An all - Wales network for Heritage interests?

Ruthin Castle visit — Open Doors 2006

Do you feel keyed into what the Heritage Sector is up to? Do you or your organisation need information or a channel to input and exchange your views? If the answer is yes then this new network could be for you….

These are both exciting and challenging times for all those that work in the Heritage and Cultural sector.

We have a new Heritage Minister at the helm that will inevitably give the sector a higher profile. His recognition that protecting and enhancing our heritage will promote opportunities to develop tourism and help the new Government to deliver across many other agendas.

There is the prospect of new legislation that will change the way in which we protect and manage our historic environment in the 21st Century and there are exciting plans to develop an all-Wales collection of peoples’ history.

This is just a flavour of the issues people are interested in and with which they want to engage. Often, however, lack of capacity or lack of the relevant information prevents this.

How does this affect you?

The vast contribution that is made by the voluntary sector to protecting the historic environment, supporting sustainable communities, delivering regeneration and informing policy development through grassroots projects is not yet fully realised. In part we believe that this is because there is no official network that is wide enough to represent the heritage sector in Wales in its broadest form and co-ordinate activity at various levels.

We think there’s a way to match up the needs of the voluntary sector with what’s happening at a strategic level where our heritage is concerned. We think there’s potential to give the voluntary sector a stronger voice in determining need at a government level, helping to broker solutions.

How do we propose we do this?

An initial small steering group consisting of the Civic Trust Wales, the National Trust Wales, the Institute of Historic Building Conservation and WCVA is keen to develop this idea in consultation with the sector. The aims and objectives of such a network might be to:

• provide information and networking opportunities to all voluntary sector groups in Wales with broad heritage interests.
• provide a point for sharing good practice and building capacity within the heritage sector.
• inform and facilitate policy development at a local and governmental level.
• be a co-ordinating body, acting as a further resource to the Historic Environment Group that advises the Heritage Minister.

As a way forward we are hoping to gauge the needs of the sector in its broadest sense to work out exactly how a network could most benefit the needs of heritage groups in the voluntary sector.

As part of our initial consultation process, we are interested in what Network Wales readers think about such a network and as a starting point would welcome comments, suggestions and ideas as to how this new network could operate in Wales and be taken forward.

If you have an interest, then please forward your thoughts to the Welsh Heritage Network Steering Group.

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Erika Kluge

22 January 2008