Community engagement for heritage sites

A project I am proud of

The work I have done at Harewood House in Leeds was the starting point of my heritage site engagement. They were redesigning their digital framework, including their website, and they wanted a more diverse voice and more culturally diverse images. I was engaged to reach out to the African Caribbean community in Leeds and source specific people for focus groups, parents with children, parents without children, community leaders, students, and other categories the project needed.

The first round, I sat in on the focus group while another consultant led. The next round, I worked with the client to co-create the questions and led the sessions myself. We were able to capture honest, useful information about what people felt about the site, including its relationship with the transatlantic slave trade.

That project showed me what this work can do when it is done with care. It is exactly the kind of work I want to do more of, and it is exactly the kind of work I would love to do with you.

What heritage site engagement usually looks like

A heritage site engagement project tends to cover some or all of the following.

• A clear brief from you about the audience or community you want to engage and the outcome you need
• Sourcing real participants from my long-built community contacts, not from a research panel
• Co-creating the question set, or careful delivery of yours, for any focus groups or consultation sessions
• Facilitating the sessions, in person or online, with sensitivity around difficult subjects
• Honest reporting that respects what people said and gives you actionable findings
• Where the work calls for it, longer-term audience development to grow and sustain new visitor groups

Who I work with on heritage projects

Heritage work tends to come from:

• Country houses and historic properties wanting to engage local communities, particularly those whose stories are tied into the site’s history
• National heritage organisations wanting consultation with under-represented communities for programming, design or interpretation
• Heritage marketing and digital teams redesigning websites or digital frameworks and wanting a more diverse community voice
• Heritage learning and engagement teams building longer-term relationships with schools and community groups

Questions heritage clients often ask

Can you consult with communities we have not been able to reach? Yes. That is exactly the work I do best. My contacts have been built over decades and through real, trusted relationships.

Are you comfortable with sensitive history? Yes. The Harewood House project involved consultation on the transatlantic slave trade. I do this work with care and with respect for everybody in the room.

Do you cover heritage sites outside London? Yes. The Harewood House project was in Leeds. I work across the UK and I am happy to travel.

Can you support both consultation and audience development? Yes. The two often pair well. Consultation tells you what the community needs, and audience development turns that insight into ongoing visitors.