England’s Heritage Open Day Festival for 2024 celebrated three decades of connecting communities and helping them discover the stories on their doorstep as over 1Mn visitors enjoyed the 5,427 events organised by our community of thousands of local volunteers and organisations.
Heritage Open Day Festival writes:
The Festival: This year’s programme provided another brilliant showcase of the amazing breadth of our heritage:
- 5,427 events ran, from open days at stunning holiday homes and pantomime costume workshops in historic theatres, to games of bowls and and guided walks listening for bats and birds!
- 27% events were inspired by our Routes-Networks-Connections theme, from international food tours to online talks about place names.
The community: Heritage Open Days is powered by an incredible network of local people, this year it included:
- c.115 local coordinators who pull together wider programmes such as: Leeds Civic Trust, The Forum who work across the whole of Norfolk, Coleford Area MCTi Partnership in the Forest of Dean, and Mole Valley District Council in Surrey.
- 2,354 local organisers including business owners, church wardens, council officers, home owners, museum staff and, of course, passionate volunteers for local societies.
- A further 41,700 volunteers + 7,800 paid staff.
Coordinator 2024 – Women’s Engineering Society said ‘Every year I look forward to making new connections through the festival network, with different organisations. This year we have worked with the Pontefract Civic Society, Swindon Archives, the Whipple Museum, Bristol Library Service and have engaged with some new guest speakers.’
The community’s impact: The festival has a consistent track record as a community engagement tool and provides a valuable gateway for people to the heritage sector.
- 82% of visitors said visiting made them feel more proud of their local area.
- 35% of visitors were from a C2DE background.
- 22% of visitors had not been to a heritage site in the last 12 months.
- £11.5 million contributed to local economy through secondary spend.
- Over 3,000 people were inspired to vote for the final entries to be featured in our 30 for 30 Anniversary Gallery.
Visitor 2024 – Cottenham Church Tower [said] ‘It was a real pleasure to attend and to see a part of my local community that isn’t typically open to the public. The team of volunteers went above and beyond to make the event meaningful, engaging and interesting. It feels cliche but as a result I feel more connected to my community.’
Supporting the community: Each year the national team is led by the feedback of the community and strives to do more to support them. This year we:
- Invested in a new database and website to provide the foundations for future growth.
- Set up a new series of registration surgeries to give organisers 1:1 support.
- Held 4 webinars + 3 local workshops to inspire and connect organisers.
- Supported 18 organisations through our New Wave training programme working with young adults to create new events.
- Invested £21,600 in local community programmes through our anniversary and New Wave projects.
- Sent out 15,695 kids castles + enough bunting to run up and then down the other side of Mount Everest!
Organiser 2024 [said] ‘This year, I really enjoyed organising the event because it allowed me to bring the community together in a meaningful way. With more resources and support available, I felt confident in making the experience engaging and accessible for everyone.’
For further information about the festival go to the following link:
