Coronavirus Advice and Support

We are listening to heritage organisations and community groups to understand how their work is affected and developing plans and approaches to help them to recover.

Contact us to discuss advice and support and share your examples of resilience

The coronavirus pandemic and circumstances are continuingly developing, and community heritage organisations are having to respond, plan, learn and adapt for resilience.

Please get in touch to see if we can help by offering advice and expertise, signposting to resources, networks and groups and to discuss other possible support.

We also want to hear about resilience, innovation and adaption by groups so that we can share this with others.

About the advice:

Our office teams are currently working from home and aim to provide our normal service, as far as possible. At this time communications will be primarily via email and over the phone but we can also take part in digital meetings. Please email developmentandcommunity@hes.scot and we will reply as soon as possible.

Understanding the impacts of Covid-19

We designed an online survey to help understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for the historic environment sector in Scotland.

Read the report

Key sources of support

In response to our C-19 impact survey individuals, organisations and community groups expressed concerns around the health and wellbeing of staff, volunteers and visitors, as well as how to respond and mitigate the impacts on operations. The following list a variety of resources that may be useful.

Various resources providing information on protecting and supporting people and community and sector resilience:

• Advice for community groups, organisations and volunteer networks adapting to life with COVID-19 - Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC)
• The SCVO Third Sector Information to stay up to date and register for their bulletin. The hub includes information on funding, human resources, governance and access to further information on a range of programmes of support
• NCVO Coronavirus page 
• SURF Showcasing Community Resilience - SURF Covid-19: Lessons from the Frontline Report 
• Social enterprise academy
• Social investment Scotland

Funding

• Heritage Digital is a new project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund Digital Skills for Heritage funding stream, aiming to increase the amount of free digital skills training and support available to heritage organisations
• Foundation Scotland
• Heritage Funding Directory
• My Funding Central
• Funding Finder, Scotland’s Towns Partnership 
• The Fat Beehive Foundation 
• In addition to their normal grant programmes focusing on community-led heritage regeneration, Architectural Heritage Fund Scotland may be able to offer additional support to existing and recent grantees who are encountering difficulties as a result of COVID-19
• Communities Channel Scotland offer guidance on community responses to COVID19, sources of funding and other practical resources
• The National Lottery Community Fund provide funding to support the people and communities most adversely impacted by COVID
• Visit Social Enterprise Scotland for a guide to new and current funding opportunities
• Corra Foundation 
• Museums Galleries Scotland | Small Grants Fund apply for up to £15,000 (or £10,000 for non-accredited museums) towards support for museums to get back on track with activity whilst still dealing with COVID-related financial challenges

Volunteer re-engagement support

Please get in touch through the email above if you would like us to share our own approach and resources for volunteer re-engagement. The following resources and digital meet ups may also be of interest:

• Volunteer Scotland resources provide clear and accurate information that will help volunteers and volunteer involving organisations during the pandemic 
• Volunteer redeployment resources created by the Heritage Volunteer Group 
• Join Heritage Volunteering Group every 2nd Tuesday of the month for HVG Coffee Afternoons. Join them for the latest conversations on returning to site after the Covid-19 pandemic, volunteering and volunteer management hearing from those working in the heritage sector across the UK. Interested in sharing your experience get in touch now by emailing heritagevolunteeringgroup@gmail.com. To access the monthly coffee afternoons join as a member for free at www.heritagevolunteeringgroup.org.uk

Policy and Guidance for the reopening historic properties and visitor attractions 

• Our Minimum Operating Standards have been published to provide a resource for the wider heritage sector, and to support and assist other organisations with their own resumption planning 
• Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions 
• Visit Scotland 

Support for culture & heritage that may be of interest 

• Doors Open Day digital guidance 
• Digital Heritage Lab, from the Arts Marketing Association 
• Third Force News – Culture & Leisure
• The Association of Independent Museums has created a range of organisational recovery support resources 
• Museums Galleries Scotland - coronavirus guidance for museums 
• Arts and Business Scotland have compiled links to a range of other Sources of Advice and Support for the cultural sector
• Built Environment Forum Scotland has compiled an overview of sites offering advice and guidance from across the heritage funding landscape and built environment sector
• Wasps (Workshop & Artists Studio Provision Scotland). Activities support the regeneration of many deprived communities across Scotland. They redevelop redundant, historic buildings into beautiful facilities for artists and charities, attracting jobs and improving the physical appearance of local communities
• The Scottish Community Heritage Alliance is providing an online forum, a regular blog and a briefing to support community heritage group
• The Heritage Trust Network are a membership organisation for community groups & Trusts formed to bring together heritage professionals and enthusiasts tackling our nations’ buildings at risk and can provide support through a peer to peer network
• Comprehensive list of Covid-19 resources and funding support for arts organisations on Creative Scotland’s website