FEATURES CHARITY UPDATE

CHARITY UPDATE

An update from Kate Mavor

An overview of our amazing work and achievements.

The past year or so has been like no other, bringing lots of challenges for English Heritage. Thanks to the amazing work of our employees and volunteers, and the support from our Members and visitors, we’re not just surviving the Covid-19 crisis but are looking to the future in a positive frame of mind. I’m very proud of how everyone has stepped up and shown such professionalism and resilience in facing up to these challenges.

Government support The good news is that we were able to usher in the new visitor season with over 60 staffed sites and around 200 free-to-enter sites open across the country. Visitor feedback has been so positive – in these difficult times, our green open spaces and historic sites have played an increasingly pivotal role in people’s lives, giving a sense of continuity and perspective as well as offering opportunities for great family days out. We’re excited that very soon, when Grant for major conservation and government guidance allows, we can building services projects across the reopen the interiors at sites, giving more country. We’ve been able to deliver opportunities for people to enjoy and projects at over 50 sites including a be inspired by our stories. major conservation project at Furness

Our charity’s purpose is to care Abbey, de-vegetation works at Bishop’s for over 420 sites and half a million Waltham Palace, repairing the roofs at artefacts – and this work has continued Bolsover Castle and Castle Acre Priory, throughout the lockdowns. Thanks to continuing with major conservation an award of £12.6 million for capital works at Marble Hill and undertaking funding from the government structural repairs at through their £1.57-billion You’re sites such as Kirby Hall. Culture Recovery Fund to help protect the UK’s arts, cultural making a real We’ve also conserved cannons and guns at and heritage institutions, we’ve difference to sites, including Tilbury been able to deliver new projects to improve the visitor our work Fort, Pendennis and Dartmouth Castles, and experience and commercial in interiors across our performance at 29 of our sites. These estate, conservation deep cleaning has include: the re-interpretation of been undertaken. Boscobel House with a ‘Hide and Seek’ I’m very pleased that so many of theme, drawing on one of the most you are back in your volunteering roles iconic stories in English history, when and that we’re welcoming many more Charles II took refuge from Cromwell’s new faces. By giving your time, skills armies in an oak tree; the refurbishment and enthusiasm, you’re making a real of the Stonehenge café; and major difference to our work. You help us do conservation works at Clifford’s Tower so much more than would otherwise be in York. This grant has also been used possible to inspire people to enjoy our to carry out improvements in areas that rich history, as well as helping to protect would otherwise not have been possible, our heritage for future generations. ■ including refurbishing toilets at 19 properties, car park improvement works, and installing public Wi-Fi at 14 sites. GET INVOLVED To find out about current Conservation projects volunteer opportunities, go to In October, we were awarded www.english-heritage.org.uk/volunteer £2.9 million from the Heritage Stimulus