IHBC NewsBlogs

The AJ retrofit awards are open for entries until 15 May, with special categories for heritage and listed buildings, and cultural buildings. 

AJ writes:
The AJ Retrofit Awards celebrate and reward the most innovative and creative retrofit projects across the UK. Across the 14 categories, they set the gold standard in excellence.

Just some of the benefits of winning an AJ Retrofit Award include:

• Certifies excellence in your business and prove to clients new and existing you are an industry leader.
• Get your project permanently listed in the AJ Buildings Library
• Increase your PR exposure it through the  AJ and on AJ Online
• Have your work recognised by a panel of distinguished judges
• Showcase work by your practice or company on a national stage
• Benchmark you retrofitting performance
• Build customer trust and confidence by showing you’re at the forefront of this emerging market 

View information on the awards and how to enter

IHBC awards etc pages

The independent non-partisan think tank ResPublica has launched a new campaign which is designed to highlight the importance of ‘beauty’ to society. 

ResPublica writes:
We are delighted to announce that two further organisations have joined the group of partners working with ResPublica to take forward our unique programme of activity on beauty and its contribution to social prosperity. Ecclesiastical, the heritage and church insurer, and Atlantic Gateway Parklands, the project to make places investable and liveable through an exceptional environment within the Atlantic Gateway region, join the National Trust, Woodland Trust, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Civic Voice and Hastoe Housing Association

The concept of beauty is at present undervalued by politicians, yet it represents a powerful tool in the realisation of a wide range of benefits in fields from community placemaking to public health. Our project will therefore aim to reintroduce ideas of beauty into public policy discourse and the practice of government across departments, as well as integrating beauty into local community experience and reclaiming it as a mainstream value accessible to all.

Clare Pardy, Fine Art and Heritage Director at Ecclesiastical, said: ‘There is a great deal of sympathy in our respective organisations for the view that heritage is a key component of the fabric of our society.  As an insurer, we play a practical role in the preservation of our heritage, but we also feel that it is essential to play a part in raising national awareness of exactly why our heritage should be preserved. It was an honour to be approached by ResPublica and we are delighted to be part of an initiative that seeks to help shape government thinking on this issue.’

Richard Tracey, Interim Project Director at Atlantic Gateway Parklands, said: ‘The Atlantic Gateway Parklands centres on the concept that nature can support growth as an opportunity and not a constraint. We are aiming to create a new dimension across the Mersey belt of ‘planned landscapes and creative environments’ – our Parklands PLACEs. In this way we believe that we can harness beauty as a competitive advantage in our pursuit of sustainable development, and we are pleased to be involved with a project which aims to promote a similar understanding of beauty and its uses to a wider audience.’

The project outputs will consist of a public opinion poll and full policy paper, to be published shortly following the General Election. We are still seeking additional partners to join us in support of this work, including developers, architects, housing associations, cultural outlets and those with a keen interest and expertise in the planning process.

View the news release

View more information on the Right to Beauty campaign 

A ledgerstone survey is being launched in England and Wales aiming to record details of memorial floor stones, with volunteers sought to support the project. 

The National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) writes:
Over 250,000 incised or indented memorial floor slabs – known by historians as ledgerstones – are housed in churches across Britain. These significant artefacts are in danger of disappearing as they are often covered over, or damaged or destroyed in the re-ordering of churches.

In order to preserve these important parts of history, NADFAS, in partnership with The Churches Conservation Trust and The Church Monuments Society, has developed the Ledgerstone Survey of England and Wales. Survey participants are asked to complete a recording form for each individual ledgerstone in their church, and then to compile a report including these forms. 

No particular expertise is required to take part of the Ledgerstone Survey and we welcome participation from voluntary groups and other interested parties.  For more information on the Ledgerstone Survey, full details on how to take part, and downloadable forms and resources, go to the Ledgerstone Survey of England and Wales website. 

View the Ledgerstones Survey of England and Wales website

IHBC newsblogs on historic churches

Members of The Heritage Alliance, of which the IHBC is one, are urging people to contact their newly elected MP to encourage them to support heritage issues. 

The Heritage Alliance (THA) writes:
You can help ensure the future survival of England’s heritage! Despite its huge contribution to the UK’s tourism industry and its ability to achieve remarkable economic and social outcomes, heritage spending in central and local government has been subject to continued disproportionate cuts in recent years.

The incoming UK Government is likely to outline a fresh round of substantial cuts to non-protected departmental spending in the next coming months. It is therefore critical that the independent heritage sector reminds both national and local government of the value of our heritage to help prevent future cuts.

We are therefore asking you to support our campaign by writing to your new MP to remind them of the value of heritage in your local area.

Visit The Heritage Alliance website and download a draft template letter to send to your local MP. Need some key facts and statistics to support your argument – then use our Heritage Advocacy Tool Box.

Why not make your incoming local MP aware of the issues affecting your organisation or local area and push for the proposed solutions?

We need to make sure that your local MP know that a living, thriving heritage is important to you, your community, and the wellbeing of the UK as a whole. 

Read more about the THA manifesto

View the heritage advocacy toolbox

Kings Lynn planning committee in the Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk have approved a new-build country house, utilising a hydrogen fuel cell energy system, citing paragraph 55 of the NPPF as a key consideration. 

The planning application for the nine-bedroom house was granted planning permission under NPPF legislation, which permits the building of new country houses considered to be of ‘exceptional quality or innovative design’.

Plans include a strategy for the use of hydrogen fuel cell technology to power the house, which will be at a working farm near Docking, Norfolk. 

Paragraph 55 of the NPPF states ‘Local planning authorities should avoid new isolated homes in the countryside unless there are special circumstances such as:

• the essential need for a rural worker to live permanently at or near their place of work in the countryside; or
• where such development would represent the optimal viable use of a heritage asset or would be appropriate enabling development to secure the future of heritage assets; or
• where the development would re-use redundant or disused buildings and lead to an enhancement to the immediate setting; or
• the exceptional quality or innovative nature of the design of the dwelling.
• Such a design should:

• be truly outstanding or innovative, helping to raise standards of design more generally in rural areas;
• reflect the highest standards in architecture;
• significantly enhance its immediate setting; and
• be sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area.

The committee report presents a summary of the application assessing the application of the above criteria in the NPPF and associated local policies, together with information on the submitted supporting evidence such as the Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA).

View the committee report on the development (reference 14/01369/FM)

View ‘The Planner’ article on the approval and pictures of the proposal

IHBC NewsBlogs on country houses

IHBC NewsBlogs on NPPF

Northern Ireland’s (NI) culture minister has highlighted the importance of the arts and creative projects to community development and wellbeing, saying ‘The arts are a right, not a luxury. They should be accessible to all regardless of means or background.’ 

The Northern Ireland Executive writes:
Culture Minister Carál Ní Chuilín today highlighted the importance of the arts as a catalyst for community development.   The Minister was speaking at a Féile an Phobail conference in the Duncairn Centre in north Belfast.

The event, entitled The Importance of the Arts in Building the Capacity in our Community, highlighted the value of arts at a grassroots level. It marked a new collaboration between Féile an Phobail and groups in the New Lodge area.

The Minister said: ‘I believe the arts have a very important role to play in delivering the transformation of our society. Arts and culture can strengthen communities, bring people together and remove social barriers.  Arts and opportunities for cultural expression should be freely available to all. My Department is committed to harnessing culture, arts and leisure to promote equality, while tackling poverty and social exclusion. DCAL and its arm’s-length bodies have made good progress in targeting public resources to bring about meaningful change to as many people as possible. In particular, we have targeted the most disadvantaged in our communities.

‘The arts are a right, not a luxury. They should be accessible to all regardless of means or background.

‘I am working with a difficult budget, with pressures resulting from cuts imposed by the British Government. I believe that the arts need to move forward in an ever changing, modern world. We need to respond to the demands of young people and others who want to engage with the arts more creatively through various platforms.

‘My vision is that the arts are exploited to their fullest potential for the good of society and the economy. The most important thing is that everyone, regardless of background, should have an opportunity to participate and engage with arts and culture.’

IHBC newsblogs on community engagement 

NI Gov news

A project to transform a former railway shed in Stirling into a building conservation training centre – the ‘Engine Shed’ has taken a step forward with the appointment of a contractor, as David Mitchell, director of conservation at Historic Scotland and IHBC member, said the Engine Shed would be ‘a leading hub for building conservation on both a national and international level’.

Esh Border Construction has joined the £8.9m Engine Shed project in Forthside.

Historic Scotland wants to transform the disused shed into an education centre for building conservation in Scotland.

The facility would also engage with the public through events and exhibitions.

The broad range of training offered at the Engine Shed would include a new postgraduate-level qualification in technical conservation.

Historic Scotland said there is currently a ‘real skills gap’ in the Scottish construction industry to deal with the 450,000 traditionally-constructed buildings around the country, many of which are still in use.

They said 5,000 traditionally-skilled workers were needed to meet demand for contractors in the industry.

David Mitchell, director of conservation at Historic Scotland, said the Engine Shed would be ‘a leading hub for building conservation on both a national and international level’.

He said: ‘Our aspiration is to create a place that anyone with an interest in traditional buildings, skills and materials will be able to enjoy.

‘Our cutting edge science and digital documentation work will mix with centuries-old skills, demonstrating that both have a role to play in the future.

‘We want to demonstrate the benefits of traditional forms of construction and their continued potential for economic growth and we’re pleased that Esh Border Construction will be working with us over the coming year, helping to deliver the Engine Shed project.’

Historic Environment Scotland, a new body aimed at investigating, caring for and promoting the country’s historic environment, comes into being from October this year.

Construction on the Engine Shed project is due to be complete by summer 2016.

More on the Engine Shed

BBC News article 

The conclusion of a recent report is that half a million jobs would be created by transforming our economy from a take, make and throwaway one to a genuinely green one which optimises efficiency, renewability and working with environmental respect.

The report, by the Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP) and the GreenAlliance, notes that Bristol’s green ambitions are thus good economically and socially as well as environmentally – but radical change is best, as the more ambitious the plans the more jobs are created.

Sustainable Cities Collective writes:
The report found that whilst significant further recycling and remanufacturing would generate more jobs it’s even better to make substantial progress with these and add in major development of the re-use and bio-refining sectors as well as shifting from product manufacturing to product-service systems. Politicians and other decision makers would need to be much more active and ambitious and set the frameworks needed for this, including setting higher standards for product and resource recovery. They need to fight for instance at EU level for mass job creation through resource conservation.

The key green idea is to create a circular economy based on making, reusing and remaking: fewer resources are taken from the environment; management is sensitive and centres on renewable resources; production is efficient, clean and for long life; product and system use is efficient, with high emphasis on repairing and maintaining; products and resources are re-used (or recycled or used as an energy source if re-use is not possible).

All these green ideas and more were key topics explored and discussed between 3-5 March at Resource 2015 the yearly congress and exhibition bringing together 11,000 attendees: individuals, organisations and businesses large and small.

The circular economy concept and the Resource event itself should be more widely reported, especially in aspiring green cities like Bristol. Independent environmental consultancy ResourceFutures is one of the sponsors and participants. Bristol University’s BruceHood, Professor of Developmental Psychology in Society, was a speaker this year, covering issues like: what makes us want to own things; what we think of second-hand items and sharing.

In the circular economy waste does not exist as resources recirculate. Diversity is designed and built into systems, processes and manufacturing – making communities and society more resilient. Energy is managed well, used efficiently and comes from renewable sources that don’t significantly pollute and won’t run out.  The whole idea is based on systems thinking, seeing situations in total ie as a whole, accounting for interactions, interrelationships and interdependencies between parts.  The significance is that society would dynamically stable, secure and able to persist over time, leaving a decent world for future generations. 

Read the report

Sustainable Cities Collective article

On 2 April an open letter published in The Times, from leading peers, called for cross party consensus to make home energy efficiency an infrastructure spending priority. 

Energy Bill Revolution writes:
The 5 peers who include representatives of all the major parties, a bishop and a crossbencher, say that far more investment in insulating homes is needed to tackle fuel poverty and climate change. The peers point out that the next Government will spend billions on infrastructure and some of these public funds should be spent on making the UK’s buildings highly energy efficient.

They say: ‘This would deliver high levels of home energy efficiency investment whilst reducing energy bills. It would also play a critical role in reducing carbon emissions in line with carbon budgets, bring down NHS costs associated with cold homes, create jobs, tackle fuel poverty and enhance energy security. No other infrastructure investment can achieve as much. As the election approaches, we call for cross party support for this solution.’

The peers who have signed the letter include Lord Stern, the author of the influential Stern review on the economics of climate change, Lord Deben the Conservative peer who is now the Chair of the Committee of Climate Change, Lord Whitty who is a Labour peer, ex-energy minister and an expert on fuel poverty, Lord Teverson, a spokesperson for the liberal Democrats on energy and climate change and the Bishop of St Albans, a highly respected voice on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged in the House of Lords.This comes soon after 50,000 people signed a petition calling for this commitment from treasury team leaders.

Ed Matthew , Director of the Energy Bill Revolution said: ‘As the election approaches this letter shows that some issues should stand above the fray of party politics. It is a call for all parties to be united behind a bold solution to invest in making the UK’s buildings fit for the 21st century to end the scandal of fuel poverty once and for all. These peers are to be commended for their leadership and inspiration on this vital issue and we deeply welcome their support.’

Sir,

Investment in energy efficiency is the most cost effective way to cut carbon emissions. It also provides a long term solution to fuel poverty.

To fulfil this enormous potential, investment in energy efficiency must increase significantly in homes as well as in commercial, industrial and public buildings. This can be achieved in a way which will support the recovery of the UK economy.

The solution is to make energy efficiency a UK infrastructure priority.

All major parties have plans to invest billions of pounds in infrastructure in the next Parliament to help the economy to grow.  This is an unprecedented opportunity to build low carbon infrastructure fit for the 21st Century. It should include plans to use public infrastructure funds to make all UK homes highly energy efficient.

This would deliver high levels of home energy efficiency investment whilst reducing energy bills.  It would also play a critical role in reducing carbon emissions in line with carbon budgets, bring down NHS costs associated with cold homes, create jobs, tackle fuel poverty and enhance energy security. No other infrastructure investment can achieve as much.

As the election approaches, we call for cross party support for this solution.

It is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.

Yours sincerely,

Lord Bishop of St Albans
Lord Deben (Conservative)
Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat)
Lord Whitty (Labour)
Lord Stern (Crossbench)

Read the letter on The Times site    

Energy Bill Revolution

A blaze thought to have been caused by a fireball which was launched from a trebuchet at Warwick Castle has destroyed a historic boathouse.

The BBC writes:
Sparks from the projectile are believed to have ignited the blaze.

About 300 spectators were watching a demonstration of the weapon, described as the ‘world’s largest working siege machine’, when the thatched building caught fire on Friday evening (10 April 2015).

‘No-one was ever at any risk,’ a castle spokeswoman said.

Eyewitness Dr Martin Lees, 45, from central London, was watching with his wife and two six-year-old boys, from across the River Avon.

He said there was ‘more concern than panic’ among fellow spectators.

‘There was a bit of a wind. The breeze picked up the ash and a bit of ash was coming down on our side of the river,’ he said.

‘It was intriguing more than anything else… It was well-managed by the staff.’

Dr Lees said the large projectile, which looks like a ‘bag of cement’ set on fire, landed at least 10m (33ft) away from the boat house at the climax of the demonstration.

He said: ‘I’d say it was about three minutes between the projectile landing on the grass and the fire starting at the boat house…. I suspect sparks from that landed on the roof.

‘It’s just possible it’s not related to this but it seems unlikely.’

The castle said ‘despite speculation’ it had not yet ascertained the cause of the fire and the island housing the boat house was not open to the public.

The Trebuchet Fireball Spectacular was built in 2005, is 60ft (18m) high, weighs 22 tonnes and has been fired at least 6,500 times, while the boat house dates back to 1896.

In a statement, the castle spokeswoman said the fire, which began at about 17:45 BST, was ‘was safely extinguished within a short time’.

She said people watching on the opposite side of the River Avon were moved away from the bank.

An internal investigation was under way and the castle was fully open on Saturday, she added.

BBC news

The change of use of a grade II listed BT telephone box within a central London conservation area would unacceptably undermine its function and importance as an icon of 20th century industrial design.

Planning Resource article

This weekend is national mills weekend, organised by the SPAB Mills Section, where watermills and windmills around all of the IHBC regions will be hosting special events or opening doors to usually hidden sites, with an art and photography competition as well as the start of ‘real bread week’ where the products of many of the mills may take their next steps!

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) writes:
National Mills Weekend will take place across the UK over the weekend of Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May when more than 300 windmills and watermills will be opening their doors to visitors. The annual weekend is co-coordinated by the Mills Section of Britain’s oldest heritage charity SPAB (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings).

Following the success of last year’s Mills in Art theme, the SPAB Mills Section is, once again, inviting artists of all ages to visit a mill during the weekend to seek creative inspiration. Over the two days, many mills will be running arts-inspired events, including exhibitions and drop-in ‘draw-ins’. Visitors are warmly encouraged to enter their creative responses to SPAB Mills Section’s 2015 Mills in Art competition. There are three categories (fine art, photography and children). Adult winners will have their work featured on the Section’s 2015 Christmas cards, with other prizes including free membership of the SPAB Mills Section and books on windmills and watermills.

The windmill has been an icon of our domestic landscape painting for many years and mills of all types appear in works by some of the country’s best-loved painters. Flatford Watermill in Suffolk, for example, is the subject of several of Constable’s paintings and a windmill features prominently in Turner’s view of Arundel Castle. In fact, the UK’s national collection of oil paintings alone, searchable through the BBC’s ‘Your Paintings’ website, includes more than 1,000 paintings of windmills and watermills.  Last year’s National Mills Weekend Art Competition proved that these buildings continue to inspire.  Jonathan Cook, Chairman of the SPAB Mills Section and owner of Fosters Mill in Cambridgeshire, says: ‘We were delighted to receive so many excellent entries in all categories and hope it will prove equally difficult to choose our winners in 2015.’ More details on how to enter the competition on the National Mills Weekend website. Entries and cover forms should be received by May 24.

The event isn’t just for arty types! Importantly the weekend offers the opportunity for everyone to get inside their local windmill or watermill and explore industrial history on their patch. Some buildings taking part are not normally open to the public. For mill owners it’s a chance to share their enthusiasm and passion for these distinctive working buildings and for millers it’s a way to raise the profile of traditional flour milling and introduce people to their products. In many places mills will be offering special events and family-friendly activities.

Jonathan Cook explains:  ’National Mills Weekend is a fantastic annual event and its popularity grows. Last year 320 mills took part, with an estimated total of 40,000 visits over the weekend.  For millers like me who run a flour mill, it’s wonderful to showcase how mills work and to share our passion for quality organic stoneground flour. Mills offer something for people with many different interests, from those who are interested in our heritage, those who like machines, those who are interested in food and kids who love clambering about!’ 

National Mills Weekend also marks the start of Real Bread Week, run by the Real Bread Campaign, which encourages people to bake or buy traditionally made bread. Chris Young, Real Bread Campaign Coordinator, says: ‘Flour is the starting point for Real Bread and we support this annual celebration of the people who mill theirs traditionally with integrity, preserving flavour and nutritional value, as well as buildings that are assets to the culture and economies of local communities around Britain.’ An increasing number of mills are being returned to production, and the weekend is a chance to find out more about the process, from wheat to bread, with milling and baking demonstrations at many mills around the country.

View the SPAB news release

Visit the National Mills weekend website and search for mills near you

Find out more about SPAB Mills

Search for tweets on #nationalmillsweekend

Follow SPAB Mills on Twitter @UKMills

View information about Real Bread Week and events

IHBC NewsBlogs on mills

IHBC NewsBlogs on food related heritage issues 

A newly formed Scottish charitable trust has submitted proposals to the City of Edinburgh Council to restore the Old Royal High School, one of the most important buildings within Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site as a new home for St Mary’s Music School, Scotland’s leading specialist music school.

The trust’s representatives write:
Under the proposals, The Royal High School Preservation Trust (RHSPT) wishes to conserve the iconic Thomas Hamilton masterpiece and secure its long term future by restoring its original use as a place for educating young people from across Scotland and beyond. The RHSPT believes that aligning the conservation of the former Royal High School buildings with ongoing plans to find a suitable site for St Mary’s Music School will create a fitting and lasting legacy for the site as a focal point for cultural excellence in the Capital.

The Proposal of Application Notice submitted to the Council this week signals the beginning of a process of formal consultation with St Mary’s Music School, city, community and planning representatives, together with arts, education and heritage organisations, to bring forward detailed plans later this year.

Crucially, the Trustees of the RHSPT will be seeking to ensure that final proposals for the site deliver an outcome that is in keeping with Edinburgh’s rich cultural and historical heritage, but which also presents an economically sustainable future.

William Gray Muir, Chairman of the Royal High School Preservation Trust said: ‘Our aim is the preservation and enhancement of an endangered architectural masterpiece, not just in the context of the City of Edinburgh but Scotland as a whole. Our ardent wish is to achieve this by maintaining the Old Royal High buildings as a school, the purpose for which they were built, and ensure its future use as a vibrant and unique academic institution.  What could be more appropriate than making it home to a national treasure like St Mary’s Music School?’

It is expected that the relocation of St Mary’s Music School to the former Royal High School buildings would be ideal for providing the additional teaching and performance space it requires for a growing student body, while allowing it to extend its popular programme of Saturday music classes for Edinburgh children.

He added: ‘St Mary’s Music School would breathe life into the building again, making full and imaginative use of its wonderful spaces, filling the rooms with music: a literal rejuvenation of Thomas Hamilton’s world-class monument of the Edinburgh Enlightenment. We look forward to outlining our detailed plans for the site soon.’

The RHSPT has the financial backing of the philanthropic Dunard Fund, which has committed funds to underwrite the restoration of the Old Royal High School’s listed buildings and provide world class facilities for the music school.

View the school statement

View a Scotsman news article about the school, including images of the interior

Indigo News

The Brick Awards for this year have a deadline of 12 June, and categories that include best refurbishment project, best urban regeneration project, and ‘innovative use of brick and clay products’.

The award winners are to be announced at The Hilton, London, on 18 November 2015

IHBC NewsBlogs on brick

Find out more about how to enter

View more information on the categories

IHBC members involved in promoting awareness of conservation matters for local authorities may be interested in a new guide issued by the Local Government Association (LGA) that offers guidance on using digital media in a local authority context.

The LGA writes:
Council communication teams can learn about the cutting-edge digital work going on across local government thanks to a newly-launched online resource.

The Local Government Association and Comms2point0 have launched Digital Councils, a hub for local government on all things social media.

The resource includes guidance on all elements of social media from getting to grips with Twitter and other social networks to building a digital strategy, providing a way for the LGA to work with a range of councils and councillors who can be moving at different speeds. It includes a mythbuster section as well as hints and tips pages specially designed to reflect the range of different roles in a council, such as officers and councillors.

Digital Councils will be continuously updated to reflect current work and will carry a range of case studies so authorities can learn from good practice elsewhere.

View the news release

View the Digital Council resource and case studies

If you would you like to influence the award winners of the prestigious Europa Nostra awards then you can vote in the public choice award, which has six nominees in the UK, as long as you do it by 31 May.

View all the candidates and information on how to vote at http://vote.europanostra.org/

Events are taking place throughout the UK to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VE day, from 8 – 10 May, including the lighting of 100 beacons across the country, street parties and educational events, the illumination of historic buildings such as Blackpool Tower, and the ringing of church bells country wide on 9 May together with special thanksgiving services and ceremonies.

The Ministry of Defence writes:
Details of the weekend are announced including the news that the world famous Red Arrows of the Royal Air Force have been confirmed to make a flypast with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight over Central London. The Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s Cathedral and Trafalgar Square, which were floodlit on that memorable day in 1945, will be lit up once again with V-shaped lights over 8-10 May.

People up and down the country are preparing for a memorable weekend of activities to mark the historic occasion, which will involve veterans and serving members of the armed forces, schools and local communities, musicians and stars of stage and screen.

Huge celebrations throughout the weekend will pay homage to the extraordinary generation who secured Victory in Europe.

Friday 8 May – VE Day- At 3pm a Service of Remembrance will be held at the Cenotaph, coinciding with a national two-minute silence, to be televised on BBC One. A beacon will be lit at the Tower of London as part of a simultaneous nationwide event at 9:32pm. Locations that were floodlit on VE Day 70 years ago will be lit up with special V-shaped lights, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday 9 May- At 11am across the UK, churches and cathedrals will ring their bells as a nationwide mark of celebration.

In the evening, thousands of people will attend a Royal British Legion concert produced by Live Nation and the BBC. The star-studded 1940s themed ‘Party to Remember’ will be held at Horse Guards Parade Ground. Broadcast on BBC One, the event will feature performances from acts including Status Quo, Pixie Lott and Katherine Jenkins.

Sunday 10 May- A Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, attended by Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, Members of The Royal Family, and up to 1,000 veterans and their families. Representatives of Allied Nations and Commonwealth countries who fought alongside Britain in the conflict will also attend.

Afterwards, a parade of over 2,000 Service personnel, veterans and their guests will march from Westminster Abbey to Horse Guards Parade, passing the balcony in Whitehall where Winston Churchill appeared before the crowds on VE Day after his famous speech to mark Victory in Europe.

The world-famous Red Arrows will make a flypast over Central London, following a flypast of historic aircraft from the Royal Air Force – including the Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft of the famous Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The service and parade will be broadcast on BBC One.

Afterwards, veterans who have taken part in the service and parade will be invited to a reception in St James’s Park hosted by The Royal British Legion. There will also be public entertainment in the park over the afternoon.

View the news release and find out more about events

View more on the beacons project

See an interactive map of all events

The Welsh Government (WG) has launched a national campaign to try and encourage people to make the most of their high street and local community facilities. 

The Welsh Government writes:
Communities Minister, Lesley Griffiths, has yesterday announced the return of a national campaign encouraging people to use their local high street.

The ‘Support Your High Street’ campaign will raise the profile of the vast range of shops and services available on Wales’ diverse and vibrant high streets.  Now in its second year, the campaign recognises the valuable contribution busy high streets make to the Welsh economy and the vital role they play in community life.

Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, Lesley Griffiths, said:  ‘Our high streets are the heart of Welsh communities – providing places to shop and socialise as well as access key services.  Last year’s ‘Support Your High Street Campaign’ was very well received across Wales, with people up and down the country taking part in activities to celebrate their local high streets.

‘I want to build on this success and encourage even more exciting and colourful events, which is why we will be running the campaign once again this year. I hope people across Wales will get involved and support their excellent local shops and businesses.’

The focus of the campaign will be High Street Week, which runs from 19 -26 September. The campaign will also include a ‘high street award’, seeking out the people who are making a real difference to our local town centres.

The diverse events and activities held through Wales last year ranged from a family day at Pontypool Indoor Market, food festivals in Neath and Mold and a treasure hunt in Lampeter.  The Minister will make a further announcement on the activities planned for the ‘Support Your High Street’ campaign in the coming weeks.

View the news release 

View more about the campaign

Planning Aid England has released new online information to help people who are devising neighbourhood plans.

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) writes:
Planning Aid England has produced a suite of resources to assist those developing a neighbourhood plan.  The resources provide practical tips and advice on various stages of the neighbourhood plan process from designating the neighbourhood area to submitting the plan for examination. They are designed for community groups to use.

Trudi Elliot, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute said: ‘These resources have been created using Planning Aid England’s wealth of experience and  knowledge from assisting community groups through the neighbourhood planning process. The resources will allow many more groups to do so in the future. Together, they form incredibly useful, practical step by step guides for producing a neighbourhood plan.’

John Romanski, Senior Planning Aid England Advisor said: ‘We are incredibly proud of these resources not least of all as their preparation has been a collaborative process. We have drawn on not only our experience of helping groups deliver a plan but also the experiences of neighbourhood planning groups, local planning authorities and other key players in the neighbourhood plan process. We hope these will give groups the knowledge, skills and confidence to realise their vision for their own communities.’

They include a series of how to guides, templates and videos. Topics include:

• Project planning
• Resourcing your neighbourhood plan
• Engaging with landowners and developers
• Developing a vision and objectives
• Writing planning policies

View further information on Planning Aid England and neighbourhood Planning

RTPI news

IHBC members involved in fundraising will be interested in a new report from The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation that calls for greater collaboration on independent funding matters. 

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) writes:
A new report by Collaborate CIC in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (UK Branch) and Big Lottery Fund will be launched today at our offices.

Supporting Social Change: A New Funding Ecology argues that great ideas and bottom-up social change initiatives are undermined by a lack of strategic collaboration between funders.

This launch event will bring together leaders in the independent funding community, with a focus on debating how to make a fundamental shift from collaborating on projects to collaborating on ‘whole systems’ change.

The report, authored by Collaborate’s director Dr Henry Kippin, advances the view that there should be greater consideration about the role, purpose and interdependence of the independent funding community.

Key arguments from the report include:

• Good initiatives are hindered by lack of capacity-building support, blocking the transition from pilots to sustainable projects.
• Grantmakers need to take greater risks for projects with long-term potential.
• Many funders fail to collect evidence on effective interventions. As many new initiatives seek to improve on existing provision, lack of evidence of effective services makes demonstrating improvements a challenge.
• Systemic change inhibited by funders failing to coordinate more effectively. There should be greater use of information-sharing, co-development of strategy, and the development of a more holistic understanding of the broader drivers of social change.
• There needs to be a new body of creative thinking about what sort of funding mix will give the best ideas the opportunity to make a lasting difference.

With the scale of current challenges and the limited resources available to foundations, it is important that funders contribute to the strengthening of the ecosystem of support for social change ensuring resources are deployed in the most effective way.

We are very pleased to have co-commissioned this report as we are interested in supporting a healthy funding ecology that supports organisations through the different stages of their life cycles.

View the news release

Download the report

The winners of this year’s Museum and Heritage Awards have been announced, reflecting outstanding practice in conservation and heritage throughout the UK.

The full list of winners (as published on the Museums and Heritage Show website):

Outstanding contribution by an individual

• Winner- Michael Day, Chief Executive, Historic Royal Palaces

Customer service

• Winner- Kent Life Heritage Farm Park, More than a Guest, More than a Vision, More than a Job
• Highly commended- The Lightbox, The Lightbox Front of House Team
• Shortlisted- The Galleries of Justice Museum The Front of House Team, Turner Contemporary, Front of House; Turner Contemporary

Project on a limited budget

• Winner- Black Country Living Museum, WW1 Greengrocers
• Highly commended- Woodhorn Museum, Stand up for Woodhorn: Making a Case for Comedy in Museums
• Shortlisted- Southend Museums Service, The London Shipwreck Project, Barker Langham on behalf of the Drapers’ Company, Root & Branch – 650 Years of the Drapers’ Company, Victoria & Albert Museum, Architectural Drawing – Families Activity

Restoration or conservation

• Winner- Renfrewshire Council, The Grand Fountain Restoration, Paisley
• Highly commended- Coventry Transport Museum, 1916 Maudslay Subsidy Chassis
• Shortlisted- Bletchley Park Trust Ltd, Phase 1: Restoration of Bletchley Park – World War Two Heritage Site, Tate: The Conservation of Rothko’s ‘Black on Maroon’ (1958), The Prince’s Regeneration Trust Middleport Pottery, Historic Royal Palaces, Cumberland Art Gallery

Temporary or touring exhibition

• Winner- Historic Royal Palaces in conjunction with Paul Cummins Ceramics, ‘The Tower Remembers’ A First World War commemoration
• Highly commended- The Royal Air Force Museum, Pilots of the Caribbean
• Shortlisted- British Postal Museum & Archive, Last Post: Remembering the First World War, Jerwood Gallery, Jake and Dinos Chapman: In the Realm of the Unmentionable, Urban Salon, Rembrandt: The Late Works

The International award

• Winner- Tinker imagineers on behalf of the Stichting Domplein 2013 (Domplein Foundation), domunder: archaeological experience under the Domplein square
• Highly commended- Natura Artis Magistra, Micropia
• Shortlisted- Ministry of Forest and Water Management – Orucoglu Sistem, Gallipoli Simulation Museum, Falkland Islands Museum & National Trust, Historic Dockyard Museum, Government of Catalonia Culture Department-La Caixa Fundation, #Taull1123 Immersive experience in a World Heritage Site

The Winstan Bond Trophy For Trading + Enterprise

• Winner- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Botanic Lights: Night in the Garden
• Shortlisted- The Galleries of Justice Museum, Special Events Calendar, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, Twam’s Rapid Enterprise Initiative, Ampersand on behalf of the Museum of London Docklands, Ampersand Turns Rum & Sugar into Gold, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, YSP Shop

Innovation

• Winner- The National Trust for Scotland in Partnership with Historic Scotland & Designers Bright White Ltd, The Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre
• Highly commended- Mather & Co on behalf of Manchester City Council, Archives
• Shortlisted- Culture24, www.vangoyourself.com, Centre Screen on behalf of English Heritage with Haley Sharpe Design and Studio Liddell, Stonehenge Exhibition and Visitor Centre ‘Standing in the Stones’, Sing London in partnership with Antenna Lab, Talking Statues, Science Museum, Information Age

Marketing Campaign

• Winner- Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Goes To Town
• Highly commended- IWM, First World War Galleries
• Shortlisted- The Natural History Museum, Britain: One Million Years of the Human Story, Woodhorn Museum, Retronaut, National Maritime Museum, Ships, Clocks and Stars, Luton Culture, Museums Makers

Permanent exhibition

• Winner- IWM London and Casson Mann, First World War Galleries
• Highly commended- The National Trust for Scotland in Partnership with Historic Scotland & Designers Bright White Ltd, The Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre
• Shortlisted- Leicester City Council, King Richard III Visitor Centre, The Foundling Museum, Introductory Gallery, Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft

Educational Initiative

• Joint winners- IWM, Transforming IWM London Learning Projects, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare Week
• Shortlisted- Thackray Medical Museum in partnership with The Cupboard Young People’s Service, Health 4 All, Teen Time Travellers: a Teenage Health Project, Derby Museums, Re:Make the Museum, Bradford Museums & Galleries, BMDC The Art and Science of Noticing, North of England Civic Trust, Heritage Skills Initiative

Culture Pros Pick

• Winner- People’s History Museum
• Shortlisted- Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicester, Kelmscott Manor, Gloucestershire, Haslemere Educational Museum, Surrey

View more information on the award winners and nominees

View a video of the Paisley Grand Fountain opening ceremony