Heritage Network Publishes 2026 Impact Report on Community-Led Regeneration

Heritage Network has published its third annual Impact Report, highlighting the contribution of community heritage organisations to people and places across the UK. Covering activity in 2025, the report features eight member case study “impact stories”, alongside wider evidence of impact. Key highlights include more than £60 million invested in restoring buildings, structures and landscapes; 43 properties removed from…

Cross-party Praise for Smaller Museums in Westminster Hall Debate

On the 6 March a Westminster Hall Debate was held on the contibution of local museums to the UK. The debate was called by the Labour MP for Thurrock, Jen Craft, who highlighted the positive impact of her borough’s “fantastic local museums”, but also the challenges they are facing due to limited funding and the…

Spring Online Seminars from AIM

The spring series of online seminars from the Association of Independant Museums (AIM) are now booking. AIM run regular events for members and non-members, in-person and online, designed for those working with and for independent museums. The Spring 2026 online seminars include a number relevant to industrial heritage sites such as: The AIM Conference 2026…

Canal & River Trust Recieves Extra Funding for Canal Repairs

With the British canal system facing pressures from extreme weather and rising maintenance costs, the UK Government has announced that it is providing an addtional £6.5 million in funding for the Canal and River Trust (CRT), who care for the majority of the canals and river navigations in England and Wales. This in addition to…

Early Engines Database Finds New Home With the AIA

The Early Engines Database of eighteenth century steam engines has a new permanent home, courtesy of the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA). The database is a record of the steam engines constructed in the United Kingdom up to the end of the year 1800. It records only the first erection of each engine, (although what…

Historic England Looking for Heritage Sites to Take Part in their ‘Pilot Carbon Bookkeeping & Carbon Reduction Training’

This spring, Historic England will launch a new training programme to follow on from the successful Heritage Carbon Literacy courses. Guided by discussions and feedback from the sector, this new training will support heritage organisations to measure their carbon footprint and write a carbon reduction action plan. The aim is to help demystify what organisations…

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings to Join English Heritage

Historic England have annoucned that they will be handing over the visitor attraction at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings to the care of English Heritage from the 1st April 2025. The visitor experience at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings will become part of the charity’s 400-strong portfolio of historic attractions, welcoming thousands of potential new visitors. It will sit…

Historic England Chair Argues that Historic Buildings Can Provide 670,000 Homes

The chairman of Historic England, Lord Neil Mendoza, recently argued that the country’s historic buildings can help to tackle the housing shortage. Writing in The Times on the 2 September 2024, Lord Mendoza drew on research undertaken by Historic England to show that converting some of the country’s historic buildings into housing would foster economic…