Civic Voice are calling for participation in this year’s Civic Day which is to be held on Saturday June 20, if you run community heritage projects (or would like to consider ways of doing this) why not submit an event to celebrate your work and other local achievements by community?
Civic Voice have produced a leaflet highlighting 101 suggestions, some of the many relating to the conservation of heritage include:
- Organise an architecture festival on local buildings
- Invite architects, historians or owners to give building tours
- Hold a public meeting about the future of the town
- Organise an ‘open garden’ day
- Ask for blue plaque nominations
- Get a local business to sponsor some interpretation boards
- Run a best shop front award
- Produce a podcast on your heritage with local students
- Invite nominations for a local list of important buildings
- Record memories in an oral history project
- Create an eyesore of the month award with a public vote
- Identify important trees not yet protected
- Give all residents a history of their conservation area
- Start a stopped clock
- Introduce a design award for the best new buildings
Civic Voice writes:
Civic Day is a national celebration of civic pride. It is a day when communities across the country say ‘we care about where we live’.
In 2009 the Yorkshire Association of Civic Societies launched Civic Society Week, an annual event that encouraged civic societies to celebrate where they live. In 2011, fully supportive of this initiative, Civic Voice organised the first ever national Civic Day. This year it is being held on June 20th 2015 and it has the potential to become one of England’s most popular voluntary cultural events. The event is a unique opportunity to stimulate new interest and generate a renewed sense of civic pride for communities across the country.
Although the co-ordinating work is done by Civic Voice, what really makes this event happen is the fantastic effort of thousands of volunteers. These people give guided tours, put on exhibitions, arrange street parties, organise competitions and help visitors understand the area they live in just a little bit more.
The first ever Civic Day was held on June 25th, 2011 and involved over 200 community groups across England who put on over 350 events to celebrate where they live.
Civic Day 2015 will be held on Saturday June 20th.
View the full list of 101 suggestions for events and civic engagement
