#HeritageChat April 2022 – Places of Worship

In April 2022 #HeritageChat discussed Places of Worship from the heritage perspective. Climate change, redundant churches, the religious and historical significance of buildings were three of the topics tackled in April’s #HeritageChat.

Participants lively debated what does ‘sustainability’ mean in the context of religious buildings; the role of local communities and how to engage with them; community uses for historic churches; the management of historical and religious significance; threats resulting from climate change and adaptation. A lot of useful resources were shared over the course of the chat (e.g. Fundraising for Net Zero Carbon, Support Officers for Historic Places of Worship, Options Appraisals and Church Buildings Reports, House of Good Report, and many other).

This was one of the most successful #HeritageChats (for number of participants and tweets shared), with so many interesting points raised – thanks to all the participants!

You can read the summary of the chat here.

#HeritageChat March 2022 – International

In March 2022 #HeritageChat discussed International engagement and collaboration. The chat was led in collaboration with Lizzie Glithero-West, CEO of the Heritage Alliance (HEF member) and Graham Bell, Director of Cultura Trust and member of the Europa Nostra board.

Lots of interesting points were raised in the chat. Participants discussed how can we make meaningful and ethical partnerships, and what role digital can play in this; what is the potential of international collaboration to improve resilience in the UK; what would be needed to improve international collaboration, and what barriers are still making collaboration difficult; how to measure the success of international partnerships. Considering the current difficult Ukrainian situation, participants also shared thoughts on the universal nature of culture, and what impact will this war have.

You can read the summary of the chat here.

#HeritageChat February 2022 – Storytelling and Heritage

February’s #HeritageChat focused on Storytelling and Heritage.

Participants explored the elements that make a story really successful, giving also practical suggestions, and what is the potential of digital storytelling. They highlighted in particular the potential of reaching geographically diverse audiences. The chat then focused on community-led storytelling, with associated risks and opportunities, and the difficulties of telling stories about dark heritage.

The chat also explored how to measure the success of storytelling, and participants highlighted that the impact of storytelling is difficult to measure with numbers, as it involves emotions and reflections. Finally, participants discussed to what extent storytelling can be used to motivate the public become more engaged with important issues such as climate change. The power of giving examples and sharing stories is showcased in our report Heritage Responds, which aims to inspire heritage organisations to take action to fighting climate change through case studies.

You can read the summary of the chat here.