A new survey by UK Heritage Pulse reviews the resilience and sustainability of the heritage sector in autumn 2022. UK Heritage Pulse is a collaborative data and insight project for the UK’s heritage sector informing policy, recovery, and reinvention post-Covid. It is operated by Baker Richards and Indigo Ltd, on behalf of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England and their supporting organisations.

Since the project began in December 2021, panel members (made up of hundreds of people working in the sector, including volunteers, sole traders, and employees of heritage organisations, ranging in size from those with under ten members of staff to those with over 50) have responded to two major surveys and a series of ‘quick fire’ surveys during the summer months called Instant Pulse.

This latest report shares the results of the second major survey which was open from 9 August to 9
September 2022, and focused particularly on organisational resilience, sustainability, recruitment, and staffing across the Heritage Sector. The headline results are:

• The sector is facing particular challenges relating to managing financial and operational uncertainty in the next 12 months, with smaller organisations likely to be most impacted.

• Staffing remains challenging in a number of key areas, particularly recruiting and developing specialist staff. The sector’s ongoing reliance on volunteers could be supported with a coordinated approach to create new volunteering opportunities and pathways into organisations.

• There is a willingness in the sector to improve environmental sustainability. More support and
  guidance are needed to make real change, particularly while the sector faces challenges perceived as more ‘immediate’.

To download the full report follow this link: https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/about/insight/research/heritage-sector-concerned-about-financial-outlook-committed-environment