THE man behind a damning report which rated Warrington “bottom of the league” for heritage and culture was guest speaker at a special conference aimed at setting the record straight.
Jonathan Schifferes, Associate Director of the RSA and author of the report, was guest speaker when Warrington Museum & Art Gallery hosted a “Heritage Matters” conference to discuss how to preserve, celebrate and promote Warrington’s unique heritage.
Representatives from heritage groups across the town and individuals, who felt passionately that Warrington was unfairly represented in the recent RSA Heritage Index, gathered at the event which discussed how heritage can create a vibrant town and resilient community.
The day produced a lively debate about why heritage mattered to those attending and marked the first in a series of initiatives to build a heritage network in Warrington, which can work together to encourage more people of all ages and across the community to celebrate what makes Warrington unique.
Many of those attending wanted to hear Mr Schifferes defend the report’s intentions. They were encouraged to learn that the RSA intended the report to help towns like Warrington use its undoubted heritage assets to benefit the town asserting that, “We think heritage will help a place achieve its aspirations to grow and prosper, socially and economically.”
Delegates also learnt that there were flaws in some of the numerous sets of data used to compile the report and that Warrington found itself on a level with St Albans and Leeds which were equally surprised by their low position on the index.
Other speakers included Sara Hilton, the Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the North West, who explained that heritage meant more than preserving old buildings by sharing stories of communities and learning and understanding about how heritage can help make towns resilient.
Also addressing the full subscribed event were groups across the town who showcased a range of initiatives by local people to get more people involved in preserving and sharing the story of their part of Warrington.
All involved in the day agreed that Warrington wants to show that heritage matters to all and that the town should move up the league table on next year’s Heritage Index.
Jonathan Schifferes, Associate Director of the RSA addresses the conference
