Help safeguard our living Welsh heritage: invitation to contribute to the UK’s new Living Heritage Inventory
Communities across Wales play an essential role in keeping our heritage alive. As you may know, the UK Government – working alongside Welsh Government – has launched the Inventories of Living Heritage in the UK, as part of the commitment to the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This is the first time Wales has had a national inventory of living cultural practices, and it represents a major opportunity to ensure that the traditions and skills found in our communities are formally recognised, celebrated, and supported for future generations.
Why your submission matters
The purpose of the inventory is to:
- safeguard living heritage by recognising practices that communities value and want to maintain
- raise national and international awareness of the richness and diversity of Welsh cultural life
- support community-led transmission of knowledge, skills, and traditions
- strengthen the case for future support, resources, and recognition for local traditions
- create a public record that reflects the reality of Welsh culture, not just its institutions
DCMS guidance emphasises that the inventory is meant to be simple and based on community voices. Submissions must therefore come from the practitioners themselves – meaning groups like yours are exactly who this process is designed for.
How to submit
Submitting an item is straightforward and happens in three stages:
- Expression of Interest (EOI) – optional
You begin my completing a short online form with basic information about the practice (what is it, who practices it, where is it practiced, and why it’s important). This step does not commit you to submit a full application. - Watch the workshop
After submitting an EOI, you will need to watch the first part of a workshop (which is available as an online video). You can also attend a full workshop if you’ve got questions. This workshop explains the process, community consent, and how to complete the final submission. - Complete the final submission
After watching the required part of the workshop, you can move on to the final submission form. This form asks for further information on the practice, and is more comprehensive than the EOI. You can complete this form at your own pace using the guidance provided on the website.
You do not need to write long documents or provide historic evidence – the focus is on current, lived practice.
The window for the final submissions closes on 27 March, so if you’re intending to submit an item in this window, it’s important that you begin this process as soon as possible. We’re contacting a range of groups across Wales who practise or safeguard distinctive elements of Welsh living heritage, and we would be happy to discuss this with you, and support you in preparing an Expression of Interest.
All of the details are available on the website (http://livingheritage.unesco.org.uk) and you’re welcome to e-mail [email protected] or [email protected] for further advice.