Heritage & Inclusive Growth
Hannah Webster, Senior Researcher, The RSA
Heritage is an important part of our communities, from our built environment to local events and traditions. But as we understand the role heritage can take in supporting our communities in crisis, and playing a role in building back better, we need to ask ourselves how we do this with inclusivity, sustainability and resilience in mind.
The RSA’s recent report written in partnership with the British Council, uses the framing of inclusive growth to explore these questions. In it, we draw links between domains of heritage, inclusive growth, our attachment to places and the key organisations and institutions that can play a leading role in taking forward an inclusive growth agenda for the heritage sector. We also explore places and initiatives where this has come to life, like the Don’t Settle project in Birmingham and the Black Country; a programme supporting young people of colour to shape the stories we tell in our heritage through research and curation.
The Heritage Index
All local areas will have heritage assets that provide the opportunity to work more inclusively. This might be an opportunity to reflect on whose heritage is represented, how citizens engage with heritage, to create sustainable heritage for future generations or to promote diversity and inclusion within the sector. The RSA’s Heritage Index helps us to understand what opportunities local areas have. Created in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Heritage Index pulls together data from over 100 open data sources to quantify local heritage pictures. We hope the data can be used to identify areas of heritage potential, and also to exemplify how heritage can be an inclusive asset. We include, for example, data on Heritage Open Days to understand how heritage is being made accessible for all.
How heritage has inspired me
During the pandemic I've found myself drawn back to the area I grew up in and - when lockdown restrictions allow - visiting the seaside town. My arrival is marked by the landscapes along the journey, with castle ruins on the outskirts of town signalling my arrival and the seaside promenade where people flock for their socially distanced stroll offering a walk with a view. The Covid-19 crisis has shown to us how important our local communities and the place we live in are - the parks we visit to socialise safely, the local business that feed us whilst we stay at home, organisations who support us and the spaces they support us in.
Heritage, Health & Wellbeing
Lizzie Glithero-West, Chief Executive, The Heritage Alliance
The Heritage Alliance, England’s largest coalition of heritage interests, recently published a new report into the positive impact heritage spaces and organisations have on the wellbeing of individuals and communities. The Heritage, Health and Wellbeing report showcases over 30 case studies covering the breadth of the heritage sector – including Heritage Open Days. The final report, inspired by the Alliance’s 2017 Debate ‘Is Heritage Good for your Health?’, represented 3 years of conversations and research to understand the needs of both the health and heritage sectors, and to gather best practice. It demonstrates how heritage spaces have provided a backdrop for community-building, an opportunity for local communities to connect with their local area alongside a range of projects aiding physical and mental health outcomes. From yoga in a historic house to a group of disabled adults empowered to put on a club night at Alexandra Palace, Heritage Alliance members are improving the nation’s health and wellness, both inadvertently and increasingly as part of their organisational and activity strategies. The report considers these case studies, and the sector’s experiences more widely, to make recommendations to the heritage sector, the health sector, and to government.
How heritage has inspired me
I grew up in a cottage that had a proud 1717 datestone and which my parents renovated themselves, including a rather sinister room where the previous occupier made his own tripe. I got the heritage bug from the mummies at Manchester Museum, Pre-Raphaelites at Manchester Gallery, open air museums, Lakeland Fells and the fabulous stock of the Cornish National Trust Properties. I love that heritage is broad and deep and full of joyful possibilities - there is truly something for everyone - and I'm so lucky to have ended up making the case for why it really matters in its myriad of forms.
Find out more
- Introducing The RSA
- Read the Heritage & Inclusive Growth report
- Explore the Heritage Index
- Introducing The Heritage Alliance
- Read the Heritage, Health & Wellbeing report
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