EB agreed plans for the EH contribution to the national commemoration of the Bicentenary on 17.7.2006. The programme was launched by David Lammy, Minister for Culture and EH Commissioner Maria Adebowale at Kenwood House on 25.10.2006. The aims of the EH Bicentenary programme were agreed as:

A table showing the final scope of the programme is attached at Appendix 1. Many departments across EH have made significant contributions, demonstrating the range of expertise that EH already has to address the cultural diversity of heritage. It was clear that EH core work already addresses many sites and issues of significance to this history.

The costs of the Bicentenary programme were all borne by existing departmental budgets. Significant items included:

EH has been able to work with a number of partner organisations at regional and national levels to access additional skills and expertise from specialist historians and community groups. This has provided a useful model for longer-term co-operation in researching and representing diversity. However, this experience made clear that there is also an opportunity for EH to encourage diversity within its workforce and more broadly as a sector leader. The current EH workforce profile data shows that only 2.6% of the workforce identify themselves as being from any ethnic minority background (and these are largely non-British white groups). This is a sector-wide challenge which requires a partnership approach to overcome. Workforce diversity is likely to be a focus in 2008 for SID Policy Team, as the GLA Heritage Diversity Taskforce produces its report and EH SID Programme Board brings together the existing activities and opportunities in an EH strategy for EB approval.

The Bicentenary programme set out to reach a wide audience of existing EH members, historic site visitors and new audiences. Market research among visitors to the “Slavery and Justice” exhibition at Kenwood House demonstrated that we were successful in attracting both more existing members and increased new visitors from BME backgrounds . BDRC research showed that the number of existing EH Members in the visitor survey sample at Kenwood went up from 11% in 2006 to 34% during the exhibition. The BME visitor levels at Kenwood rose from 5% in 2006 to 9% during the exhibition, comparing very favourably with the 2% achieved at all other EH Top 20 sites in 2007 and the similar 2% rate recorded by members of ALVA (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions) during the same period. The “Breaking the Chains” performances developed by Events were also popular with existing members and new audiences. It was clear that interesting subject matter and high quality delivery can bring different user groups together. Representing diversity at EH sites does not mean losing existing audiences.

A web micro-site on the Bicentenary was set up by Marketing within the EH website to promote the entire programme. This will remain and be updated as a legacy of the work undertaken. Digital versions of EH free publications produced for 2007 are being made available. The site has proved popular with over 51,000 page views and 40,000 unique visitors since May 2007.

Feedback from the public was largely positive. At Kenwood, visitor satisfaction rates were higher than previously and numbers increased. The visitors' book for the exhibition contained 95% positive comments, including high praise for the staff tour guides, for the content and presentation of the subject and for acknowledging this history: “extraordinarily beautiful, important, interesting, relevant, attractive. “ (English man).

Negative responses to the EH Bicentenary programme were almost entirely received in a short period following press comment on the programme announcement in October 2006. A total of 15 letters of complaint were received and 6 EH members quoted this as one reason for not renewing their subscription. In some cases, explanation of the facts regarding the programme led to a change of attitude later.

EH was able to use the Kenwood exhibition to pilot staff training in Diversity Awareness. This was commissioned by Outreach to complement subject-specific training provided by the Curatorial team. The pilot training was independently evaluated and the report has been most useful in developing new Visitor Operations staff training in customer care. The support of managers and staff at Kenwood for this pilot scheme deserves the fullest acknowledgement.

The Bicentenary programme has raised the profile of EH and put heritage on new agendas. Media coverage has been considerable at local and national level (please see Appendix 2 for details). EH features in the Government report on the legacies of the Bicentenary published in December 2007. The programme has been cited by Ministers on numerous occasions throughout the year. The Jamaican High Commissioner called the EH “Sites of Memory” publication “one of the most positive and interesting events this year”. A range of Black-led groups and organisations have welcomed and used EH publications and worked with Outreach staff on projects which they identified as the appropriate way to mark the Bicentenary.

A number of projects started in 2007 will continue after its conclusion. These are the research-based projects which will most influence EH core work in the long term. The outcomes of these projects will need to be celebrated and disseminated appropriately. In particular:

The Designating History project, which has enhanced the list descriptions of about 40 listed buildings associated with the slave trade and recommended several previously little-known buildings and monuments, will run into 2008 as DCMS announces its decisions on EH recommendations. This work has strong links to the Heritage Protection Reform as it considers how to communicate special interest within the new Register as part of creating an enhanced designation basis for conservation management.

The research on families who built houses now in EH care and their possible links to the slave trade, plantation wealth or the abolition struggle, is likely to take until the end of 2008 to complete.

Throughout the national Bicentenary planning process it has been made clear that cultural organisations needed to embed the work undertaken during 2007 and identify long-term changes in working practice that arise from it. EH has managed its own programme through a cross-departmental planning group, chaired by the Director of Policy & Communications, which has brought staff together to share knowledge, skills and resources and ensure that all work was fully promoted. It is proposed to continue with this approach but to broaden the scope of the group to cover Cultural Diversity issues more widely.