The Heritage Alliance celebrated its tenth annual Heritage Day on 8 December 2011. The popular event, sponsored by Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, took place in the inspiring surroundings of the Grade II* listed Wapping Hydraulic Power Station and its neighbour Metropolitan Wharf . These fascinating examples of London’s rich industrial history are situated at the heart of the Wapping Wall Conservation Area, on the north bank of the Thames midway between the City of London and CanaryWharf.
At the culmination of a year where membership of the Alliance has never been higher (92 national and major regional heritage non-government bodies, representing between them over 5 million people) and advocacy has gathered momentum, Heritage Day 2011 saw a high turnout across the sector. 
Addressing over 180 delegates, Chairman Loyd Grossman OBE FSA celebrated the new partnership of The Alliance with Civic Voice and the National Trust bringing Heritage Open Days back into the voluntary sector, and highlighted the sector’s achievements in ensuring heritage has secured a higher decibel rating in parliamentary lobbying over the NPPF and Localism Act. On the NPPF Loyd made the point that planning reform is not just a rural issue but also one that significantly affects our great cities and our market towns. For too long, he said, government has seen heritage on the wrong side of the balance sheet – far from being a brake on growth, heritage is a tool waiting to be picked up and used to catalyse growth. Loyd also highlighted the opportunities and the challenges of capitalising on the philanthropy agenda, which the Alliance is tackling head-on through its Funding Advocacy Group.
In particular, Loyd praised the work of the 485,000 volunteers across the country who donate 58.5 million hours each year to ensuring that the public can continue to enjoy our heritage, and that the economy can continue to benefit from it. In celebration of the outstanding public benefit contributed to society by heritage volunteers Loyd Grossman presented the second Heritage Alliance Hero Award to the volunteers of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways in Gwynedd, and Inayat Omarji of the All Souls Crompton Community Centre Trust in Bolton. These two outstanding examples of voluntary effort in support of community heritage so impressed the judges that the decision was taken to announce joint winners of this year’s Award.
Loyd said: “I’m thrilled to present the Heritage Alliance Hero Award to two such inspiring winners. Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways and All Souls Bolton are two outstanding examples of the power of our heritage to deliver important benefits to local communities. They paint a picture of the many thousands of enterprising volunteer-led heritage initiatives underway up and down the country, ensuring our past continues to make a valuable contribution to our future.”
Taking to the lectern next, Chairman of the National Trust Simon Jenkins spoke on how the Trust had taken on the NPPF, which he described as “a streamroller of development interest and a denial of planning.” He outlined how the Trust had mobilised its membership on the NPPF over the summer and autumn, saying it has gone “into blitzkrieg mode” to challenge “the belief that planning is the enemy of growth”. He said the Trust had been speaking with government officials over the need to re-write the Plan, and that if certain changes were not incorporated the Trust might “come out with big guns again.” 
He went on to highlight the need to concentrate on helping councils and communities to better understand the value of their heritage, suggesting that it was local government notWestminsterthat should be the sector’s key target. He concluded that the words ‘beauty’ and’ pleasure’ were sorely missed in heritage debates today, saying “heritage needs to articulate an aesthetic as well as being old.” He highlighted what he saw as a key area through which the sector could better promote its value on all fronts – tourism.
Photos from the day can be viewed here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/71738223@N03/
