42 C O N T E X T 1 1 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 0 liz bates A new approach to involving volunteers In partnership with the IHBC, Heritage Lincolnshire is recruiting volunteer heritage stewards to survey historic assets and to help raise awareness of heritage at risk. The building preservation trust movement depends on volunteer effort: from the trustees who steer the activities of the charity to the committee members developing the projects and the members of the community who contribute to their delivery. Many volunteers have expertise and knowledge which is invaluable to the movement, but the most important requirements are enthusiasm, interest and a desire to make a positive contribution to the local area. BPTs are skilled at developing partnerships between the public, private and voluntary sectors. They provide much of the impetus, capacity and skills needed to achieve the successes that fill the pages of the Architectural Heritage Fund’s annual reports. One of the challenges currently facing BPTs is the need to build upon this capacity. How do we ensure that the expertise, knowledge and experience embodied within the current membership are shared so that we can continue to develop our role as a partner in heritage-led regeneration? Heritage Lincolnshire is a charitable trust established in 1988 on the initiative of Lincolnshire County Council. The role of a county BPT is just one of many activities of the trust. A full-time officer is employed to manage this work. While the day job continues to be the repair and regeneration of historic buildings at risk (six projects have been completed to date), advice and mentoring is offered to other trusts. Other projects focus on engaging and involving local people in heritage management. The Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk Project, one of these initiatives, is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage, Lincolnshire County Council and other project partners. The project is a national pilot, developed by Heritage Lincolnshire in partnership with the IHBC. Volunteers are offered free training to undertake surveys on heritage assets across the county, assessing the survival and condition of historic buildings, archaeological sites, historic parks and gardens, places of worship and conservation areas. The information fed into the project database can be shared directly with the HER and the Heritage at Risk register held by English Heritage.The data can be analysed for priorities and trends which will inform a Heritage at Risk strategy for the county. The task is huge. There are over 9,000 heritage assets to be surveyed and only three years in which to achieve the aim of 75 per cent coverage. This is an obvious benefit of involving volunteers: without their input this target would not be achievable. The value of having an up-to-date audit of the historic environment of the county is clear, as resources can be more effectively directed once the appropriate evidence has been gathered. Heritage Lincolnshire is recruiting volunteers not only from its core audience (local civic, archaeological and history societies and its membership) but also among young people and others who may not have heard of the BPT movement before. The trust has developed partnerships with local volunteer centres, the Vinvolve team, universities and colleges, and local neighbourhood groups to help with this recruitment, and to design training and taster sessions that will enthuse and engage volunteers. In addition to the free training, accreditation will be offered, social events will give opportunities to meet other volunteers and share experiences, and a buddy system will help volunteers to build up their confidence by working with their peers. The volunteers are called heritage stewards, a title which was designed to reflect their role within the organisation, and which gives them a sense of their contribution. After learning more about their local heritage and understanding how it is valued by the community, they develop an appreciation of how it can be vulnerable and they will help to raise awareness of how we can reduce the incidence of heritage at risk. Some volunteers are already embracing this role and using their own initiative to further their interest. So far this has included joining their local groups, contributing to parish plans and conservation area appraisals, and developing heritage trails. Liz Bates is historic buildings manager for Heritage Lincolnshire. Left:Volunteers on a practical training session in Hemingby, Lincolnshire Right:Volunteers at a project re-launch at Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa For further information visit www.lincshar.org or contact Heritage Lincolnshire, The Old School, Cameron Street, Heckington, Sleaford NG34 9RW, tel 01529 461499, [email protected].
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