OUR WORK & SERVICES
Supporting organisations to create more inclusive, community‑centred and culturally safe heritage
People’s Heritage Collective works with museums, heritage sites and cultural organisations to strengthen interpretation, rebalance narratives and build organisational cultures where people feel seen, valued and able to shape the stories that define our shared heritage.
What grounds our practice
Everything we offer is grounded in one commitment: creating the cultural, emotional and relational conditions that make heritage work safe, ethical and sustainable.
Heritage work doesn’t happen in isolation. The pressures of people, stories and places meet in the same rooms, the same decisions, the same moments of uncertainty. Teams often find themselves navigating emotional labour, cultural tension, ethical risk and organisational strain long before a project plan ever begins.
The services offered through People’s Heritage Collective are shaped by a simple truth: the quality of heritage work depends on the conditions that hold it. Across all six services, the focus is on strengthening those conditions so that interpretation, engagement, organisational culture and place‑based stewardship can unfold with integrity.
This foundation is built on a set of core pillars that guide every piece of work:
Shared power and cultural humility: recognising how power shapes relationships, decisions and histories, and creating space for communities and staff to participate on their own terms.
Trauma‑aware practice: understanding how trauma shows up in heritage contexts and designing processes that avoid harm, support staff and honour lived experience.
Psychological safety and emotional literacy: building environments where people can speak honestly, navigate tension and hold complexity without fear or overwhelm.
Welcoming, consent‑based spaces: shaping interactions that feel predictable, accessible and grounded, with clear boundaries and an emphasis on choice.
Relational accountability and trust‑building: working in ways that are transparent, steady and repair‑oriented, especially where trust has been stretched.
Awareness of cultural, historical and place‑based contexts: recognising that heritage work is never neutral, and that stories, identities and environments carry emotional and cultural weight.
These pillars are the thread that runs through everything PHC offers; the quiet infrastructure that makes the visible work possible. When these conditions are in place, teams feel steadier, conversations deepen and the work becomes more sustainable for everyone involved.
Why this work matters
Recent research across the UK heritage sector shows that long‑standing inequities continue to shape whose stories are collected, interpreted and shared. Studies from the National Lottery Heritage Fund highlight how many collections and narratives still reflect historic bias and, in some cases, colonial frameworks, which limits the visibility of marginalised communities. Their equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) research findings also show that interpretation often centres institutional perspectives rather than lived experience, and that many organisations lack confidence when working with contested histories or trauma‑informed approaches.
Historic England’s 2024 Workforce Diversity Survey reinforces this picture, showing that the sector’s workforce remains far from representative of the UK population. This imbalance influences which histories are prioritised and how they are told. English Heritage’s work on under‑represented heritages further demonstrates the ongoing neglect of intangible heritage, including community memory, creative practice and oral traditions, which are essential to understanding how people relate to place.
Further studies across the sector echo these patterns. The Museums Association’s research on workforce and governance diversity highlights similar gaps in representation, particularly in leadership roles that shape institutional priorities. Reports from the Association of Independent Museums point to ongoing uncertainty around inclusive practice and the confidence needed to work meaningfully with communities whose heritage has been historically marginalised. The National Trust’s work on histories of place and empire also illustrates how inherited narratives continue to influence interpretation, and how addressing these legacies requires sustained, community‑centred collaboration.
Together, this body of evidence makes clear that while progress is being made, many communities remain under‑represented or misrepresented in heritage narratives, and that more inclusive, community‑centred approaches are needed to shift the balance.
What to expect when you work with us
Collaborative, reflective processes that centre community knowledge
Trauma-aware, anti-oppressive practice
Clear, actionable recommendations grounded in sector evidence
A focus on trust-building, care and accountability
Support that strengthens both interpretive practice and organisational practice
Our approach is grounded in justice‑oriented, lived‑experience‑informed practice. We work alongside organisations to build confidence, strengthen cultural safety and create the conditions for more inclusive and community‑centred heritage.
You can expect:
Our work is guided by the Heritage ACCESS Method, a framework designed to help organisations navigate complexity with integrity and clarity.
Explore our services
Our six core services reflect the needs emerging across the sector and the evidence base that underpins our work. Each service can stand alone or be combined into a tailored programme of support, depending on your organisation’s needs, capacity and ambitions.
Reinterpretation services
We support organisations to rebalance narratives, integrate lived experience and work confidently with contested or trauma‑laden histories. This includes narrative rebalancing, co‑production foundations and trauma‑aware approaches that honour complexity and community knowledge.
Intangible heritage & memory work
We help organisations recognise and elevate intangible heritage, including community memory, creative practice and oral traditions. This work strengthens relationships with communities, broadens what is valued as heritage and ensures that lived experience sits alongside material collections.
Inclusive interpretation & experience reviews
We provide evidence‑based reviews of interpretation, visitor experience, accessibility and cultural safety. You receive clear, actionable recommendations that support more inclusive, community‑centred storytelling and visitor engagement.
Organisational culture & workforce development
We work with teams, leaders and boards to build more inclusive organisational cultures. This includes recruitment and workforce development, EDI culture reviews, leadership support and policy and practice reviews that strengthen equity and care across the organisation.
Training, facilitation & capacity‑building
We design and deliver reflective, practical training that builds confidence around inclusive storytelling, trauma‑informed practice, contested histories and community engagement. Sessions are tailored to the needs of your team, volunteers or board.
Strategy, policy & governance for inclusive heritage
We support organisations to embed inclusive, community‑centred practice across their strategic frameworks, governance structures and policy environments. This includes strategic planning, policy reviews, action planning and alignment with sector standards.
Ready to explore what this could look like for your organisation?
If you’re looking to strengthen interpretation, rebalance narratives or build a more inclusive organisational culture, we’d be glad to talk.