Frequently asked questions

A group of people sat around tables. A number of them have a hand raised in the air as you would to ask a question.

Absolutely! Our free Connect class membership is designed for people just like you who are looking to establish a group to protect, or take on, a historic site.

By joining as a Connect class member you'll have access to guidance about what to think about when establishing your group, how to put together a strong board of trustees and the types of legal structure that you could take.

In our member only Toolkit, you'll find model documents, guidance notes, case studies and webinar recordings to help you get your group set up.

Great question! Thanks for caring. In the first instance you might like to flag it up with the conservation officer at your council if you have one. It’s also worth checking the buildings' at risk registers in your nation (if publicly available). If it’s already on the list then you may find that they have a way that you can let them know about anything new they should be concerned about. If it’s not on the list then they will often provide details of how to nominate a building. Be aware though that being on a list unfortunately isn’t a magic recipe to fix the building.

Restoring historic buildings, and bringing them back into community use, takes lots to time, money, perseverance and passion. As you’re obviously already passionate about the building then why not consider doing something about it yourself? Many of our members started out with just one person with a vision and are now thriving community buildings bringing services and income in to their local areas.

Our free Connect class membership is designed for people who are really at the start of that journey. People like you who’ve seen a building they are concerned about and want to do something about it. Our member only Toolkit guides you through how to get community support for your idea, how to pull together a great board to oversee the project and how to go about getting those initial bits of funding to allow you to test whether your plans will be viable.

Absolutely! The Network itself doesn’t offer funding but being a member means we can help direct you to sources of funding via our online Toolkit and fortnightly Opportunities Bulletins where we highlight upcoming grants from across the UK.

Our online member only Network Days feature a ‘Where’s the Money’ slot, where we hear from funders or fundraising consultants, and we also feature funding updates at other events across the year such as our Annual Conference.

The Network is in regular contact with key heritage funders such as theNational Lottery Heritage Fund (external link) and the Architectural Heritage Fund (external link) and our annual impact survey of members helps us to identify funding requirement areas which we can highlight to funders.

If you're looking for consultants and contractors then why not check out our Partner Member directory. These are firms who have shown they are committed to working to support the heritage sector by joining the Network as Partner members.

If you are a member of the Network then you also have access to our Network Hub where you can ask fellow members for recommendations. We’ve also got guidance in our online member Toolkit of resources such as Top Tips on How to Be a Good Client.

Network class members can also take advantage of pro bono offers from some of our Partner members. These generally take the form of an hours free advice on topics such as Project Management, VAT, Business Planning or Funding.

Whilst the Network itself doesn't respond to planning applications our Network class membership provides access to our Toolkit of resources where you can find guidance on how to respond to applications and gather local support.

You’ll also be able to ask fellow members for their experiences on our Network Hub and pick up top tips to help you fight your corner.

Unfortunately, the Network is designed to help community groups rather than private individuals. However, you can find lots of information about living in a listed building on the following sites: Historic England (external link), Historic Environment Scotland (external link), Cadw (external link)(for those in Wales), Department for Communities Northern Ireland. (external link)

There is also the Listed Property Owners’ Club (external link)which has a similar offer to our own but which is aimed at private individuals undertaking built heritage projects.

Sorry but the Network itself doesn’t own any properties. Our members across the UK own thousands of sites between them ranging from cow shed to castles! They have an incredible variety of sites which are put to an equally incredible range of uses. Some are what you might consider tradition uses for historic buildings such as visitor centres or museums but our members are a creative bunch and work with their local communities to put the buildings to practical uses that meet local needs. As such we have members whose buildings are used for children’s circus schools, community food banks, co-working spaces and cafes. And those are just some examples beginning with C.

Many of our members do have their sites open to the public, even if just on Heritage Open Days / Open Doors Days, but given the numbers involved we aren’t able to provide these details. If you like the sound of a project mentioned on our website, then you should be able to click the hyperlink in the organisation’s name to take you to their website where you should be able to find their own contact details.

Frequently asked questions about membership

It's quick and easy to pay your membership online by selecting 'online by card' during the application process.

Alternatively, if you need to pay via bas please select 'pay by bacs' and we will send you an invoice.

We don't currently have the ability to take payment by direct debit so you will be contacted prior to your one year membership anniversary to check whether you would like to renew, upgrade or cancel your existing membership.

Membership runs for one year from the date that you join us.

You will be contacted a month prior to your membership coming to an end so that you can let us know what you'd like to do for the following year.

First up there's our Partner class of memberships. Depending on VAT status you could be able to join as an Associate Partner (if you are not VAT registered) or a Partner or Partner Plus member if you've already reached the VAT registration threshold.

If you are looking to promote what you do and are actively seeking commissions then you'd need one of our Partner classes of membership. These memberships provides a listing in our Partner Member Directory, the ability to feature in our Talent Bank, receipt of invitations to tender from our members and invitations to speak at Network events.

However, if you don't want to promote your services but rather learn from the sector then you could join us in your own name as an Individual Supporter member.

You won't be able to promote your services or be included in our Partner Member Directory or Talent Bank but if you are just looking to keep up with sector news and develop your skills and knowledge via our events and online resources then Supporter membership would work for you.

Of course! If you are looking to set up a charity or not-for-profit organisation then our Connect class membership is designed for people just like you.

The best thing to do is to provide us with a working title for the group. It doesn't matter that you don't have a formal name yet and we can change the name on our records as soon as you do. For now, you can sign up with a name along the lines of 'Save X Working Title'. That way it also helps us to recognise that you aren't yet a formal group and so can direct you to the resources you will need to get yourselves established.

That depends on who you are. Connect class membership is only available to charities and not-for-profit organisations or groups working towards becoming one.

If you are looking to set up your charity or not-for-profit then Connect class membership is perfect for you. It provides a great taster of what the Network offers by providing you access to Stage 1 of Toolkit that helps you explore suitable legal structures for your group and suggests ways to create a strong board and begin your community engagement.

If you have already got your organisation established then Network or Network Plus class membership will be a much better fit for you. They provide access to our whole Toolkit of resources as well as free or reduced rate entry to our events: neither of which is available with our Connect class membership.

If you are a for-profit business then you'll be looking for our Associate Partner, Partner or Partner Plus class memberships. These provide you with lots of opportunities to showcase your services and knowledge to our members and the wider heritage sector.

If you are a Local Authority then you would need to join us as a Network Plus member. This provides all the benefits of Network class membership but includes additional user logins.

If you are currently a student or are undertaking an apprenticeship then you can join us for free!

Our Supporter class membership is free for you. We will just need you to provide us with proof of your current student / apprentice status.

You might also like to check out the great work that our Youth Forum is doing and see if you'd like to also join them (it's free) to help provide a stronger youth voice in the heritage sector.

Yes, VAT is include included in our membership prices.

If paying by Stripe, please contact finance@heritagenetwork.org.uk if you require a VAT receipt.

Our VAT number is GB 501 698 003

Still have questions?

Feel free to reach out to our team for additional support or clarification. We're here to help!