C O N T E X T 1 1 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 13 IHBC Annual School 2010 IHBC Annual School 2009 IHBC Annual School 2010 Day School reports Loyd Grossman, chairman, Heritage Alliance As a previous English Heritage commissioner and current chair of the Heritage Alliance and Churches Conservation Trust, Loyd’s commitment to heritage is clear. His ease of delivery, his passion for, and his knowledge of, his subjects were quickly apparent. In his opening he referred to the Royal College of Physicians building, Sir Hans Sloane, chocolate, and how Sloane’s great collection was saved for the nation using proceeds from a lottery established solely for that purpose. It was perhaps inevitable that spending cuts and impending change were to be the themes that ran through Loyd’s presentation. However, his message was a positive one, drawing on the words of Heraclitus: ‘nothing endures but change’. He challenged us all, as heritage professionals, not to be threatened, but to see this as the opportunity to get back to core values, to re-examine and restate what matters, and to work hard to make sure that we get our message across to others. He reminded us that heritage is not just buildings and landscapes. It includes art, old buses and trains, the finds in our local museums, even granny’s coronation mug.There is something for everyone to love, and with the passage of time there appears to be an everincreasing number of institutions, bodies, owners and volunteers involved in the upkeep of heritage. Loyd felt that the quantitative obsessions of the last government meant that we were in danger of losing sight of heritage as a tangible asset. He reminded us that we needed to get the message out that heritage had an increasingly important role to play in sustaining and rebuilding communities, giving a focus for local pride and sense of belonging. It also played a considerable role in the economy. Tourism creates wealth, with two thirds of visitors quoting our history and heritage as their main reason for coming. Loyd stressed that the Heritage Alliance represented a broad church of people and organisations. Over two thirds of our heritage was outside the state and a third in private ownership. Collectively we all needed to work together, finding improved ways of influencing government and encouraging greater inter-departmental thinking of heritage matters between DCMS, DCLG, DEFRA and education. He reminded us that heritage was unlikely to be a government priority. As a sector we needed to be highly persuasive of the positive role heritage could play in all aspects of British life. During this comprehensive spending review we needed to act as vocal advocates to show how excellence in heritage could make a big difference, often the difference between nowhere and somewhere. Debbie Dance Delivering a high-quality conservation service Rosemarie MacQueen has been director of planning and city development at Westminster City Council since 2007. Many of us have known her since the early days of the Association of Conservation Officers, so have an appreciation of her strong commitment to building conservation. Conservation officers who rise to high-level management roles such as MacQueen provide an important voice within local authorities and beyond, advocating best conservation practice, so it was encouraging to hear her speak so positively. The delegate sitting next to me whispered that she thought MacQueen was inspiring. Loyd Grossman: nothing endures but change Rosemarie MacQueen: a city of contrasts
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