English Heritage exists to protect and promote England's spectacular historic environment and ensure that its past is researched and understood.

Heritage Link was set up in 2002 by national heritage groups to promote the central role of the voluntary movement in the sector and to make their voice heard collectively and coherently

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. We fund the entire spread of heritage - including buildings, museums, natural heritage and the heritage of cultural traditions and language

DCMS aims to improve the quality of life for all through cultural and sporting activities, to support the pursuit of excellence and to champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries.

Communities and Local Government sets UK policy on local government, housing, urban regeneration, planning and fire and rescue. We have responsibility for all race equality and community cohesion related issues across Great Britain.

The Sector Skills Council for advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, performing, literary and visual arts. We are an industry-led, campaigning organisation operating across the United Kingdom. Through better skills development, our aim is to secure world beating creative enterprise and more diverse cultural industries

MLA works with regional agencies in the MLA Partnership to improve people's lives by building knowledge, supporting learning, inspiring creativity and celebrating identity.

ASC is the national centre for delivering the skills & knowledge needed to make better places. ASC remit is to increase capacity and capability in the sector, improve professional practice, deliver better outcomes, raise awareness, and set the standard.

The site promotes publicly-funded UK museums, galleries, archives and heritage attractions and seeks to get the message about Britain's great culture to a broad online audience nationally and worldwide.

Audiences London is here to offer support, guidance and services to help cultural organisations in London develop their audiences. It's a network which enables collaboration and exchange between organisations of all shapes and sizes in reaching out to audiences in new or more effective ways.

The Association for Heritage Interpretation is a key forum for anyone interested in interpretation - the art of helping people explore and appreciate our world. AHI aims to promote excellence in interpretation, and to gain wider recognition for it as a distinct professional activity. It runs networking events, a lively annual conference and a national awards scheme, and publishes a regular journal and newsletter.

Historic Scotland safeguards Scotland’s historic environment and promotes its understanding and enjoyment to all.

Community Archives and Identities is part of a research project based at the School of Library Archive and Information Studies at UCL and supported by the AHRC. The aim of this site is to provide a space for the project team to share ideas with people interested in community archives, particularly in black and other minority ethnic communities. To find out more visit

Participation Works is a consortium of six leading children and young people's organisations that provides expert advice to anyone wanting to give a voice to children and young people. They run events, workshops and have downloadable resources to help you consult with children and young people.

Revealing Histories is a partnership of eight museums and galleries in Greater Manchester. They came together in 2007 to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade in 1807 and to explore the legacy of slavery in their collections, in their communities and in their region. Slavery is part of our shared history that still impacts on our lives today.
Site includes filmed debates, opportunities for discussion and historical interpretation.

MLA NE have produced a useful web summary (with links) of the contribution by MLAs in the region to communities and to local government.

Research funded by the forestry commission into, amongst other subjects; barriers to accessing woodland; the benefits of using woodlands and natural spaces; Woodland and health pilot project.

The Museums Association (MA) is an independent membership organisation representing museums and galleries in the UK and people who work in them. The MA has over 5,000 individual members and 600 institutional members. Formed in 1889, the MA is the oldest museum association in the world. Today it provides information through its website and publications, runs a series of events around museum issues, lobbies government and sets ethical standards through its policy department, and offers a comprehensive professional development programme helping members further their careers.

A training package designed to encourage museums and galleries to involve people with experience of mental health problems has been commissioned by a partnership of NSIP, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, the V&A, Tate Modern, The Wallace Collection and Portugal Prints, and developed by the University of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT and the Lost Artists Club. It aims to help build the bridges needed between people with mental health problems, museums and galleries and the wider community.
For more information see:

The Outreach Department works with local communities on creative projects which encourage a greater understanding of England's diverse histories, and help to build strong communities through promoting sense of place and identity.

This programme aims to build capacity in the voluntary sector, its regional and local organisations such as Civic Trusts, Historic Houses Association members, CPRE and others.

The Heritage Funding Directory is a comprehensive guide to sources of financial support (and more) for anyone seeking to undertake creative projects connected with the UK's heritage. It includes details of the majority of substantive sources of funding from central and local government, non-governmental agencies and grant-making trusts which specialise in supporting heritage projects, as well as many which provide such funding within a wider remit.

For general information about social justice and museums and galleries, libraries, archives and other cultural and heritage organisations, see The Network - tackling social exclusion [with a link to www.seapn.org.uk]. See also membership details and the file of monthly newsletters.

The Community Development Foundation is a leading source of intelligence, guidance and delivery on community development in England and across the UK. CDF is a non-departmental public body and a registered charity supported by Communities and Local Government (CLG).



CDF's Vision is for an inclusive and just society and their mission is to lead community development analysis and strategy, in order to empower people to influence decisions that affect their lives.

Your Place or Mine? was a conference about broadening access to heritage, run by English Heritage and the National Trust in November 2006. It brought together 350 policy makers and practitioners to debate, share ideas and network. The blog was produced instead of conference proceedings.

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans History Month takes place every year in February. It celebrates the lives and achievements of the LGBT community. Committed to celebrate its diversity and that of the society as a whole. They encourage everyone to see diversity and cultural pluralism as the positive forces that they are and endeavour to reflect this in all they do.

Launched in October 2008 to mark the completion of Heritage Link’s two year diversity programme, this site includes project stories, case studies, guidance and tools to show why diversity matters, what heritage has to offer people and to link people and places. It has fulfilled one of Heritage Link’s key objectives to increase the capacity of member organisations. This programme challenged everyone involved to extend their commitment to diversity and shown the many innovative and different ways in which it can be done.

Essential kit for your career
Creative Choices° is the first online service to provide the tools, knowledge and networks to support every individual and business to get in, and get on, in the creative industries and cultural sector.

This forum has been created to allow everyone with an interest in the work of Communities and Local Government to contribute their views on current policy and emerging issues

Promoting the importance of learning through museums, galleries and other cultural organisations.

If you want to share the results of an archaeological excavation, buildings survey or landscape study project with others, then this is the place for you. You could place material here to gain a greater profile for your project, to share ideas and to start discussions about the interpretation of the material you have found. Also try joining the Community Archaeology email discussion list.

The Creative Portal is a one stop shop for the Creative Industries. Whether you're an established business, an aspiring artist, needing careers advice or need to find a creative business, this is the place to go. It features Business and freelance directory that companies can register for free; Free jobs listing; Complete list of regional training course and institutions; Latest industry news; and great links.

Culture on Demand was commissioned by DCMS to consider the fundamental drivers of demand and in particular to understand what motivates people to engage in culture and the barriers of perception which imply that traditional cultural services are not often enough seen as a relevant leisure option. The report focuses on the PSA 3 priority groups - BME, disabled and lower socio-economic groups, but its not exclusively about these groups.

The summer 2007 issue of Conservation Bulletin focussed on broadening access to heritage beyond traditional audiences. Beginning with community perspectives, articles look at how people have chosen to interpret their own heritage; then new heritage sector initiatives are highlighted. A section looks to the skills and training needed by the sector, with practical guidance for people interested in delving into this work.

This report looks at the convergence of three trends: technological change, the way that people engage with culture, and the policy aim of increasing democratic participation in culture, with particular regards to audiences described as �hard to reach

First speech from James Purnell on appointment as Secretary of State - 'World class from the grass roots up'. July 2007.

This is a guide to setting up an 'arts ambassador's' programme in arts organisations and using arts ambassadors as an effective tool for audience and market development. It explores good working relationships and time investment that may lead to positive changes in an organisation.

Ethical principles for all who work for or govern museums in the UK. All Museums Association members agree to abide by these.

The Museums Association produces best practice salary guidelines for the museums and gallery sector, based on extensive research and consultation. Originally published in 2004 and updated in 2006, these have now been updated for 2008/09 in line with inflation and current trends.

The Museums Association Disposal Toolkit provides general information and guidance on de-accessioning for all museums.

Young People, Libraries & Censorship – A Powerpoint presentation by Sarah McNicol, independent researcher

Teenage engagement – Matthew Imrie, Teen Librarian, LB Enfield. Powerpoint presentation

A member driven discussion on the topic of 'Community Ambassadors'.
Click on the player below to listen to the podcast.
You can download the podcast in both high and low quality. Click here for high quality. Click here for lower quality. Both will work fine on a portable MP3 player or iPOD.
A transcript of the podcast is available in both Word and PDF.
Got something you want to add. Why not visit the discussion forum?

You can download the panel's response to your written questions following on from the original podcast here in word and pdf format.

Read about a long term project with older people based at Sutton House in Hackney here.

Learn more about a celebration of five years of intergenerational projects at the Women's Library here.

For a look at the wider issues of community engagement with older people there is an M.A. dissertation.

To find out more about intergenerational projects funded by the HLF (Heritage Lottery Fund) we have a [May 2008 briefing].

Why not have your say, or ask questions about the articles in our resource file in the forum community outreach with older people.

The May '08 of the National Youth Agency’s Youth Action and Engagement is about intergenerational work, including volunteering., and contains some case studies showing how particular pieces of work have developed.

You can read the Arts Council’s first national strategy for the arts, health and well-being pub. 2007. This was influenced by the research they commissioned in 2004 to explore the relationship of arts and humanities with healthcare and the influence and effects of the arts on health. You can see the full report Arts in Health by Rosalina Staricoff or the summary Can the Arts have a positive effect on health?.

The Sydney De Haan Reseach Centre for Arts and Health in Caterbury have commissioned several studies into different aspects of health and music including the recent evaluation of a project with older people called the Silver Song Club and a wider review of Singing and Health in the community.

There is increasing interest from the academic community around the health benefits and influences of heritage. Here is an article by Dr Helen Chatterjee from UCL especially commissioned by Our Place about research into taking handling objects into hospitals.

You can read more about her work using artefacts for learning and health across the University here.

For a wider and more in-depth consideration of the role of Heritage and Well-being, Our Place commissioned an article by Dr Beverley Butler at the UCL Centre for Museums, Heritage and Material Culture. Rethinking Heritage as Pharmakon is concerned with the dangers of heritage being seen as a quick fix solution to well-being, and that the sticking plaster attitude when working with vulnerable groups means there is danger of doing some harm as well good.

There is plenty of evidence supporting the benefits of access to natural heritage, and in Scotland the Forestry Commission have been researching why some groups of people find it hard to get out into woodlands and green spaces. New Pathways for Health and Well-being is a summary of their findings. The case studies include; parents with young children, young people looking for work and older people with disabilities.

July 2008 saw the publication of a new report, which concluded that “artistic expression” is helpful for mental health. Funding from the National Social Inclusion Programme (NSIP) brought together a research team, led by Jenny Secker, Professor of Mental Health at Anglia Ruskin University and the South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and partners University of Central Lancashire. For a summary of the findings look here, and for the full report look here.

If you wish to comment on any of the above then please do join the Health and Well-being forum and have your say.