Up for the Challenge, 3rd of June, 2006

Our first Up for the Challenge conference event was considered by most to be a success. In a well-attended gathering of 50 individuals and civic society representatives, representing some 20 societies, the burning issues of effective involvement in the public agenda, successful promotion of a society, membership recruitment and society professionalism were tackled.

The day began with an address by Jane Grenville, English Heritage Commissioner, on EH's "Conservation Principles for the Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment," which include the following:

(1) The historic environment is a shared resource

(2) It is essential to understand and sustain what is valuable in the historic environment.

(3) Everyone can make a contribution

(4) Understanding the values of a place is vital

(5) Places should be managed to sustain their significance

(6) Decisions about change must be reasonable and transparent

(7) It is essential to document and learn from decisions

(see the full EH document by clicking on the following link: Conservation Principles for the Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment)

Through her discussion, Ms. Grenville emphasised that community values are key to making a particular piece of the historic environment truly significant, suggesting that there is a critical role for civic societies in the development and reflection of such values.

The conference then turned to three presentations by YHACS representatives designed to enhance the capacity of our member societies. Dr. Kevin Grady, Director of Leeds Civic Trust and YHACS Executive Committee Member, gave a hard-hitting talk on the promotion and management of a civic society, calling his discussion "assertiveness training for civic societies." Dr. Grady called on societies to become "leaner and fitter", better organised, tightly focused on specific goals and aiming toward the development of younger memberships. His presentation provided a checklist for all societies to review with regard to their own vital statistics, including whether a society has a relevant and up-to-date constitution, whether an annual budget is set, and how new members are recruited. Each of his points delivered advice on the most effective management of each element of a civic society. To view Dr. Grady's full Powerpoint presentation, please click here.

Next up was David Rhodes, Civic Society Officer for YHACS, who delievered a very useful and structured explanation of the planning system and the way in which civic societies can and should be influencing planning policy. He provided a wealth of information and resources for member societies to "up their game" when engaging in a dialogue with local planning authorities. In particular, he recommended that societies get online with their planning issues with the extremely powerful and useful Planning Portal (www.planningportal.gov.uk). To view the full Powerpoint presentation by David, please click here.

Finally, Kevin Trickett, President of Wakefield Civic Society, YHACS Executive Committee Member and Civic Trust National Committee Chair, presented on the insights of project management for civic societies. He suggested that most problems facing civic societies today can be handled as projects, and he delivered a plan for the management of such projects. Kevin demonstrated that good project management is down to rational thinking, planning and a proactive approach. To view the full Powerpoint presentation by Kevin Trickett, please click here.

The day continued with a delicious buffet lunch and workshops with each of the YHACS presenters. Discussion was lively and dynamic, though there would never have been enough time for the debate to finish completely. After an hour in breakout sessions, the groups reformed in the conference room to deliver the results of discussions.

The day was concluded with a presentation by the national Civic Trust's Paul Todd, who delivered the national organisation's plans for reorganising and providing services and assistance to the civic society movement. Included in the plans were a learning portal--an intranet that would link the whole of the civic society movement--and a number of educational resources, along with regional coordinators to be hired across England to facilitate the movement in all regions.

For your chance to sign up for the second of our conferences, being held on the 17th of June, please click here.