The HHA is supporting Heritage Link's Diversity Programme. Click here to visit the new Diversity website which includes case studies, advice and guidance to show why diversity matters, what heritage has to offer to people and to link people and places.
The HHA's Member houses provide considerable public access and enjoyment. Britain's historic houses, castles, gardens and estates are amongst the most visited tourist attractions in the country. Everyone is welcome to explore and discover the rich diversity of our historic environment and opportunities are ever increasing to learn about, participate in and simply enjoy these special places. Over a third of the HHA's 1500 members are open to the public and welcome some 16 million visitors each year, contributing significantly to the economy, culture and education of local communities and the nation alike. A considerable number have developed education resources and programmes and others offer special tours and visits by arrangement.
However, heritage can still be perceived as 'elitist', and research commissioned by English Heritage has identified that there are barriers - whether real or perceived - which still prevent some sections of the community from participating in the historic environment. This represents a significant challenge to the whole heritage sector and, to galvanise action, the Government has set a target for heritage organisations to increase the number of adults and young people aged 16 and above from priority groups visiting designated historic environment sites by 3% by 2008.
The HHA works in partnership with many organisations to reach out and welcome new audiences. Our new projects to improve access to, education at and community enjoyment of historic houses have been implemented, with energy, enthusiasm and success.
The HHA is also working to demonstrate to national and regional government the social contribution of the activities with which Members are involved at their proprieties. While government is increasingly aware of the education and outreach programmes at many HHA properties, less obvious is the broad socio-economic mix of visitors who are attracted every year to the extraordinary wide range of activities at historic houses. These go way beyond day visiting to include Caravan Rallies, AutoJumble and Rock Concerts.
