Historic Environment Scotland
/Historic Environment Scotland pledges to:
Challenge ourselves to increase the positive impact we make on our local community.
We will do the following things that we don’t do at the moment to improve our social impact.
Alex Paterson, Chief Executive, January 2024
Overaching Pledge
Historic Environment Scotland pledges to:
Increase the positive impact we can bring across Scotland by removing barriers that make access and understanding of the Historic Environment a challenge.
Through empowering communities to tell the stories of our tangible and intangible heritage, we will do the following three things to improve our social impact.
1st Commitment - Gaelic Language
An ni nach cluinn mi an-diugh chan aithris mi a-màireach - What I don't hear today I won't tell tomorrow
Cuiridh sinn taic ri Prìomh Choimhearsnachdan Gàidhlig gus an dualchas agus an cànan a rannsachadh is a chomharrachadh, le bhith a’ cruthachadh goireas a tha a’ nochdadh fiosrachadh iomchaidh air diofar chuspairean, eisimpleirean pragtaigeach, agus cothroman maoineachaidh, gus pròiseactan a bhrosnachadh agus daoine a’ chumhachdachadh gus an àm a dh’fhalbh a’ chleachdadh agus an cumadh a chur air an àm ri teachd a tha iadsan ag iarraidh.
We will support key Gaelic communities to investigate and celebrate their heritage and language, by creating a resource signposting relevant thematic materials, case studies, and sources of funding, to inspire projects and to empower people to use the past to shape the future they want.
Geographical location of impact:
Key Gaelic communities – defined by the Scottish Government as ‘all those in Na h-Eileanan Siar, Skye & districts of Lochalsh, Tiree, Islay and Jura – places where, in the 2011 census, 20% or more of the population had Gaelic abilities.’
Contact details:
Adam Jackson, Head of Strategy & Policy, adam.jackson@hes.scot
Find out more
We support Gaelic speakers and learners through a variety of projects and a range of online resources. For more information on these, and to download a copy of our Plana Gàidhlig (Gaelic Language Plan) 2023-2026, please visit the Gaelic resources pages on our website.
2nd Commitment - Learning & Inclusion
Inclusive use of the Historic Environment as a resource for learning
We will support the role of the historic environment as a national resource for learning through an inclusive approach that supports equality of access for learners of all ages and takes a creative approach to provide targeted opportunities for groups who’d not normally have the chance to participate.
Geographical location of impact: Scotland wide
Contact details: Craig Fletcher, Head of Learning & Inclusion, craig.fletcher@hes.scot
Find out more
Tap into more than 5,000 years of Scotland’s story with our free resources and start learning with HES today. For more information, please visit the Learn pages on our website.
3rd Commitment - Community visitor attraction access
Free access Sunday/ Historic Sunday; Accessing Scotland’s Historic Environment
One of the objectives of HES is to increase engagement with Scotland’s historic environment as outlined in our Corporate Plan. An obvious way to achieve this is by increasing visits to our historic attractions across the country but there is potentially a barrier to some visitors because of the admission charges. The proposal is to give access to our sites to residents of Scotland free of charge on the first Sunday of every month from October 2023 – March 2024.
Geographical location of impact: Scotland wide
Contact details: Gillian MacDonald, Head of Sales and Marketing, gillian.macdonald@hes.scot
Find out more
Please visit the Historic Sundays pages on our website to find out which sites are participating in the scheme and how to book tickets.
For information on visiting our sites all year round, including news about our attractions, events and other ways of experiencing the historic environment, please visit the Visit a Place pages on our website.
Additional information
Links to outcomes from Historic Environment Scotland’s Corporate Plan
Commitment 1 (Gaelic Language) links to:
Outcome 1: The Historic Environment Makes a Real Difference to People’s Lives
Outcome 4: The Historic Environment Inspires a Creative and Vibrant Scotland
Commitment 2 (Learning & Inclusion) links to:
Outcome 4: The historic environment inspires a creative and vibrant Scotland
Corporate Plan Priority: Use the historic environment to enrich education and learning – promoting the value and importance of heritage at all levels of learning and finding new ways to engage our audiences.
Commitment 3 (Community visitor attraction access) links to:
KPI 1: Increase wellbeing from Scotland’s historic environment
KPI 2: Increase engagement with Scotland’s historic environment
