Sarah Spurrier has been given the job of leading Civic Voice’s new nine month research project “Protect our Place”, which is being sponsored by English Heritage.

Protect our Place (http://www.protectourplace.org.uk/) will look at community action taking place throughout England to protect and promote our heritage.

The project’s main objectives are to:

• Increase understanding of the amount, type and range of community action that exists to protect and promote the local historic environment
• Identify the issues on which such action is focused and what support is needed
• Increase understanding of the motivations and values behind the community’s action
• Inform and help shape the future direction of the National Heritage Protection Plan.

Steve Graham, Director of Civic Voice, said: “We are really looking forward to starting this exciting and vital project. It will help English Heritage and ourselves gain a real understanding of where and how local communities are protecting their history for now and future generations. Sarah will be finding out more about the great work happening up and down the country so if you know of such a local group doing this important work then please get in touch with her.”

Sarah said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Civic Voice team and to be co-ordinating the Protect our Place project. This project is so important as it will not only help us to better understand the civic movement as it stands, but also help us to move forward in the future. I urge all community groups out there to contact me and embrace Protect our Place and all of the wonderful things it has to offer.”

To tell Sarah about the work your group is doing to save North Staffordshire’s historic environment email sarah.spurrier@civicvoice.org.uk or telephone 07595 630017.

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