How does this impact on Community Wellbeing? Supporting communities to investigate and understand the cultural heritage of a Place develops skills, promotes social networking, gets people outside and exercising (walkover surveys, excavation) increases understanding of the local landscape and social history, while promoting a sense of place and pride. Secondary impacts can support the local economy through interpretation for tourism initiatives and enhancing local schools' learning programmes. Just a few benefits of community-led heritage! Why should the Committee focus on this as part of their future work? Because more value should be placed on supporting community-led heritage projects, supported by more funding and resources provided by local government as well as national bodies and grant-giving programmes. Health and well-being practitioners like district nurses or youth workers should be trained to utilise cultural heritage as a tool to achieve their aims. A 'Cultural Health Service' can achieve similar (if not more?) benefits as the 'Natural Health Service'.
For example, Glentana Mill in Alva. Due to be demolished for new housing but potential to have both the mill and new housing. Community support restoration of the mill. Council doesn’t. Very little in the Hillfoots villages to encourage folk to stop there rather than just use it as a conduit between Stirling and Fife. Unfortunate that there is little investment in sustainable heritage and all the economic and wellbeing benefits it brings.
This content is created by the open source Your Priorities citizen engagement platform designed by the non profit Citizens Foundation