The IHBC’s President has launched a new awards programme, developed in partnership with the Marsh Awards, that celebrates two leading heritage sector support groups – retired IHBC members and successful learners – with presentations that will include £500 and the offer of a free place at the IHBC Annual School.
IHBC President Trefor Thorpe said: ‘These awards represent a very welcome partnership between the IHBC and the Marsh Awards, one that is focussed on celebrating major contributors to heritage conservation, both for today and for the future.’
‘IHBC members often continue in practice long after any formal retirement, but when they do forgo their professional conservation activities – and associated obligations such as CPD – often they continue to play active roles as volunteers in local community heritage issues. Indeed their skills, honed in practice over many years, can still make a huge difference to their local communities.’
‘The IHBC’s Marsh Award for Retired Members of the IHBC celebrates how their deep skills, knowledge and experience can continue to help local communities in heritage care and understanding after their professional practice has ended.’
‘And while IHBC members are, of course, always learning, our ‘Successful Learning’ award is geared specifically to those who have demonstrated success in acquiring new technical skills in any heritage area. That makes this award a perfect complement to our highly regarded IHBC Gus Astley Student Award, which celebrates course work on taught courses in the UK.’
‘And like the annual Student Award, winners of the new Marsh Awards will be offered places at our Annual School. That way we can make sure that the School brings together – and celebrates – the key communities that shape local conservation outcomes: learners, practitioners and skilled volunteers.’
For the Marsh Christian Trust, sponsors of the new awards, Founder and Chairman Brian Marsh OBE said: ‘We set up these Awards with the IHBC in order to recognise the outstanding contributions of individuals in sustaining and passing on vital skills in conservation through collaborative working, teaching and sharing best practice. Hopefully the Awards, in a small way, will help raise the profile of this important discipline and encourage more people to pass on their knowledge’.
IHBC Director Seán O’Reilly said: ‘At this point we are launching the programme, but as we develop it we’ll be engaging with prospective key partners, to help raise further the profile both of our members and of conservation as whole!’
IHBC and the Marsh Awards write:
The IHBC’s Marsh Award for Community Contribution (Retired Member) is offered to celebrate the contribution of a retired IHBC member to the community (for example through involvement in building preservation trusts, neighbourhood planning, civic and local trusts with heritage interests).
The IHBC’s Marsh Award for Successful Learning in Heritage Skills is designed to recognise the contribution of an individual for their significant learning in traditional building activities and craft skills.
Both awards support the IHBC’s work as we help keep the essential conservation skills and knowledge alive through training, teaching, shared experience and example.
Each award is marked by a certificate, and a free residential place at the IHBC’s renowned Annual School in June each year, worth about £500, as well as a £500 cash award.
The Marsh Awards are the brainchild of Brian Marsh OBE, chairman of the Trust, who wanted to support areas such as conservation and volunteering but needed to identify some special way of ensuring a modest sum of money made an impact.
Who can be Nominated?
The IHBC Marsh Award for Community Contribution (Retired Member) is open to any retired Full Member of the IHBC who has, since their retirement, worked on the historic environment for the good of a community.
The IHBC Marsh Award for Successful Learning in Heritage Skills is open to anyone who has acquired new technical skills related to the appropriate care, maintenance or improvement of buildings and their context.
Nomination is open to anyone.
For more details and to download the flier see the website at marshawards.ihbc.org.uk
