Our equality outcomes

When we talk about promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion, we focus on three core areas, or outcomes.

These are "Our Society", "Our Services" and "Our People".

On this page, you can read about the significant strides we've made between 2021 and 2025, as well as finding out about our plans for the future.

Making a real difference in people’s lives 

We've worked tirelessly to foster inclusion, accessibility, and representation in Scotland’s historic environment. Over the past year's we've achieved many things, including:  

Increased youth engagement

56,543 young people visited our sites with a £1 entry ticket thanks to our partnership with Young Scot

Improved accessibility for disabled and neurodiverse visitors

We introduced sensory backpacks for neurodivergent visitors at key historic sites as well as autism-friendly, BSL and audio-described tours for our Edinburgh Castle flagship event Castle of Light.

Strengthened community engagement and inclusion initiatives

We've built partnerships with LGBT+, disability advocacy groups, ethnic minority organisations, and socio-economic diverse communities, gypsy traveller groups, women`s aid groups, mental health organisation and refugee communities. 

Delivering responsive services to meet the needs and expectations of diverse groups

We've worked towards delivering services that are responsive to the needs of Scotland’s diverse communities. Our key achievements include:  

Free and inclusive entry programmes

Our Historic Sundays provided free visits to our sites for underrepresented groups.  

Researching marginalised histories

We identified 126 historic sites with colonial ties through our Properties in Care and British Empire Project 

Inclusive learning

We co-designed learning experiences with Gypsy and Traveller groups and and minority ethnic communities. 

Attracting , recruiting and developing a diverse board, workforce and volunteer base

We've focused on inclusive recruitment, workplace wellbeing, and leadership diversity. Some of our achievements in this area include: 

Inclusive recruitment and workforce development

We developed an inclusive recruitment toolkit and training for hiring managers.  

Workplace wellbeing and eequity Initiatives

We established a mental health first aiders network for and with our staff.

Expansion of employee networks and diversity training

We have strengthened our seven staff-led forums dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment, and hosted events such as the HES Pride March, talks with Black History Month speaker Sir Geoff Palmer, and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

We have built strong connections with our communities and listened to their advice on how we can do things differently to empower our communities and remove barriers to access. This inspires our Equality Outcomes for the coming years. We've co-created our outcomes through meaningful partnerships with underrepresented community groups and developed a people-centred approach to ensure heritage benefits all.

Empowering communities

We will develop a Community Engagement Framework for meaningful participation, expand funding opportunities for underrepresented groups, strengthen partnerships with grassroots initiatives, and implement research projects highlighting marginalised voices. 

Removing barriers and expanding access

We will improve site accessibility through digital tools, multilingual resources, and inclusive design, expand free and discounted entry programs, develop learning resources tailored for marginalised communities, strengthen youth and school partnerships, and introduce sensory-friendly programs at heritage sites. 

Fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce

We will conduct an equality audit of recruitment and workplace policies, establish Equality Ambassadors to champion inclusion, expand unconscious bias training, strengthen mentorship and leadership programmes, and enhance career pathways for professional growth. 

Additionally, we will focus on socioeconomic diversity through an intersectional lens, exploring how the historic environment can enhance wellbeing and foster social cohesion. 

You can find out more about how we've promoted equality, diversity, and inclusion in our Equality Progress Report.

The report relied on the data we collected on protected characteristics (like gender, race or disability) to identify potential inequalities and ensure fair and equitable practices and outcomes.