WHUK 2025 Spring Workshop

Theme: Climate Change & WHS Management

Dates: Wednesday 30th April (from 12.30pm) & Thursday 01st May (all day)

Venue: Westminster Room, Local Government Association Head Office, 18 Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ

Tickets: In-person tickets are limited to 70; digital tickets are also available

Wednesday: Context

12.30pm Arrival, registration, teas, coffees and biscuits

12.45pm Welcomes and Introductions

1.00pm Keynote on Climate Change & Heritage – new policy document and emerging techniques and tools of value to WH management including those which explore risk assessment and adaptation planning; with Dr Will Megarry from Queens University Belfast and ICOMOS International

1.40pm – IUCN’s Senior Programme Coordinator Murai Mizuki

2.00pm Local policies and plans; Cllr Ryan Jude, Westminster City Council & Local Government Association

2.30pm World Heritage Management and Climate Change Adaptation with Kate Guest, Historic England’s Senior Policy Adviser (Climate Change) and another speaker tbc

3.00pm Afternoon break

3.30pm Natural England’s Senior Specialist Climate Change Adaptation Sarah Taylor

4.00pm Climate Vulnerability Index – a critical review from Mairi Davies, Climate Change Policy Manager at Historic Environment Scotland plus one other speaker

4.30pm Day 1 Q&A and wrap up

5.00pm – day 1 talks finish

6.00pm – a drinks reception and World Heritage advocacy evening at the Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, 1 Victoria Embankment, London SW1A 2JR, to celebrate WHUK’s 10th anniversary…kindly supported by Cornish Metals

8.00pm – end

Thursday: Examples, Best Practice & Resources

9.30am Arrival, teas, coffees and biscuits

9.45am Welcomes

10.00am Climate Change & UNESCO Heritage – introduction to UKNC’s project with Matt Rabagliati

10.20am National Trust’s Keith Jones on what the Trust is doing countrywide and at specific UK WHSs

11.00am CEMS process and overview at the National Trust, Lizzy Carlyle, Head of Climate and Environmental Management

11.20am Morning break

11.35am Hadrian’s Wall and UKNC’s Climate Change & UNESCO Heritage project, with Newcastle University’s Dr Mick Atha, Landscape Analyst

11.55pm Adaptations to Climate Change in an urban WHS, with Jenny Bruce and Yann Grandgirard from Edinburgh WHS

12.15pm Climate change adaptation at English Heritage, with Paul Lankester, EH’s Climate Resilience Lead

12.45pm Lunch

1.45 pm Peter Debrine, UNESCO Head of Sustainable Tourism (tbc)

2.15pm Financial resources for Climate Change mitigation and adaptation with NLHF’s Drew Bennellick, Head of Land, Sea and Nature Policy UK, and Joanne Robinson-Cheale, Head of Environmental Sustainability

2.45pm Q&A/Workshop wrap up/Thank you’s

3.00pm – walk to Westminster Abbey WHS

3.15pm – Site visit to Westminster Abbey WHS – a guided ‘behind the screens’ tour with the Abbey’s Head of Visitor Experience Scott Craddock

5.00pm Workshop ends

Do Your Bit for the Environment – we invite attendees of the spring workshop to support the Flow Country Partnership’s mission to restore the world’s only Peatland World Heritage Site – inscribed for being the world’s largest intact blanket peat bog. This vital ecosystem stores over 400 million tonnes of carbon, playing a crucial role in combating climate change, which aligns with the focus of our spring workshop. If you are travelling to the workshop, please consider a donation to help facilitate future carbon sequestration. Your donations will directly aid in the restoration efforts, enhancing the peatland’s capacity to sequester carbon and support biodiversity. Please note, this initiative is not currently structured as a carbon offset programme; however, there is potential for it to evolve into one in the future, subject to interest from the World Heritage community and feasibility.  Your support today contributes to meaningful environmental impact and may pave the way for future carbon offset opportunities.

Click here to donate…thank you.

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