Treasure
the past.
Enrich
the future.
The hill forts, cairns and passage tombs of the ancient past; the ruins of ancient monasteries and early churches; the farm houses and low stone walls built into our landscape; the red brick terraces and mills of industrialisation; the Georgian spires and Victorian edifices that preside over our towns. Each tells a part of Northern Ireland’s story.
As an alliance of Northern Ireland’s heritage organisations we believe that protecting and investing in our heritage is essential to creating a better future. Our heritage supports our prosperity, strengthens our society, and shapes our character.
Supporting our Prosperity
When we invest in heritage we support business growth, increase tourism, attract new business and create jobs. UK studies show that the historic environment offers a high return on investment. Each £1 invested generates up to £1.60 of extra economic activity over ten years. Heritage visitors stay longer, spend more per day and have a significantly greater economic impact.
Read MoreNorthern Ireland’s Programme for Government calls for a range of outcomes – a balanced economy, more equality, healthier lives, a confident society. Community plans focus on the same outcomes. Cherishing and investing our heritage contributes to achieving all of them.
Strengthening our Society
When we invest in heritage we boost education, health, employment and wellbeing. Integrating heritage into policy-making will improve people’s lives. It has obvious benefits for those who engage in it, but those benefits also spread to the broader community who stand to gain from the historic environment that surrounds them.
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Heritage is as much about the future as the past. By making the most of it, by using it as the foundation of our development, we unlock its potential for the future. It’s an opportunity that we cannot afford to waste.
Shaping our Character
When we invest in heritage we are protecting and celebrating the character of our region and its people. This is essential to a peaceful, prosperous and progressive future. Understanding, protecting, celebrating and re-using the buildings and places that make us who we are builds confidence, improves our quality of life and encourages economic growth.
Read MoreHeritage supports our prosperity; it promotes tourism; it facilitates new uses; it is authentic in an increasingly homogenised world; it strengthens society by helping social cohesion and public health; it can help solve housing problems; it can shape our character and help us stand out as a good place to invest.
