Heritage is a huge part of our everyday lives - and it's becoming more important than ever to invest in the future of heritage, including young professionals looking to work in the industry.
Part of this for Buttress is sponsoring the Heritage Trust Network bursary, providing access to the HTN conference and the incredible opporunities and network available there. Rebecca Jackson is one of our bursary recipients.
Rebecca is a recent Masters graduate of the University of Manchester, having studied Heritage Studies over the past year. She also had a placement at Heritage Lincolnshire over the summer, working as a project assistant on the Grade II listed Bourne Town Hall project, helping to restore and preserve the historically significant site.
What was your journey into heritage like?
My undergraduate degree was in Geography and History at the University of Leeds, which was a really interesting combination. In my final year, one of the history modules was about heritage conservation and preserving historic places, and I was really interested in that. I took a year off to consider my options then ended up pursuing a Heritage Studies Masters at the University of Manchester.
What was your time at Heritage Lincolnshire like?
It was a great experience to have – I came in as a project assistant on a four-month placement and worked on the Grade II listed Bourne Town Hall. The town hall project looked to restore and preserve the site, making sure it was able to be reused by the local community. I worked alongside the project management team on writing a Conservation Management Plan to support a funding application for the National Lottery Heritage Fund. I also got the chance to learn more about the impacts of climate change on heritage buildings and the best practice to try and counteract that.
What sector of heritage are you interested in?
Since I’ve just graduated from my Masters degree, I don’t have a specific sector of heritage in mind yet for a career. I’m still interested in finding out more about the different prospects and areas that there are in the industry. A sector I explored during my placement that I’d like to continue is sustainability in heritage and how heritage can be managed to become more sustainable, especially in the face of climate change.
I really enjoy community engagement and the idea of preserving these buildings for people and the local communities. Obviously preserving and protecting heritage is important, but if no one’s going to use and appreciate the buildings, what’s the point? Working at Bourne Town Hall, it was so interesting to hear people’s personal stories and experiences of the area and how the town hall benefits them day-to-day.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I’d like to be working on a project that has a positive impact on people and is valuable to communities. For example, preserving buildings to provide local people with spaces that are functional as well as architecturally and aesthetically beautiful.
Rebecca will be attending the HTN conference from Sunday 29th September to Tuesday 1st October.