Heritage Now

32   HISTORIC BUILDINGS & PLACES FROM THE SECTOR AND DIARY CASEWORK AND JOINT COMMITTEE The Joint Committee’s joint casework hub continues to go from strength to strength and has proved to be a very effective way for the National Amenity Societies to coordinate their case- work responses. Much of the information related to each case is publicly accessible and can be found at www.casework.jcnas. org.uk . Discussions are ongoing with Historic England to estab- lish whether its casework database and those of the societies can somehow be linked, to increase effectiveness and impact. The National Amenity Societies received over 2,000 more consultations in the year to September than in the previous year, the total number now being over 8,500. The societies are busier than ever and carrying out this work with no additional funding from Historic England, something which we will be ad- vocating for in weeks to come. CLIMATE CHANGE The sector has been meeting regularly to coordinate its response to the United Nations COP26 Conference which is due to take place in Glasgow in November. Historic Buildings & Places has a seat on the Historic Environment Forum’s COP26 Task Group which is preparing a sector and public-facing shared statement on climate change to be launched ahead of COP26, highlighting key messages on climate change challenges, solutions and oppor- tunities covering carbon reduction, adaptation and resilience, and green ‘heritage skills’. There have recently been calls for the conference to be post- poned to allow delegates from developing countries, who may not yet have benefited from a vaccination programme, to attend. A VILLAGE AT THE FOOT OF A HILL: PRESERVING LEGACIES OF RESILIENCE AT GOOD HOPE ESTATE, JAMAICA WEDNESDAY 10TH NOVEMBER, 6PM Presentation by Ke Vaughn Harding, former director of Falmouth Heritage Renewal in Jamaica, on the work undertaken exploring the lives of enslaved people at the Good Hope Estate near Falmouth in Jamaica, and the strategies of interpreting historic sites to ensure that their context is fully understood. Further information on how to attend the event can be found on our website. £3.00 for members; £5.00 for non-members IMPACT OF COVID-19 The heritage sector has continued to feel the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially organisations which derive their income from visitor entries and events such as weddings. Throughout the pandemic the Heritage Alliance had main- tained a very detailed and informative Covid-19 Guidance Hub which has helped the sector co-ordinate its response to the pandemic. On the positive side, an unprecedented amount of funding has been poured into the heritage sector, through various emer- gency funds. The largest of these is the government’s £1.57 billion Cultural Recovery Fund whose final £300 million round of grants and loans was announced at the end of June. The lifting of restrictions has meant that many sites are now open again, although it is clear that it will be some time before full ‘normality’ is achieved. HELP US SHAPE THE SOCIETY’S FUTURE We would like to know your thoughts on the biggest is- sues affecting the historic environment in coming years, and what the society could do to help address these and to remain an active and valued voice in conserving our heritage. Please complete our online survey at www.hbap.org.uk by 30 November 2021. Your views are important to us. PLACES OF WORSHIP The Association of English Cathedrals has published a new report on the importance of cathedrals and the contribution they make to local economies and communities. The report contains a wealth of information and can be found at www. englishcathedrals.co.uk/latest-news/new-research-says-cathe- drals-matter. The Great House at Good Hope Estate (Ke Vaughn Harding) FOR YOUR DIARY Historic Buildings & Places is putting on a roll- ing programme of events throughout the year, covering a range of themes linked to the work of the society. Once we are able to, we hope to hold more of these events in-person, but for now we will continue with an online programme. In order to keep up to date and receive the lat- est information on forthcoming events, please visit our website at www.hbap.org.uk to sign up to our e-mailing list.