Education Frequently Asked Questions
Target Areas
How were the target areas chosen?
The target areas were chosen using various criteria laid out in the Heritage Lottery Fund Bid. Research for the bid discovered that children, schools and people of different cultural backgrounds are currently under-represented in the audience profile of Heritage Open Days. The target areas were chosen to address current audience trends whilst giving the programme a good cultural mix and including areas both where Heritage Open Days activities are strong and where new organisers need to be brought on board.
Will the target areas stay the same?
No, new target areas will be selected in subsequent years of the the programme.
Can I nominate a target area?
If you feel strongly that your area would benefit from being one of out target areas in future years then feel free to contact us. There are always more areas that we would like to target than we have resources for so unfortunately we can offer no guarantee that nominated areas will be chosen.
Schools
Our school is not in one of your target areas, can we still use your resources?
All of our resources are available as free downloads from the resources page of our website.
Families
I would like to take my children to a Heritage Open Days property, which one(s) should I choose?
The goal of our programme is to help children and young people develop their passion for places and we are working with event organisers to make properties as engaging as possible for young people. The range of properties opened as part of Heritage Open Days is increasingly varied and you may be suprised by some of the venues included. The wonderful thing about Heritage Open Days is that they are free, so do feel free to explore.
Family-friendly events and properties are marked in the Heritage Open Days event directories with a hand-mark.
Organisers
I am unsure how to encourage families to visit my Heritage Open Days property/event. What would you suggest?
Our Organisers' Pack will contain help and advice on making your event family-friendly. The Heritage Open Days site provides a range of resources for organisers including draft press releases and poster and flyer templates.
How do I make valuable/delicate collections accessible to young people?
Whilst the majority of children who visit your property will be well behaved, children are naturally inquisitive. Visiting properties covered in 'Do not touch' signs reinforces ideas that heritage is 'not for them'. Whilst it is understandable that you will not want delicate or valuable items handled, making historic properties child-friendly can actually be surprisingly easy. Think about providing 'safe' areas with activities designed to appeal to your younger visitors. Artefact-handling of replicas will engage visitors of all ages and can be an ideal teaching-tool. For more ideas and advice please see our forthcoming Organisers' Pack and our new Teachers' Pack.
My property is not in one of your target areas, can I still use your resources?
All of our resources are available as free downloads from the resources page of our website.
How can I participate and open a property as part of the Heritage Open Days programme?
Everybody can participate and register a property with Heritage Open Days, provided that you own or manage the property. If you are a Civic Society, Preservation Trust, Local Authority or other organisation and wish to open properties in your locality which you do not own or manage, please approach the owners of the respective properties and ask for their consent to register the property with Heritage Open Days. In addition, you have to fulfil the following entry criteria:
- Properties included in Heritage Open Days should be of architectural, cultural or historic interest.
- All openings must take place on the appropriate weekend. Organisers can choose the days they wish to open properties/organise events. You do not need to participate on all days.
- Admission to properties and participation in activities must be free during the chosen Heritage Open Days opening period. Properties that do normally open free of charge should either open an additional part of the property or arrange a special activity.
- Visitors must be offered some explanation or interpretation of the history/architectural merit/function of the property. In line with our audience development programme we would encourage organisers to consider providing family-friendly activities. For advice on making your event family-friendly please see our forthcoming Organisers' Pack.
For more information visit the section Organiser Information & Guidelines.
For faq's for the overall Heritage Open Days programme, please visit the HODs homepage.
