Culture Minister, Gregory Campbell has today launched the Northern Ireland Community Archive website www.niarchive.org Speaking today at the launch on the Lagan Legacy Barge, the Minister said: “This is an innovative new website which makes it easier to find photographs, documents or oral history information on local communities. “Community archives represent a bottom-up approach to documenting our heritage, they are the grass roots activities of recording and exploring history. In other words, they are created by communities and are held in communities, often outside the formal heritage sector. “The recent growth in community archives and a new realisation of their value and importance has made it necessary to find a way of bringing them together into a web portal so that stories can be shared,” the Minister said. The community archive project as it develops will help promote the use of the rich collections of material in museums, libraries and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Collections of material, written, visual and oral, are what constitutes a community archive which complement the formal historical record and bring to life individuals, communities and events that would otherwise lie dormant.
 
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23 October 2008
© Northern Ireland Executive

Research reveals older people have the “know how” - On UK Older People’s Day new research reveals a rich variety of knowledge, culture and practical know how being passed down through families. Family history, practical skills, stories and recipes top the list of hand-me-downs, with nearly three quarters (73%) of people saying this knowledge is more likely to be held by their grandparents’ generation rather than their own. There’s an appetite to keep this knowledge alive with over three quarters (77%) of us worrying that it may die out.
For fixing, making, providing or entertaining from scratch, our older friends and relatives can be a great source of practical wisdom. Whether it’s to help throw a children’s party, end our ready-meal dependency, tend an allotment or do basic DIY, over two thirds (68%) of people are keen to get their hands on this know how. Pensions Minister Mike O’Brien is calling on younger generations to strengthen their ties with the older people in their lives. “Swapping stories, skills and ideas across generations gives us an opportunity to discover what we all have in common and appreciate the role older people play in our lives and our communities,” he said.

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1 October 2008
© Department for Work And Pensions (National)

New development rules which will cut the red tape for home improvements, combat the effects of climate change and protect World Heritage sites have been introduced today by Housing and Planning Minister Caroline Flint. New planning regulations being laid in Parliament today will mean that from October the majority of homeowners will no longer need to get planning permission when extending their existing homes. The changes will allow people to build both up and out for the first time without needing to pay to up to £1000 to be granted specific planning permission. As a result, a quarter of all householder applications (80,000) will be removed from the planning system each year, potentially saving the nation up to £50m.

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10 September 2008
© Communities and Local Government (National)

Hazel Blears today unveiled new guidance to the Fire and Rescue Services to integrate better protection for historic buildings and the environment into Fire and Rescue Service planning. Fire and Rescue Services are to gather and integrate information to help deal with fire or other emergencies (eg floods or chemical incidents) in sensitive environments and historic sites into their strategic planning. Communities Secretary Hazel Blears will announce this today when she addresses the national Fire Conference in Liverpool. Hazel Blears will say: “We know that accidental, deliberate and natural fires and water run-off can have devastating effects on lives, the environment and the economy. The guidance will help the Fire and Rescue Service plan with others how to reduce the effects of such incidents making the most of sharing such valuable information, given we have a growing population and a changing climate.”

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28 August 2008
© DCLG

The Waterways Trust and British Waterways are appealing for women who worked on the waterways during the Second World War to come forward to receive formal recognition of their efforts more than 60 years after the conflict ended. During the war, women volunteered to work on the canals. Wearing a badge with the initials IW to indicate that they were working on the waterways on essential war work, this group of women became known as the Idle Women. These young girls, mostly from middle class backgrounds with no experience of manual labour worked hard and effectively, transforming themselves into first rate boaters, earning the respect of traditional boating families. Tony Hales, British Waterways’ chairman, said: “The achievements of this group of women during the war, while small in number, have never been formally recognised. We would now like to rectify this and hope that former Idle Women, or their relatives, will come forward to share their stories and experiences.” The majority of the Idle Women worked on the Grand Union Canal. The Waterways Trust and British Waterways are now having a plaque created to provide permanent and lasting public recognition of the contribution made by this special group of people during World War II. The plaque will be mounted at the National Waterways Museum Stoke Bruerne. Former Idle Women, or their families, should contact Justine Lee at The Waterways Trust on 07917 804550 or email justine.lee@thewaterwaystrust.org.uk

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7 August 2008
© Waterways Trust

The MPA’s youth scrutiny report will be presented to the full Authority at its May meeting on 29 May 2008. Listening to London’s young people was an integral part of this scrutiny from the outset. It focused on the causes, effects and impacts of young peoples’ involvement in crime as victims, witnesses and perpetrators and how this influences their interactions with the Met. And it is intended that they will have a voice in the ongoing debate. Richard Sumray, chair of the youth scrutiny panel said: “We rarely hear the views of young people themselves. But the MPA youth scrutiny - in contrast to other commentary on youth crime - is firmly grounded in the real experiences of young people themselves. The MPA made a determined effort to listen to them directly rather than through an adult filter, and more than 1,000 young and adult Londoners took part in our various consultations. The Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, attended the last of the hearings to discuss face to face their concerns about policing in London. The scrutiny heard about the problems they face, and how they can work together with the police and partner agencies to solve them. It aimed to find ways to reduce young people’s involvement in crime, improve their confidence to report crime, and improve the Met ’s strategy towards them. The scrutiny makes 53 recommendations in all. We recognise that the Met is working hard to implement its strategy towards young people. It includes a range of initiatives to prevent crime and general anti-social behaviour, as well as dealing with the impact of more serious crime committed by a few young people. The police cannot do it all alone and much of this work involves close collaboration with other agencies. The Met will respond formally to the scrutiny at the July full Authority meeting and we will monitor the implementation of our recommendations.”

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27 May 2008
© Metropolitan Police Authority (National)

The nation’s most important historical landmarks are to receive greater protection than ever before, Communities Minister Baroness Andrews announced today. The Government is taking action to protect all 17 English World Heritage Sites, which include the Tower of London, Hadrian’s Wall, the Ironbridge Gorge, Maritime Greenwich and Durham Castle. For the first time the government wants to put all English World Heritage Sites on the same national footing as its conservation areas, national parks and areas of outstanding beauty by including them in national planning protection rules. World Heritage status is only granted by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for major world cultural and natural heritage locations considered to have outstanding universal value. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will meet in July to review new and existing sites.

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26 May 2008
© Communities and Local Government

Heritage champions have a key role to play in protecting and promoting the historic environment, writes Lord Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of English Heritage. Heritage champions are a network of local authority members, who have been selected by their councils to be advocates for the historic environment within their council and local authority area. Today public satisfaction is affected more by the physical place than by any other factor. The successful integration of heritage and regeneration helps create a distinctiveness of place, a local identity, a sense of belonging and local pride. In this, heritage champions have a key role. As well as leading within their authorities, champions are supported by English Heritage – they work as a network, meet for national events and briefings and have access to expert advice. A local champion/English Heritage partnership can really make a difference.

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30 April 2008
© LGA

What happened when Raasay Heritage Trust found themselves without accommodation? In this special report, Rebecca Mackay tells us about the development of Raasay Heritage Trust, their restoration of a ruined mill, and plans for a new build Raasay Heritage Centre.

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25 April 2008
© Rural Community Gateway

Blackpool, Dover and Torbay will be the first towns to benefit from up to £4 million each for cultural and heritage projects, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham announced today. The grants are the first to be made as part of Sea Change, a new funding programme which aims to kick start wider economic regeneration in coastal areas through specific investment in culture and heritage. Sea Change is a three year programme that will give £45 million to coastal resorts, and is being led by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).

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04 April 2008
© DCMS