Members of the LPOC team attended The Heritage Alliance’s Heritage Debate ‘Is Heritage Good for Your Health’, on the evening of 2nd October in London. This was an incredibly interesting event discussing how Heritage participation can improve mental health and well being, and how the historic environment can provide an attractive backdrop to activity. A wealth of speakers shared their knowledge, research and insights on this subject matter – from Social Subscribing providing cultural experiences to improve health, restoration of historic buildings to aid the community, to Op Nightingale which is an initiative to help rehabilitate injured soldiers by getting them involved in archaeological investigations. One main area of focus was the idea of ‘well being’, the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy, and to ask how the heritage sector can do better to build bridges with the world of public health.
During the event a question was posed by one of the audience to the panel, and it was one that got us thinking – ‘Whilst we’re mainly concentrating on the positive effects, has any thought or research been done on the idea of what negative effects heritage can have on health and well being?’
Whilst admittedly the focus of this event was towards the general public’s interaction with heritage on a larger scale (museums, historic houses, archaeology etc), from our perspective there are over half a million listed properties that are people’s homes, and this particular type of heritage affects those owners and residents on a daily basis. That being said, how does owning a listed property affect your well being?
As a Club, we have come to realise that part of our ethos is to help and assist with the well being of listed property owners. Through access to a range of advice that can put minds at rest, assist with the processes involved, alleviate fears and create routes to solutions, and of course fighting for the rights of owners in Parliament, we have become advocates for the listed property owner and are proud to do so.
We are also interested to hear your thoughts on the subject of owning a listed building and how that effects well being. Some may feel that is has a positive effect – they are proud to be a custodian of heritage, have a focus and drive to maintain something that is precious to them, have a positive and happy environment/space to enjoy and relax in, have a sense of achievement through the conservation of the property – all factors and emotions that go towards well being. Others may argue that is has a negative effect causing stress, worry and financial strain. Either way, we are intrigued to hear your thoughts and rest assured, we will continue to provide a service to aid towards the well being of listed property owners.
If you would like unlimited access to a team of experts offering advice on conservation, planning, unauthorised works, insurance, legal issues and VAT, join The Listed Property Owners’ Club today. For full details on the benefits of membership and information on how to join, please click here.
