Today, Soulton Hall participated in the Creating Connections Regional Event held at Chester Cathedral, organized by The Heritage Alliance.
The gathering brought together a diverse community of professionals, preservation trusts, academic researchers, and cultural institutions from across the region to discuss key sector topics.
The Heritage Alliance
The day featured a packed agenda focusing on practical skills, advocacy, funding strategies, and academic partnerships. The morning sessions opened with case studies examining effective public engagement and media strategies within the cultural sector, followed by explorations of evolving policy frameworks and collaborative approaches to supporting heritage assets. Attendees also joined a guided exploration of the historic Chester Cathedral architecture. An afternoon panel discussion offered practical perspectives on securing financial support, featuring insights from cathedral fundraising leadership and historic trust management, while the final session centered on forging stronger links between historic sites and higher education research initiatives.
The Heritage Alliance, England’s national umbrella body for heritage, meeting at Chester Cathedral for its “Creating Connections: North West” regional gathering. Funded by a National Lottery Heritage Fund Resilience Grant
The event created a valuable platform for dialogue across a broad spectrum of the heritage ecosystem. Organizations represented at the gathering included historic sites and national trusts such as English Heritage, National Trust, Historic Royal Palaces, and Historic England. Sector bodies and alliances were also present, including The Heritage Alliance, Association of Independent Museums, Council for British Archaeology, The Inland Waterways Association, and the Institute of Historic Building Conservation. Cathedrals and places of worship from Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Blackburn, and Gorton participated alongside universities and research bodies such as the University of Chester, University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University, Liverpool John Moores University, Chetham’s Library, and RICHeS/AHRC. Additionally, representation included trusts, museums, and local societies such as Soulton Hall, the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society, Circle Heritage, Built Heritage, the Canal & River Trust, the Heritage Network, The Silk Museum, West Cheshire Museums, the South Trafford Archaeological Group, the Pulford & Poulton Local History Group, and Heritage Chester, as well as various consultancies and architectural practices like Harrison Stringfellow Architects, The Littler Places, the AABC Register of Architects, the C20 Society, L&R Consulting, Squeaky Pedal, and Bridging Motif.
This regional gathering provided an excellent opportunity to share experiences, discuss collaborative funding and communication frameworks, and build lasting ties across the heritage community.
