s Heritage Day: 8 December
This week the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed that Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt, has accepted our Chairman’s invitation to speak at our Heritage Day on 8 December. Alliance Chairman Loyd Grossman said: “This is very good news indeed. We look forward to welcoming Jeremy Hunt to the Banqueting House in December, and I’m sure the sector will be keen to hear what he has to say. Following the Prime Minister’s warm words about the Alliance and its members, and the importance of heritage for tourism, it seems that this Government is starting to give our heritage the long overdue recognition it deserves.”
Heritage Day is now the biggest annual forum for the entire heritage sector. This year the event will take place at The Banqueting House, Whitehall, London SW1. After the Alliance members’ AGM in the morning, all are invited to attend the lunchtime reception and to hear theMinister speak. Registration forms will be on the Alliance website in October, so keep an eye on Update for further news andnote the date in your diary now!Back
Latest inbound visitor stats published by VisitBritain
Britain's major museums, galleries and heritage sites earned the country £1 billion in revenue from overseas tourists last year, a recent VisitBritain survey reveals. The latest report confirms thatBritain’s heritage is a key motivator for international visitors, with figures showing that in 2009 6.4 million visited a religious monument or building, 5.8 million visited a castle and 5 million visited a historic house.
The Tower of London was identified as the top attraction for international visitors in 2009, with 2.4 million visitors. The NationalMaritimeMuseum in Greenwich was second with 2.3 million. St Paul’s Cathedral was fourth on 1.8 million and Westminster Abbey saw 1.4 million visitors. More here.

A question on the International Passenger Survey asking about a range of activities that visitors may have undertaken during their stay showed that among the 30 million inbound visits in 2009, 7.7 million included visiting a museum and 4.2 million, an art gallery. For a break down of which nationalities favour which sites click here.

On 2009 figures, tourism is the UK’s third highest export earner behind Chemicals and Financial Services, with inbound visitors spending more than £16bn annually and contributing over £3bn to the Exchequer. The ‘direct’ effect of spending by overseas and domestic tourists is estimated at £90bn in 2009. For more stats clickhere. Back
The Taking Part Survey: headline findings for participation in the historic environment

Taking Part is a continuous survey produced by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that provides reliable national estimates of engagement with heritage, libraries, the arts, sport and museums & galleries. It contains data for both adults and 5-15 year old children. The latest estimates from the 2009/10 Taking Part adult and child surveys were released on 19 August and cover the period April 2009 – April 2010.

Key findings in the latest release show that overall levels for participation in the historic environment 2009/10 are static (at 70.4 per cent), though those who participate are doing so more.

Historic cities (54.8 per cent), parks and gardens (41.5 per cent) and buildings (38.5 per cent) remain the top three most popular attractions (unchanged since 2005/06). Historic parks and gardens are shown to be the one historic attraction growing in popularity (38.4 per cent in 2005/06 to 41.5 per cent in 2009/10).

The North East of England is the only region where participation rates have significantly risen between 2005/06 and 2009/10 (69.1 per cent to 74.4 per cent).
The 45-64 age group remains a key market for the historic environment, with the highest participation rates among adults (76.6 per cent). The dramatic fall in participation rates between 5-15 year olds and 16-24 year olds remains. In 2009/10 79.4 per cent of 5-10 year olds visited at least one heritage site (baseline 71.4 per cent in 2008/09) and 71 per cent of 11-15 year olds (72 per cent in 2006/07). Whilst participation rates are high in this age group, amongst 16-24 year olds the participation rate is 59.9 per cent, indicating that life changes such as leaving school or leaving the family home have a significant impact on participation levels amongst young people.

New data looking at participation levels by deprivation highlight inequalities in engagement, showing that double the proportion of adults living in the 10 per cent least deprived areas participate in the historic environment (84.2 per cent) as compared to the 10 per cent most deprived (39.8 per cent). For the full statistical release, clickhere. Back

Places of worship @ The Heritage Alliance: update on the LPWGS campaign
POWAlliance, The Heritage Alliance’s project dedicated to Places of Worship,continues to take a lead role in the campaign to save theListed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS).
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced in August that budget cuts to the LPWGS needed to be made during this financial year, and asked for responses from the POW sector as to how they would prefer these to be made - either by keeping the VAT refunds at 15 per cent when VAT rises to 20 per cent in January 2011, or by excluding certain categories of repair costs. POWAlliance forwarded the request for consultation to its members, and submitted a joint response to Jeremy Dann, Senior Policy Advisor in the Culture Team at the DCMS.
In addition, POWAlliance and the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Church of England worked together to produce an information leaflet for John Penrose, Minister for Tourism and Heritage, setting out the reasons why the LPWGS should be preserved and citing a number of case studies of places where the Scheme had been of particular importance. The leaflet can be downloaded from the POWAlliance library on The Heritage Alliance’s website, here. Please feel free to use it in every way you can to help promote the campaign at local level!
The campaign still needs as many individuals and organisations as possible to send letters to their local MPs, and to John Penrose, asking for the retention of the Scheme post March 2011. A sample letter can be downloaded from the Church of England’s Churchcare website, here. Also, see if your MP has signed up to the Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for the continuation of the scheme, here and register your support by signing the new petition (set up by the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and supported by TV presenter and new President of Civic Voice Griff Rhys Jones) here. Back
Government endorses Civic Voice’s Street Pride campaign

Last week (26 August) the Government announced its commitment to a crack-down on street clutter - such as unnecessary railings, signs and advertising hoardings – following a strong campaign from Civic Voice (a member of The Heritage Alliance) with the backing of over 75 civic societies across the country.

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (CLG) Eric Pickles and Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond wrote jointly to all Council Leaders urging them to get rid of unnecessary “street furniture” and backing the “good urban design” promoted by Civic Voice: “We know that clutter can build up over time affecting the character of your streets. Organisations like Living Streets and Civic Voice, through their ‘Street Pride’ campaign, provide the tools for communities to undertake street audits to help identify hotspots. We are sure this information will help you to work with your communities.” Read the full letter hereand full press statement here.CLG has also posted You Tube interviewshere.

Director of Civic Voice, Tony Burton, said: “Too many streets are plagued with pointless clutter, blighting the local environment and people’s lives. Civic Voice believes in streets we can all be proud of. Our Street Pride campaign gives people the power to make a difference. With today’s welcome backing from the Government we should reclaim our streets and see them cleared of clutter.”
The Street Pride campaign toolkit, which provides information for local groups on how to undertake a street audit and lobby local politicians to de-clutter their area, can be downloaded here. For the latest news on the campaign, including links to all media coverage, click here. Also see the Historic Towns Forum’s comments on street clutter, here. Back
Heritage Open Days 2010: 9 - 12 September
As energetically and imaginatively as ever, this year’s Heritage Open Days (HODs) celebrates England’s fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public, or normally charge for admission.
Over 9 -12 September this year over 4,000 buildings of every age, style and function - Medieval cottages, timber-framed Tudor buildings, Gothic temples, Georgian townhouses, Victorian factories, Second World War defences, Art Deco cinemas, Modernist masterpieces and 21st-century eco-homes – will open their doors, aiming to bring England’s historic places to life for the public. In addition to this there will also be an extensive events programme run by local organisers at museums, churches, historic parks and elsewhere, ranging from re-enactments of Roman life to battlefield walks, all designed to help people discover the national treasures on their door steps.
Last year HODs drew on the support of an army of 41,000 volunteers who opened up their buildings, gave tours and talks and organised activities and events. This huge body of local people, from all walks of life, makes HODs England’s largest voluntary cultural event. For more information, and for a list of HODs events taking place in your area, click here. Back
Oops: rogue decimal point!
Referring to the English Heritage Annual Report and Accounts, the figures given in Heritage Update 191 of £32.3k in 2008-9 and £29.3k in 2009-10 for grant expenditure should have read millions not thousands. English Heritage awarded £32.3 million in grants in 2009-10 - a much valued source of investment that frequently attracts additional funding for buildings and monuments, Conservation Areas, places of worship and the wider historic environment. Back
HAVE YOUR SAY: CONSULTATION ROUND UP
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September
Consultation on the Regional Growth Fund. A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consultation seeking views on the design of the Regional Growth Fund, which was announced in the budget on 22 June 2010: deadline 6 September.
Cultural Metropolis: The Mayor of London’s Draft Cultural Strategy 2012 and beyond. A Greater London Authority consultation: deadline 6 September.
Rebalancing the Licensing Act. A Home Office consultation on government plans to overhaul the current licensing regime. Some of the proposals, for example that allowing local authorities to increase licensing fees so that they are based on full cost recovery,could have implications for the heritage sector where it seeks to support itself through events. Deadline 8 September.
Smarter Loans: reviewing the key principles of loans between UK museums. A Museums Association consultation: deadline 17 September. See News section.
English Heritage Research Strategies. English Heritage is consulting informally on its research strategies for Prehistoric Archaeology, The Historic Industrial Environment and The Urban Historic Environment. Comments on these draft strategies should be sent to the relevant named contact (listed on the webpage) by 30 September.
October
Consultation on a draft UK Marine Policy Statement. A Defra consultation: deadline 13 October.
Skills for Sustainable Growth: Consultation on the Future Direction of Skills Policy. A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consultation seeking views on the government’s draft vision for skills and what it expects to be the key elements of a strategy for delivering it. Deadline 14 October 2010.
The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2010: Consultation on draft regulations. This consultation from the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) seeks views on the consolidation of the 1999 Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations. It explains amendments for screening changes and extensions and the requirement for the competent authority to provide reasons for screening decisions. Deadline 25 October.
Consultation on new policy direction for BIG Lottery Fund. A Department for Culture, Media and Sport consultation. Deadline 29 October.
November
The Setting of Heritage Assets. An English Heritage consultation. Deadline 26 November.
NEWS
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London: guidance on capital views issued
In one of several initiatives regarding the importance of setting, London Mayor Boris Johnson has published final planning guidance to strengthen the protection given to the historic views of the capital’s most iconic landmarks and World Heritage Sites. After consultation last summer on the 2007 guidance, the new London Views Management Framework aims to help ensure some of the conurbation’s landmarks and World Heritage Sites are not obscured or spoilt by development when seen from specific points. The guidance also provides greater clarity about what can be built in London’s panoramas, river and townscape views.
The framework strengthens the rules around 11 established ‘Protected Vistas’ between St Paul’s Cathedral and the Palace of Westminster and introduces two further Protected Vistas - from Parliament Hill to the Palace of Westminster and from the Serpentine Bridge to the Palace of Westminster. The new advice also provides greater clarity on the protection of central London’s World Heritage Sites – the Palace of Westminster, the Tower of London,Greenwich and the view from St James’ Park to Horse Guards Parade.
To view the draft Revised London View Management Framework, click here. Back
Heritage Blacksmith Bursary: seeking prospective students and workshops
The National Heritage Ironwork Group (NHIG) is seeking both students and workshops to participate in its Heritage Blacksmith Bursary project, which it is running thanks to a £350,200 Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant awarded under its ‘Skills for the Future’ programme, subject to approval of the NHIG training plan.
Are you interested in learning the advanced skills of restoration work, or do you know somebody who may be? If so the NHIG’s Heritage Blacksmith Bursaries project will offer practical skill-based training in the conservation of historic ironwork to semi-skilled blacksmiths over the age of 19 years delivered in a workshop environment. Bursaries will last for 12 months with each student receiving £15,000 to cover all their costs for the duration of the project. Student expressions of interest for the 2011/12 placements must be received by 26 November.To express interest email the NHIG secretary Bethan Griffiths your contact details to Lack of formal qualifications should not be seen as a bar to entry, and all are welcome to apply. To find out more, click here.
The NHIG is also looking for workshops that may be undertaking interesting wrought ironwork restoration projects in the next 12 months and could host trainees. The timing and length of placements is flexible and will be agreed on an individual basis with each workshop with the initial selection of workshops taking their first students in February 2011. Workshop expressions of interest must be received by 1 October to the NHIG secretary Bethan Griffiths at To find out more, click here. Back