ADP

Historic Scotland is celebrating record breaking numbers of people visiting its attractions. Figures for 2007 - 2008 show 62,000 more tourists visited Historic Scotland sites compared to the previous year, a 2% increase. Skara Brae, in Orkney, saw a 9% increase in numbers and Kisimul Castle in the Western Isles recorded a 33% increase.

A new multi-million pound centre is to be built for Kent’s rare and valuable historical documents, which forms one of the largest collections in the country. Kent County Council will be contributing £4 million to the project, the total cost is not yet known. Documents include letters from Jane Austen and Lord Nelson. The current centre was built in 1938 and does not provide adequate conditions to be able to look after and exhibit the collections properly. The plans will include increasing public access to the collections and helping people research their family history.

A new chain of budget health clubs, that offer a flat rate membership of £9.99 per month, is to open its first club in Hounslow, London, in May. It will be called ‘The Gym’, and will use Cybex fitness equipment and an online CRM, for low-cost, low-staffing club management. The CRM system allows people to become a member online, and since the sales office opened in December 2007 84% of members have joined online. The system also allows the company to collect all direct debit data and largely eliminates administration. The system is set to be very simple to help retain customers.

Scotland’s newest museum has opened inside a newly built branch of Morrisons supermarket. Johnstone Heritage Society set up the exhibition using a £29,100 grant from the Lottery Fund. The museum examines the town’s history and will be run by 5 volunteers. The museum focuses on textile and engineering industries with craftmaking workshops, guided tours, talks and lectures also available.

Work has begun on a 6 year programme that will lead to an all Wales coastal footpath.  Sixteen local authorities in Wales are sharing £1.5 million in grants to improve access to the Welsh coast.  The first year of work is to focus on low-level improvement work, including better signage.

The Haig Colliery Mining Museum in Whitehaven has just received a £1.9 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which will allow the site to be restored and provide access to the collections. It will create a meaningful facility for the local community which reflects the historic importance of coal mining in Whitehaven (source BBC).

The A1 Audio Tour has been introduced by Islington Council and it provides commentary on Islington’s A1 road from Archway to Goswell Road. The files can be downloaded for free here and the ‘tour’ provides information on historic buildings, interesting facts and stories from local residents.

Today the internet is part of everyday life for children.  Children are familiar with the online world and use tools such as Facebook and MySpace to communicate with friends.   The Imperial War Museum has launched a new section on their website - ‘The Battle of the Somme’ which through personal stories and by posting original documents online has made the history of the Battle of the Somme very accessible to children.

The National Trust has recently launched a new strategy ‘Our Future - Join In‘ (opens as a PDF) which promotes the Trust’s wish to develop closer engagement with visitors and members.  The National Trust has over 3.5 million members and approximately 49,000 people carry out volunteer work with the Trust.

The National Trust manages:

• 28 castles
• 707 miles of coastline
• 626,051 acres of countryside
• 66 nature reserves
• 4,000 prehistoric monuments
• All or part of 5 World Heritage sites
• 215 houses and gardens
• 149 registered museums,
• 127 factories, workshops and mines
• 12 lighthouses
• 2 gold mines,
• 78 mills
• 57 historic villages
• 43 pubs

To find out more visit the National Trust’s website.

Lawson Park Farm is the new headquarters of Grizedale Arts.  The Farm will act as a research base for a wide range of people working with Grizedale Arts including contemporary artists, traditional artists, curators, farmers, gardeners, educationalists, regenerators and funding bodies.  Grizedalde Arts have a reputuation for pioneering new approaches to artistic production and exhibition.