Civic Society Initiative launched

The Civic Society Initiative was launched in Covent Garden, London, on 2 June 2009 with speakers Tony Burton (Director of the CSI), Griff Rhys Jones, Laura Sandys and Fiona Reynolds (Director General of the National Trust).

The Civic Society Initiative is being funded and supported by the National Trust, North of England Civic Trust, Campaign to Protect Rural England, and Royal Institute of British Architects among others. It will work with local societies and other community groups to develop a strong champion for civic societies and a network of support that makes their collective voice stronger still.

Here is what they say about their project:

"The loss of the Civic Trust has prompted a groundswell of support for the civic society movement. Messages of support and practical offers of help have been received from a large number of professional bodies, local authorities, voluntary and charitable organisations and others. Over 500 civic societies have already said they want to be kept in touch with the future arrangements for supporting societies and providing a champion for the movement.

It is clear that many share the view that the civic society movement is too important for it to lose its national voice. The role of societies and local community action is as important now as it was when the Civic Trust was set up. This is the sentiment at the heart of the package of measures now being put in place to allow a range of options for the future health of the civic society movement to be explored and assessed.

A full range of options will need to be examined but three things are clear:

• the civic society movement needs an independent champion
• the movement needs to be supported as a network where the voice of individual societies and local groups can be strengthened
• the future needs to be rooted in what the societies want and they need to drive the way forward.

The core package for establishing the Civic Society Initiative which has emerged is as follows:

• one year’s funding donated by the National Trust for Tony Burton to lead the Initiatives
• office accommodation and in-kind support donated by CPRE (in London) and the RIBA (in Liverpool)
• a charitable ‘home’ to receive funds and provide governance through the North of England Civic Trust
• a civic society convention supported by Blackpool Council and hosted by Blackpool Civic Trust in October 2009.

English Heritage will deliver Heritage Open Days in 2009. "