Historic England are running the 2025 Heritage Sector Volunteer Diversity Survey. The survey is aimed at any organisation in the heritage sector that has volunteers, such as industrial heritage sites.

Volunteers are a vital part of the heritage sector. From gardening, welcoming visitors to historic places, and excavating archaeological sites to archiving oral histories and leading governance on boards, they carry out essential duties. One of Historic England’s key priorities is making sure as many people as possible can enjoy and engage with heritage, including through volunteering opportunities. The survey covers the following points:

• Volunteers are a vital part of the heritage sector, but there are some barriers to volunteering.
• A survey of the volunteers in heritage helps Historic England and other organisations across the sector understand who is represented, who isn’t, and the barriers that are stopping people from participating in volunteering opportunities.
• Anyone with responsibility for volunteers can take part in online training sessions on how to talk about and enable people to take part in the survey.

The survey runs from 6 May to 29 July 2025 and the results will help Historic England target their resources for supporting volunteers in the heritage sector.

To take part in the survey follow this link: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/inclusion/sector/volunteer-cohort-2025/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKKjbtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETE2cGdxR1dJSmFRcjFFSHpCAR68Y86VP9yBlDBS0zk1tMhXcnCgxmkm4NxOy6Fb8eBSvom7S6FXxxQu4jwCOg_aem_ReXG1FrikDpIAUXXk5Bzyw#get-involved