How we work with communities

A group of Lego builders pose proudly with their creation - an intricate Lego model of Kelso Abbey.

Heritage isn’t only about historic buildings, monuments or collections—it’s also about the people, stories and traditions that give those places meaning. Communities sit at the centre of everything we do.

The knowledge, passion and care that local people bring play a vital role in protecting and shaping Scotland’s heritage for the future. Whether it’s uncovering local history, sharing cultural traditions, or taking practical steps to care for a much-loved place, community involvement helps keep heritage alive and relevant.

Our communities pages bring together a range of guidance, support and resources to help anyone who wants to explore, celebrate or care for their heritage. Whether you’re just starting out, looking for advice on a specific project, or hoping to build skills and confidence, you’ll find tools and information to support you at every stage.

Community Connections

Our Community Connections programme has been developed to help communities and partners come together and collaborate with HES. If you have an idea or interest in a community-focused project, activity or relationship and would like to explore advice, resources or support to help it grow, then get in touch to start a conversation with us about it.

Download our Community Connections leaflet for examples of past projects and information on how we can help support you.

Celebrating and sharing your local heritage

We want to help you get involved in sharing and supporting your local heritage, either as an individual or as part of a community group.

Keen to take a more active role in sharing your local heritage but not sure where to start? Help is at hand as we have compiled a list of toolkits and supporting organisations, which will provide a good starting point for any group or individual looking to get the most out of their local heritage.

Scotland’s Community Heritage Conversations is an event series that began in November 2020 as a digital re-imagining of Scotland’s Community Heritage Conference. It brings together volunteers, community groups and heritage professionals to talk about and tackle some of the largest challenges facing us as a sector.

If you are looking for information on how to volunteer with us, please visit our dedicated volunteering pages.

A group of Muslim Scouts and their leader explore the gardens at Stirling Castle

A speaker at a Community Heritage Conversations event stands at a lectern. They are smiling widely and holding a notepad.

A group of people with cameras participate in a community group on the high street in Doune village. There are close to the stone steps of the market cross.

Talking about Heritage

What do you talk about when you talk about heritage? In 2025/26 we held a national conversation, speaking to over 6,000 people about what heritage matters to them and how it should be looked after in the future. We've captured these conversations in an engagement report.

We’ve also developed a Talking about Heritage guide, to help you start your own conversations about the heritage that matters to you. You can find both of these on our Talking about Heritage pages.

Support for community groups

Whether you’re a community group just beginning your journey or looking to strengthen an established project, the right guidance can make all the difference.

We’ve pulled together a selection of resources containing practical advice and information designed to help community groups explore, care for, and champion their heritage. Whatever stage you’re at, you’ll find support to help your ideas grow and your heritage flourish.

Browse our community group resources

A community group pose with their thumbs up for a photograph after a tree planting session in a city park. There are green and gold leaves on the trees in the background and on the grass in front of them.

Have your say or get in touch

HES regularly runs consultations where we seek feedback from the public on a wide variety of topics relating to community heritage. You can take part in these by visiting our Citizen Space page. Here you will find a list of any consultations that are currently live as well as information on ones which have recently closed.

If you would like more information about anything on this page, or if you have questions about any other aspects of our communities work not covered here, please get in touch by emailing us on developmentandcommunity@hes.scot.