Getting young people onboard

An important aspect of the Heritage at Risk project (aside from the small matter of attempting to survey over 9,000 heritage assets around the county) is to promote a sense of understanding and appreciation for Lincolnshire’s heritage amongst young people.

Throughout the project we have offered a number of different types of event specifically designed for young people. These have involved a wide range of activities such as surveying historic buildings in Heckington, exploring Tattershall Castle, recording archaeology at Tupholme Abbey and reconstructing a dry stone wall at Caenby.

We have often found ourselves taking part in some more unexpected activities too, such as building rockets, hosting a barbeque and flying down a zip wire at the high ropes centre (the most unexpected of all given that I am not good with heights)…its all part of the job!

Our next young person’s event will involve working with students from St Francis Community Special School in Lincoln. The young people will be undertaking a project about heritage sites in the city and will be helping us to record their condition. By volunteering with us they will also be working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Awards and their Bishop’s Awards with the Diocese of Lincoln.

We visited the school this week to meet some of the pupils who we will be working with. We were very impressed with their enthusiasm for the subject and can’t wait to get started on the project!

Natalie, Heritage at Risk Project Officer