Supporting our Sites ofoutstanding global importance

WORLD HERITAGE UK

Issue 2 Winter 2016/2017NEWSLETTER

World Heritage UK is off to a flyingNew Year start after a great 2016.The community of World Heritageinterest in the UK gained strengthand enthusiasm after a momentousyear which saw the organisation’ssecond Annual Conference,technical workshop and otherevents that helped develop itsobjectives of Advocacy, Promotionand Networking. Many peopleworked hard on the World HeritageUK’s new strategy which is nowagreed and ready forimplementation. We look forward tobuilding on this success in 2017.

Into 2017 with a plan!

Gorham’s Cave Complex,Gibraltar -the UK’s 30thWorld Heritage Site

UNESCO’s World HeritageCommittee agreed to the inscriptionof the Gorham’s Cave Complex atits 2016 meeting in Istanbul.

In the year that celebrated the 30thanniversary of the first WorldHeritage Sites for the UK, WorldHeritage UK rejoiced in achievingthe UK’s 30th World Heritage Sitein as many years. Gorham’s CaveComplex is the last known site ofNeanderthal survival, around28,000 years ago, in the world.

AGM and new Board

membersThe UK’s 30th AnniversaryWorld Heritage Sites

Seven WHS celebrated their 30year anniversaries last year, havingbeen inscribed as the UK’s firstWorld Heritage Sites, in Paris in1986 – St. Kilda; Giant’s Causewayand Causeway Coast; DurhamCastle and Cathedral; IronbridgeGorge; Studley Royal Park andFountains Abbey; Stonehenge andAvebury; and the Castles and TownWalls of King Edward in Gwynedd.Four more WHS’s will celebratetheir 30th anniversaries in 2017 -Blenheim Palace; City of Bath;Frontiers of the Roman Empire;and the Palace of Westminster andWestminster Abbey.

At the Annual General Meeting inCaernarfon in October, the WorldHeritage UK Board welcomed threenew elected Members to join it –Cllr Nicola Lowery, RebeccaHartley and Don Gobbett.

Meetings with DCMS andthe Secretary of State

Meetings withGovernmentofficers andMinisters at theDepartment of

Culture, Media and Sport havetaken place, including with the newSecretary of State, Karen Bradley,in respect of post-Brexit issues. TheSoS was also present at a House ofLords reception to celebrate 30years of World Heritage Sites in theUK, organised in November byHistoric England. World HeritageUK was identified as a key partnerhere.

Rebecca Hartley

Nicola Lowery

Don Gobbett

Supporting our Sites ofoutstanding global importance

WORLD HERITAGE UK

Issue 2 Winter 2016/2017NEWSLETTER

Giant’s Causeway Networking Event

A valuable networking event was held at the Causeway Hotel at Bushmillsin Northern Ireland. This two half-day meeting began with guided tours tothe World Heritage Site by National Trust staff and behind-the-scenes talksat the magnificent visitor centre. The next day a General Meetingdiscussed the draft three year strategy which was considered and agreedby World Heritage UK members.

Presentations on a variety of topics were heard but the main focus was onplanning matters and, after a useful overview from Henry Owen-John fromHistoric England, case studies from the Jurassic Coast and Giant’sCauseway were given.

Fundraising Masterclass

In collaboration with the Institute of Fundraising and their Giving toHeritage scheme, World Heritage UK held the first of what is hoped to bean on-going set of training events on subjects where a need has beenidentified. This excellent fundraising masterclass was delivered byValentine Morby.

Networking event 2017The next World Heritage UKNetworking event will take place atNew Lanark World Heritage Site inScotland on the 4th and 5th July.New Lanark is going through aperiod of redevelopment as a visitorattraction and it is hoped that usefulexperience can be shared in this,as well as its expertise ininterpretation and as a successfulcommercial venture.

Planning workshop in Bath

The next Technical Workshop willbe hosted by City of Bath WorldHeritage Site on the 8th March atBath Cricket Club, with supportfrom Nathaniel Lichfield andPartners and Historic England.‘PLANNING FOR WORLDHERITAGE SITES – DOVETAILOR DISCONNECT? will aim toraise awareness of the UK planningsystems as they relate to WorldHeritage Sites and to identify andgather information about how andwhy the systems do not alwaysassist in the protection andconservation of these Sites. It willinclude consideration of theprocess of ‘Reactive Monitoring’ ofSites by the World HeritageCommission and the outcomes ofthe workshop will be used by WorldHeritage UK as a basis for futureaction, including informingdiscussions with decision-makerson improving the existingprocesses. Full details of theworkshop can be found HERE

Supporting our Sites ofoutstanding global importance

WORLD HERITAGE UK

Issue 2 Winter 2016/2017NEWSLETTER

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For information on the Sites,meeting/conference papers, theblog, membership, fees and anapplication form please visitwww.worldheritageuk.orgor contactmembership@worldheritageuk.org

twitter@worldheritageukfacebook.com/worldheritageuk

World Heritage UK has now been registered with theCharity Commission as a Charitable IncorporatedOrganisation by Association, no 1163364.Registration date 1st September 2015

Conference 2016

Caernarfon was the venue for the second Annual World Heritage UKConference in October, which, from all the feedback, was every bit as goodas the first one in Saltaire. The mixture of case studies, high-profilespeakers (young and old), field trips and an evening reception at PenrhynCastle made for a very popular and useful event. Thanks are due to Cadwfor their support for this event, and also to Gwynedd Council and theNational Trust.

Conference 2017

The high standard setby Saltaire andCaernarfon asconference venues willbe maintained atIronbridge Gorge WHS,where the third AnnualConference will takeplace between the 7thand 10th October 2017inclusive. It will have astrong communicationsand profile-raisingtheme.

World Heritage Day 2017World Heritage UK will also be looking to join up World Heritage Sitesbetter around the 2017 World Heritage Day which this year will be Monday18th April. If you have any ideas for World Heritage Day or any other WorldHeritage interest, do contact chris.mahon@worldheritageuk.org

Dates for the diaryWorld Heritage UK Members areinvited to send any issues theywish addressed at the Boardmeetings listed below

The 2017 diary dates are:

8th March - Technical Workshopon planning issues - Bath

29th March - World Heritage UKBoard meeting - London

18th April - World Heritage Day

4th & 5th July - Networking Event- New Lanark

6th July - World Heritage UKBoard meeting - New Lanark

14th September - World HeritageUK Board meeting - London

Between 7th and 10th October -Annual Conference and AnnualGeneral Meeting - Ironbridge

7th December - World HeritageUK Board meeting - London

More dates to be added – lookonline for details.