The National Heritage Open Days, supported by the National Trust, is England’s largest Festival of History and Culture. Over a two-week period, buildings and locations across the country open to the general public free of charge.
In many cases it is an opportunity for the public to access properties that are otherwise not widely open. In others it is a chance for buildings to put on a special free event to attract more interest. The festival runs from 6 to 15 September 2024.
Participation in the Festival comes with considerable national and local support. There are free materials available to market a participating location. Free national and local advertising is standard practice. Better still is the help and support that the Heritage Open Days team provides to participants who have never taken part before or those who want to fine tune what they have done in the past. This support is delivered in free regional workshops.
This year, Preston Masonic Hall has been selected as a venue for one of the regional workshops. The hall will be hosting the Heritage Open Days team on Thursday 23 May 2024 from 10:30am until 1:00pm. This is a great opportunity for anyone in the Province to get free advice and support directly from the Heritage Open Days team in person.
Booking couldn’t be easier. Simply click on this link; Regional Workshops and then click the ‘Book your free place’ tab on the Heritage Open Days website.
Preston Masonic Hall has taken part in the Heritage Open Days festival for some years. The Community Engagement aspect of Preston’s approach has earned praise from the organisers. As a result, the hall has been included in the Lightening Talks section of the agenda to feedback on the work done there.
If you are looking at taking part in this and future years festivals, book in now and come along. The Province of West Lancashire Community Engagement Team, led by Chris Butterfield, is recommending that all group chairmen in the Province should attend this workshop along with any representatives from the Masonic halls in the groups that they cover. The aim is to increase the community engagement usage of Masonic halls as much as possible.