Out with the Old, in with the New!

As we enter 2012 there are plenty of heritage-related topics to look back upon as well as to look forward to.

It’s heartening to learn that the general target set by the LHAR project for surveying all its Heritage Assets appears to be ‘on-target’. I recall first becoming a LHAR volunteer and can admit now to feeling a little sceptical about the enormous amount of surveys which were to be completed during the allocated period of the project. I began to realise the potential of a committed team of volunteers however, when last September the hundreds of “Places of Worship” surveys were all completed on time!

Volunteers surveyed all 592 of Lincolnshire's churches.

A theme I have returned to several times in my blog postings in 2011 is the subject of thefts from church property, specifically roofing lead and other valuable metal-ware. The subject remains an all too regular feature in the local and national media. An article that appeared in the Daily Telegraph this week reported that Ecclesiastical, the Church of England’s insurer, received 2,500 claims in 2011; the worst on record. Chelmsford, Essex had the unenviable honour of having the highest number of claims (90), Lincolnshire and Staffordshire were in joint second place, having submitted over 80 claims each. With a spokesperson for the insurer declaring the incidence of metal thefts as being ‘virtually endemic’, the problem shows no real signs of abating. Communities continue to take increasingly desperate measures to combat the problem including organising sleep-overs to keep watch for intruders. Another church committee have been advised to remove the roof lead on their church themselves, rather than leaving the buildings vulnerable to thieves! Locally and in the past month, a church in Gainsborough had 150 year old pieces of silver stolen. It’s just as well that moves appear to be afoot in central government to review the current legislation surrounding the custom and practice of cash transactions in the scrap metal industry. This may be at least one area where the easy off-loading of stolen goods can be addressed. Let’s hope that any changes are introduced promptly. In the meantime, those sufficiently concerned can log onto the following online petition to encourage urgent debate on the matter.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/406

Lead theft from church roofs is a common problem in Lincolnshire. 

As Heritage Volunteer Stewards we are fortunate to be kept informed as to progress and future plans of the LHAR project through the monthly newsletter, compiled by the team based at Heckington. Receiving the newsletter each month by e-mail is a really effective means of communicating what the project has achieved so far as well as informing volunteers of other activities such as planned educational events, related to Lincolnshire’s heritage. Short reports about recent and proposed social events and a monthly photography competition all serve to keep the newsletter very much an interactive medium. As a footnote to 2011 then, and on behalf of all the Heritage Stewards, I’d like to thank the team for an informative and entertaining newsletter each month!


Colin, Heritage Steward