Scottish Heritage Angel Awards 2016 open for entries
Awards seek out Scotland's 'Heritage Angels'
Volunteer groups and individuals, who contribute to Scotland’s historic environment, are being asked to step forward and make themselves known, as entries for the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards 2016 open today – Friday 10th June.
Now in its second year, the awards scheme, funded by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, celebrates the important efforts of volunteers or ‘Angels’ in helping to better understand, protect and value Scotland’s heritage and history.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose charity, established the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards, said: “I am passionate about saving heritage for future generations. After a successful and inspiring first year, I’m thrilled my Foundation can help the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards return and recognise everyone who is working tirelessly to preserve their heritage. I urge those of you who are involved in saving heritage at risk to come forward and let us celebrate your achievements.”
Last year’s inaugural awards saw over 80 nominations being received for heritage volunteers across the length and breadth of the country. The initiative, the first of its kind in Scotland, highlighted a range of worthwhile voluntary projects, activities and individuals. It celebrated everything from the recording of 3,500 gravestones and memorials in a garden cemetery to an individual’s commitment to archaeology, which spanned more than 20 years.
This year’s awards will also take the opportunity to recognise the valuable contributions that young people make to the wider historic environment, with a new category for 2016. Entries are now being welcomed for the Young Heritage Angel Award, along with the returning categories.
The five Scottish Heritage Angel Awards categories are:
• Investigating and Recording
• Caring and Protecting
• Sharing and Celebrating
• Young Heritage Angel Award
• Lifetime Contribution to the Historic Environment
The open for entries announcement follows on from new research findings*, published earlier this month, that show the scale and scope of volunteering within Scotland’s historic environment. Commissioned by Historic Environment Scotland and Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS), it revealed that last year alone, over 17,000 heritage volunteers clocked up 121,000 days’ worth of voluntary work.
Volunteers have from now until Friday 12th August 2016 to enter. Winners will be announced at the second annual Scottish Heritage Angel Awards ceremony, which will take place in Edinburgh, in October.
John Pelan, Director of the Scottish Civic Trust, said: “We’re pleased to once again be able to invite nominations and entries for this truly unique awards initiative. We hope to build on the great success of last year’s first ever Scottish Heritage Angel Awards. As part of this year’s scheme, we’re welcoming entries for our new for 2016 category, the Young Heritage Angel Award, which seeks to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions that young people make to our historic environment.
“This awards programme showcases the wonderful history and heritage that is held in communities across Scotland. Whilst, and importantly, recognising and celebrating the valuable contributions that some of the country’s 17,100 heritage volunteers make to help us better understand, protect and value our heritage.
“We look forward to seeing this year’s submissions and I’m personally excited to discover more about the individuals and groups behind a range of projects and activities, which actively contribute to Scotland’s wider historic environment.”
The awards are delivered in partnership with the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, Historic Environment Scotland, Scottish Civic Trust, Archaeology Scotland and the Scottish Government. They also support the delivery of Scotland’s historic environment strategy – Our Place in Time, which places a strong focus on supporting and enabling community participation and engagement across the historic environment.
Applications for the 2016 Scottish Heritage Angel Awards are now open. For full details on how to enter, or nominate someone else, for an Angel Award please visit scottishheritageangelawards.org.uk
You can find out about the 2015 inaugural Scottish Heritage Angel Award Shortlist and Winners here.
ENDS 10th June 2016
Notes for editors:
*Figures were taken from the Volunteering and the Historic Environment research report. Volunteering Scotland were commissioned to carry out this research by Historic Environment Scotland and Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS). The research was published on 1st June 2016.
Scottish Heritage Angel Awards Categories
1. Investigating and Recording
Volunteer/community-based projects recording local history and heritage.
Examples: this particular category could include projects such as recording of churchyards; landscape surveys; analysis of old architectural drawings.
2. Caring and Protecting
Volunteer-led involvement in saving/restoring heritage sites and buildings.
Examples: this category applies to community development trust-led projects; restoration projects that have relied on or benefited from local volunteers
3. Sharing and celebrating
Volunteer-led projects promoting local history, architecture and archaeology.
Examples: Volunteers or voluntary groups working across a range of projects, this could include interpretation boards; heritage trails; websites; virtual access projects. Projects helping to encourage wider engagement and interest in Scottish local heritage.
4. Young Heritage Angel Award
Best contribution by young people to a heritage project.
Examples: projects such as training of young people through fieldwork; heritage skills acquired then employed by young people; young people involved in conserving heritage; young people involved in interpreting/communicating heritage.
5. Lifetime Contribution to the Historic Environment
This category celebrates and recognises the work of individuals and the lifetime contribution that they’ve made to the wider benefit of Scotland’s historic environment. This award seeks local groups and communities to nominate a person that they think should be celebrated for their commitment and dedication.
About the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards
The Scottish Heritage Angel Awards are supported by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. The initiative is a partnership between the Foundation, Historic Environment Scotland, the Scottish Government, Scottish Civic Trust, and Archaeology Scotland.
The awards programme supports the delivery of Scotland’s Historic Environment Strategy, Our Place in Time, with its strong emphasis on community participation in heritage.
scottishheritageangelawards.org.uk
About the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation
The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation was set up by Andrew in 1992 to promote the arts, culture and heritage for the public benefit; since inception Andrew has been the principle provider of funding for all its charitable activities.
In 2010, the Foundation embarked on an active grant giving programme and has now awarded grants of over £9m to support high quality training and personal development as well as other projects that make a real difference to enrich the quality of life both for individuals and within local communities. Significant grants include £3.5m to Arts Educational Schools, London to create a state of the art professional theatre, £1m to The Architectural Heritage Fund, £1m to The Music in Secondary Schools Trust and over £350,000 annually to fund 30 performing arts scholarships for talented students in financial need. The Foundation owns two important paintings, a Canaletto “Old Horse Guards from St James’s Park”, currently on exhibition at The Holburne Museum, Bath and a Stanley Spencer “The Garage” on exhibition at The Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham, Berkshire.
In 2014, the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation awarded 36 new grants to organisations, a third more than 2013, made 15 grants to projects in their second and third year of funding and provided 30 musical theatre scholarships to young performers on the brink of their careers.
www.andrewlloydwebberfoundation.com
For further information on the Scottish Heritage Angel Awards, please contact:
Contact: Grant Thomson, Communications Officer, Historic Environment Scotland
Direct line:
Mobile:
Email:
Issued: 10th June 2016
For further information on the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, please contact:
Contact: Truda Spruyt or Hannah McMillan at Four Colman Getty
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