Realising the Benefits of World Heritage to Local Communities 2 project

World Heritage UK is delighted to introduce you to our new Realising the Benefits of World Heritage to Local Communities 2 (RtB2) project manager Leah Hewerdine.

RtB2 is a 2 ½- year project funded by Historic England and Leah’s role is to audit existing audience and visitor data, work closely with a sample of World Heritage and Tentative List Sites through in-person visits, and help co-develop new tools and frameworks that all Sites can use to demonstrate their community value. Leah will be reestablishing the Learning & Engagement (L&E) Special Interest Group to foster a network of support between Sites and offer opportunities to learn about community engagement practices, hear about the challenges Sites are facing and work together to overcome them. The aim is to support Sites in showcasing their social, cultural, and economic benefits to strengthen future community engagement. 

Leah says: “I’m here to listen, learn, and support your work however I can. You’ll be hearing from me in the coming weeks as I begin requesting meetings with Site Coordinators to discuss the data you can provide on Site visitors, audiences and communities and learn about updates to your Site management plans. By providing this useful information, I’ll be able to capture and present an overview of the current World Heritage Site/Tentative List Site communities and find out more about the communities who are not yet engaged. Through the reestablished L&E Special Interest Group, and my visits to a selection of Sites, opportunities to learn more about the strategies taken to engage with local communities and underserved groups can be shared and used as guidance. I can’t wait to hear about the work you’ve been doing, and the work you plan to do, and co-develop useful resources together to build a better future for World Heritage and Tentative List Sites in the UK!“

If you’d like to hear more about the project, provide your thoughts on community engagement, register your interest in the L&E Special Interest Group, or schedule a time to discuss any Site data or community engagement projects, then please do drop Leah a line at [email protected]

Image: World Heritage Youth Ambassadors, Blaenavon