The Heritage Alliance’s 2009 AGM and Heritage Day took place on 2 December at the German Gymnasium, King’s Cross, London.

At the AGM members welcomed new Chairman Loyd Grossman, whose inaugural speech made clear that 2010 would be a year of forward thinking, forceful campaigning and loud, clear messages. He felt strongly that the non-Government and voluntary sector had an increasingly important role to play, stating “what I intend to do is to highlight to our political masters the incredibly important role that voluntary and non government bodies have played and the increasingly important role they will play”.  Click here for more information on Loyd’s appointment as Chair.

Members also supported our name change to The Heritage Alliance at the morning’s AGM.  Clear, strong and more forceful, the new name highlights members’ determination to work collaboratively and ensure the Alliance’s messages are heard more loudly in all the right places.  We are all in this together, Loyd Grossman said, and “if we work together as a real alliance we can accomplish great things”.

Backing up the new name was the new manifesto, Making the Most of our Heritage, presented at the AGM. This makes clear how heritage can help Government deliver its objectives in four key areas: building a new economy, giving value for money, empowering people and responding to climate change. It provides a coherent set of messages for all – members of The Heritage Alliance or not – to take out at national, regional and local level as a key campaigning document in this election year.  Read Making the Most of our Heritage here.

In the afternoon members were joined by representatives from local and regional authorities, the voluntary sector, Government agencies and other professionals for the Heritage Debate 2009.  With a general election on the horizon, the event was offered as a hustings to hear and compare the heritage spokespersons from the three main political parties. Minister for Culture Margaret Hodge, Shadow Culture Minister Ed Vaizey and Lib Dem Spokesman on Heritage Richard Younger–Ross met on the platform to share their approach to heritage and the voluntary heritage sector.

A lively Q&A session rounded off the afternoon, with questions from the floor including the future of the delayed Heritage Protection Bill and the issue of localism.

For a full account of the AGM and Heritage Day debate, click here to see Heritage Update 176.

The Heritage Alliance’s next Heritage Day will take place on 8 December 2010.