Since Heritage Schools began in 2012, I have worked with Qa Research to evaluate the programme to show the impact it has on children and young people learning about their local heritage, linking their local history to national history, and gaining pride and understanding in the place where they live.
Read more: Heritage Schools evaluation report 2018/19 launched
A site visit to Kings Seat hill fort near Dunkeld, and this is a hearth where bones and charcoal have dated it to 570AD. The hill fort is on top of a prominent hill, but it was completely overgrown by rhododendrons until local people, with the Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust and AOC Archaeology started to excavate in 2017. They have found many hearths on the site, indicating that the hillfort was a centre for working bronze, silver and gold. The number of pieces of c.600AD pottery (E ware) also shows that this was a high-status site as only wealthy people could afford this type of tableware. School groups have taken part in the dig too and been archaeologists for a day - perhaps a future career for some?
I'm delighted to become a committee member of the Heritage Centre Bellingham at Bellingham: an accredited museum telling the stories and heritage of the North Tyne and Redesdale.The Heritage Centre is entirely run by volunteers and celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2019. Along with the Volunteer Co-ordinator I'm putting in place practical methods to find out more about our visitors - what their interests are, where they are from.
Visitor research is a growing interest amongst cultural heritage sites in Hungary, and I was very pleased to be invited to give a presentation and workshop at the KÖME (Cultural Heritage Managers' Association) conference in Budapest. The talented folks at grafacity.eu did visual recording of the presentations which is a great way to capture key points in a concise and memorable way.
- Places of Worship for Community Wellbeing
- Snapping the Stiletto
- Dementia Friendly Heritage
- Martin Luther King in Newcastle
- Art up your tab
- Museums Change Lives
- Charred timber cladding for the Kielder wildlife hide
- New wildlife hide for Kielder
- Martin Luther King - Freedom City Launch
- On tenterhooks
- Heritage Schools wins Europa Nostra award
- Glass Beats
- Leeches and Stories of Glass
- Selma - the right to vote
- Kinder Transport Memorial, Liverpool Street Station
- Goulash Cannon and Tin Helmet
- Remembrance
- Making glass at the National Glass Centre
- The Canary Girls
- Recycling from the First World War
- The Talented and Colossal Mademoiselle D'Jeck
- Visitor Studies in Split, Croatia
- On the border of Slovenia and Hungary
- Culture Matters
- Slovenia
- Repositories of technology
- A piece of Hungarian social history
- Museum + Heritage Show; Arts Professional
- Evaluation training in Slovenia and Croatia
- Iron Applause in Central Europe
- Escaped Circus Elephant!
- Gold from Afghanistan and Foundling fabrics
- The Old Herring Factory, Djúpavík
- Contemporary art from North Korea
- Nicola appointed to Board: Kuratórium
- Workshop in Hungary
- Evaluation Training in Hungary