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Diversity & Inclusion Resilience: an Interview with Katie Clarke at Visits Unlimited

In the latest instalment of the Historic Environment Forum’s Sector Resilience Interviews series focussed on the theme of Diversity and Inclusion, we speak to Katie Clarke, co-founder of accessibility social enterprise Visits Unlimited.
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your organisation’s role in the sector.

I am Katie Clarke – I am a foster parent, parent carer of 6 adult children including a daughter who is profoundly deaf and a wheelchair user.  I have worked in the 3rd sector for over 28 years.  I am co-founder of Visits Unlimited which is a user led organisation working in the field of tourism, heritage and countryside. 

Access and Inclusion is at the heart of what we do.   We ensure that local disabled people are central to planning and co-production.  We deliver national access audits through our own access auditor Chris Cammiss, to a wide range of venues and disability equality training to heritage staff and volunteers.

We are based in Halifax, West Yorkshire and run a local project called the Accessible Calderdale Project.  We host the Accessible Calderdale Disability Access Forum which has over 60 members with a wide range of disabilities.  We have done over 160 access audits that have been free to the Cultural, Heritage, Greenspaces and parks, tourist venues and voluntary organisations.  This has been thanks to working together with Community Foundation for Calderdale and the local Council.  We are also commissioned on Major Projects to advise and to be there at the beginning of new local projects.  We have partnered with CultureDale for our Year of Culture and run monthly sessions for disabled people to have a voice in ensuring that culture is accessible and inclusive.  We work closely with Halifax Heritage Tours to improve access and inclusion to their tours and local historic buildings.

What can you tell us about your organisation’s work in relation to Diversity and Inclusion? What does this work aim to achieve?

Our access audits break down the physical barriers facing disabled people.

We deliver training nationally and locally led by people with lived experience of disability.  Our trainers are neuro-divergent/wheelchair user and parent.  Our courses are informative, fun, participative and real.  We break down the attitudinal barriers with open discussions with attendees, some of whom have a connection with disability.

We work in co-production with many local organisation including Visit Calderdale, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and the voluntary sector.  All our local work is user led allowing disabled people to have a voice locally in improving access and inclusion throughout Calderdale by raising awareness of issues and solutions from local transport and travel, to improving tourist site access so that disabled people who live, work, study and visit our area have the same opportunities as everyone else.

We raise awareness at local strategic level with representation of our local disabled community through our Access Forum. We believe that if you get it right for disabled people you get it right for everyone.  Our offer impacts older people and families with buggies.

What contribution will this make towards resilience in the heritage sector?
The access audits give organisations realistic improvements that can be made giving increased opportunities for access and inclusion long term as well as financially through the purple pound.  We also want disabled people to feel that they are able to get out and about and that visiting the heritage sector improves their own wellbeing – and that through the right information and access guides they are able to visit places that meet their expectations.
What does success look like for your work?

Success is when disabled people, their families and carers are able to enjoy our local area, to hear the stories of the history of our beautiful region, to feel a connection with heritage, and enjoy the same opportunities as non disabled people.

We will work locally with the Halifax Heritage Tours to improve opportunities and measure this through having accessible tours co-designed by our group.  Currently our access auditor is working closely with audit some of the tours.  We also would like to have our local community transport involved to give local people and disabled people the opportunity to access some of the trips.

We regularly do surveys with our membership and evaluation forms.  The Access Forum also have monthly meetings to share experiences and work together on issues that are important to them.  They are involved in all our work and feedback their thoughts and steer the organisation forward.

Image shows two people going down a woodland path with bluebells visible in the undergrowth. The person on the left is in a wheelchair and the person on the right is walking.
Looking for bluebells (c) Visits Unlimited

How can sector colleagues get involved or find out more?

Help publicise our work nationally and locally.   Come and visit Calderdale!  We will make you very welcome.

Overall, what do you think is most crucial for ensuring a resilient heritage sector?

To raise the profile of diversity and inclusion and become a welcoming sector which will improve all round perceptions.  For information to be available on access and inclusion and for this to be a priority rather than something that goes to the bottom of the pile or is a tick box exercise. Making inclusion real through publicity and promotion.

Katie Clarke katie@visitsunlimited.org.uk

This Sector Resilience interview was shared by Katie as part of our Heritage Sector Resilience Plan activities.

If you’d like to contribute an interview as part of the series, follow the link below to find out more:

Sector Resilience Interviews – Historic Environment Forum

Consultant commission for Heritage Sector Net-Zero Projects Audit

HEF is seeking a consultant to provide a methodology to review the resources allocated in the sector to reach net zero

As part of the work of the task group focused on Green Skills in Heritage, HEF wants to commission a consultant to provide and test a methodology to build a dataset to systematically review the allocation (or aspiration) of resource that the historic environment sector aims to employ to reach net zero and environmental sustainability.  

The final purpose of the dataset is to provide visibility of sector needs and inform advocacy to Government and other public bodies, on the skills provision needed and the scale of financial resources required by the sector to meet the net zero target. 

As part of this work the consultant is expected to:  

  • Liaise with task group members.  
  • Develop and test (for example using a sample of organisations) a methodology to collect high level information on:  
  • The budget already allocated (secured and financed) to support works to net zero. Of this budget, it would be useful to know what percentage is capital/reserves or loan.  
  • The budget which would be needed by organisations to reach net zero, based on evidence, but not financed yet.  
  • Develop recommendations to deepen the insights to provide more granular data to be linked with the skills needed (and the alignment with training availability and provision).  

 

Full details can be found here.  

The deadline for applications is 26 April 2024. Questions and applications can be submitted to Francesca Benetti, Task Group Manager: heftask2@historicenvironmentforum.org.uk  

Diversity & Inclusion Resilience: an Interview with Steve Dering at Direct Access Consultancy

In the first instalment of the Historic Environment Forum’s Sector Resilience Interviews series focussed on the theme of Diversity and Inclusion, we speak to Steve Dering, Director, Strategic Partnerships at Direct Access Consultancy.
Please tell us about your organisation’s role in the sector.

Established in 2004, Direct Access is an accessibility and inclusion consultancy. A certified DOBE – Disability Operated Business Enterprise, our team of 18, the majority disabled people, work mainly within the heritage and museum sector to improve access. Direct Access works with most of the DMCS-funded national museums, English Heritage, the National Trust, Historic England and with independent museums through the regional Museum Development Associations. Direct Access are also the Access Consultants for National Museums Wales and have worked with heritage clients in Northern Ireland. UNESCO sites include the Cities of Bath and Canterbury, Giants Causeway in Ireland.

For Direct Access, it is not just about physical access, it is how a complete programme of access can be facilitated from digital information to sensory stimuli and interaction with others. Only when all of these four pillars are combined is inclusion achieved.

What can you tell us about your organisation’s work in relation to Diversity and Inclusion? What does this work aim to achieve?

To ensure services are accessible for disabled people, it is important to be aware of the obstacles encountered by persons with physical, sensory or intellectual impairments. Their needs will vary and will inform the kind of action that is appropriate and can be delivered where practicable. Obstacles to accessibility for disabled people encompass a broad range of both tangible and intangible elements including:

  • Communication, where presented in inaccessible formats;
  • Lack of awareness of the needs of different impairment cohorts;
  • The physical environment, e.g. design, layout, signage, lighting;
  • Service design, e.g. where systems, procedures and practices can present obstacles.

 

Achieving heritage accessibility is much more than just adding elevators and ramps, as heritage encompasses everything from natural landscapes to ceremonial traditions. Making heritage available for future generations is a key part of sustainable conservation practices, which should include the participation of people from all ages and abilities. It is important to remember that people are not disabled; rather, it is poorly designed environments that create barriers which disable people.

What contribution will this make towards resilience in the heritage sector?

Where restorations and preservation have been carried out, these need to respect the traditional building techniques and the use of traditionally treated local materials such as baked brick, wood and stone.

Direct Access’ team of Access Consultants on this programme understand the importance of conservation work and that any accessibility proposals developed are sensitive to the preservation of this site for generations to come.

What does success look like for your work?

Improved accessibility for disabled people both as visitors and as staff/volunteers.

Image depicts a person using their hands to feel along an interpretation board which is situated in front of an old-looking window with light coming into the historic space.
Tactile interpretation boards enable blind visitors to experience history and heritage (c) Direct Access Group
How can colleagues find out more?

Clients commission Direct Access for a wide range of reasons – these include:

• Accessibility audits – to support NLHF or Arts Council funding applications or to ascertain the current status of accessibility.
• Access Consultancy – new building design or gallery development to hold heritage assets.
• Accessible formats – production of a range of accessible format materials to support visitors from Braille to audio description or sign language.
• Staff training and development.

You can contact the team on 0845 056 4421 or info@directaccess.group

Overall, what do you think is most crucial for ensuring a resilient heritage sector?

Partnership working – the spectrum of disability is huge and sometimes can be dauting for our clients who are not sure where to start. Direct Access is experienced in working with and engaging with clients from local communities to UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

This Sector Resilience interview was shared by Steve as part of our Heritage Sector Resilience Plan activities.

If you’d like to contribute an interview as part of the series, follow the link below to find out more:

Sector Resilience Interviews – Historic Environment Forum

Climate Change Resilience: an Interview with Kris Karslake at Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation

In the final instalment of the Historic Environment Forum’s Sector Resilience Interviews series focussed on Climate Change, we speak to Kris Karslake, Sustainability Policy and Programme Manager at Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation.
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I joined Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation as Sustainability Policy and Programme Manager in May 2023. I’ve worked with the foundation to introduce a policy that progresses the organisation towards having an overall positive impact on the planet, adapting to climate change. The organisation is grappling with how our strategy can best align with the Science Based Targets, Corporate Net-Zero Standard.

Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation’s role is to manage assets and investments to generate income that enables us to care for the Garden City estate and support our local community, providing access to green spaces and a range of culture, heritage, learning and leisure facilities. We fund and support local organisations working to improve everyone’s quality of life and meet our charitable objectives.

What can you tell us about the aims of your work on the Spirella Building?

The iconic Spirella Building in Letchworth is a Grade 2* Listed Building. The Spirella Corset Company of Great Britain built and expanded the building between 1912 and 1920. And during World War 2, production was expanded to include parachutes.

This building was refurbished in the 1990s, bringing it back from disrepair for use as commercial offices. There were limited building fabric upgrades, resulting in a building that isn’t efficient to heat. Additionally, the mechanical and electrical equipment is now dated.  Therefore, we have instructed expert architectural consultant Architype to carry out a holistic review of the building to develop an effective Net Zero Carbon pathway. Principally, to establish what fabric upgrades will maintain the heritage aspects of the building and reduce heat loss. Also, to address how mechanical and electrical equipment be sequentially replaced, and supplemented with renewable energy technologies.

How does this contribute to climate resilience in the heritage sector?

On an organisational level, the building contributes significantly to Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation’s Scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint, since it uses large quantities of electricity and gas.

For the wider heritage sector, we hope to add another historic building retrofit to the list of case studies available to others to review.

How will you know this work has been successful?

The project is phased. Success in the initial phase will be a pathway report that meets the approval of our executive director for Property, our Board of Trustees and Governors.  

By 2030, success will be the provision of office space within the building that can be considered as Net Zero Carbon in operation.  By 2050, success will be the whole building operating as Net Zero Carbon in operation.  Operational carbon will be measured through our energy procurement contracts, and electricity and gas metering. Success will be when the net carbon impact from the operation of the building is zero.

Whilst the focus is primarily on operational carbon of the building, other aspects will be considered throughout the refurbishment phase, such as biodiversity enhancement, water use reduction and indoor air quality improvements. We’ll consider adapting existing key performance indicator tools to measure the success of this.

Postcard of the "Spirella Factory, Letchworth" (c) Letchworth Garden City Collection
How can colleagues find out more?

Since the project has only just begun, there is no further information available yet. But Architype have written about a similar recent project for the Entopia building in Cambridge.

Overall, what do you think is most crucial for ensuring a resilient heritage sector?

There is a growing tension between operational energy efficiency, and preserving heritage features of buildings. However, more evidence is becoming available that identifies possibilities to find a balance between these two conflicting areas through sensitive building refurbishment. Additionally, there are fantastic examples of adaptive reuse of heritage buildings, which means that rather than crumbling into disrepair, our heritage buildings remain standing proud into the future.

This Sector Resilience interview was shared by Kris as part of our Heritage Sector Resilience Plan activities. 

Follow the link below to explore the rest of the series:

Sector Resilience Interviews – Historic Environment Forum

Climate Change Resilience: an Interview with Sebastian West at Stephenson Halliday, an RSK company

In the latest instalment of the Historic Environment Forum’s Sector Resilience Interviews series focussed on Climate Change, we hear from Sebastian West – Principal Landscape Manager at Stephenson Halliday, an RSK company.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role.

I’m Sebastian West, a Chartered Principal Landscape Manager at Stephenson Halliday, an RSK company, who leads our historic landscape and parks consultancy services. We provide comprehensive environmental planning, landscape architecture and graphics services across the UK. Working alongside other specialists in the wider RSK Group, we create landscape design, management and planning solutions for all kinds of historic landscapes, from feasibility to construction management, site management and maintenance.

What can you tell us about Stephenson Halliday, RSK’s climate resilience work? What does it aim to achieve?

Recently, seven Parkland Management Plans (PMPs) were produced for historic parklands within Enfield, north London. Several parks formed part of the former royal hunting ground of Enfield Chase. The parks included the setting of Grade I buildings such as C17 Forty Hall with the long lost Henry VIII palace of Elsyng within the park, the Grade I Nash designed C18 neo-classical villa at Grovelands Park with its surrounding Humphry Repton designed landscape and Trent Park, one of the grandest inter-war country houses in England.

The PMPs formed part of an application for a Countryside Stewardship Feasibility Study (PA2) and we looked to achieve the best outcome for the historic and natural environment across the borough. The application supported the Landscape Recovery scheme, for which Enfield is one of 22 pilot projects around the country.

Historic assets, sightlines and landscape design iterations were detailed to inform the masterplans. The PMPs further highlighted the importance of restoring and creating mosaic habitats that are vital for climate adaptation, flood risk, carbon sequestration and water quality improvements, as well as helping to reconnect people with their local and historic environment.

How does this contribute to climate resilience in the heritage sector?

PMPs should have clarity, conciseness and good structure. It is vital to communicate information effectively to stakeholders. Integrating climate change and sustainability factors within the issues/risks, policies, action plan and masterplan production process is also important for long-term resilience of open space. Parks should not be looked at in isolation but as part of wider networks, therefore benefitting nature recovery and avoiding further habitat fragmentation and inequalities of access.

How will you know this work has been successful?

Success for the seven historic parks across Enfield includes their enhancement through capital interventions and sustainable management approaches, with a better understanding for key stakeholders of the parks’ rich history and significance. The baseline work will inform the landscape-scale Landscape Recovery project. An important success will be the removal of several heritage assets from the Heritage at Risk Register, alongside environmental improvements.

The PMPs have a life span of ten years and success will be measured during the five year review, which will also ensure all relevant information remains up to date.

Image shows sunny scene with blue skies and only a few clouds over an expanse of green field parkland with broadleaf trees and a scattering on buildings in the distance
View over historic parkland at Broomfield Park, Enfield. Credit - Stephenson Halliday an RSK company
How can colleagues find out more?

The PMPs provide a roadmap for Enfield Council. The implementation of robust PMPs, conservation plans, ecosystem service valuations and green infrastructure strategies can inform funding options and enhancement considerations for the resilience of open space in the context of the climate and ecological crisis. This is something we and the wider RSK Group are closely involved with. Please do get in touch with me at info@stephenson-halliday.com if you require further information or wish to discuss. Further information about our climate change and resilience work is available on our website at stephenson-halliday.com.

Overall, what do you think is most crucial for ensuring a resilient heritage sector?

Parks and historic landscapes need continued safeguarding through policy and planning. Crucially, being able to understand and articulate significance is key within the heritage sector. If significance levels are not defined or understood, there is the potential for inappropriate development and harm. There are some great opportunities for high impact and lower maintenance parks and landscapes that provide greater value for wildlife, particularly through nature-based solutions and regenerative approaches to landscape design and management.

This Sector Resilience interview was shared by Sebastian as part of our Heritage Sector Resilience Plan activities. 

If you’d like to contribute an interview as part of the series, follow the link below to find out more:

Sector Resilience Interviews – Historic Environment Forum

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HEF News Archive

Bringing together senior members of staff from public and non-government bodies to work collaboratively on strategic matters for the historic environment sector.

 

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