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Communities are being urged to nominate cherished traditions from the vibrant Notting Hill Carnival For the ancient art of cheese rollingFor the new UK register of “living heritage”.
This comprehensive UK-wide list aims to document practices passed down across generations.
It will include popular events such as Pancake Day and Burns Night Suppers, as well as traditional crafts such as tartan weaving and dry stone walling.
Importantly, it also seeks to recognize traditions introduced by immigrant communities, such as steel-drumming, which reflect the country’s diverse cultural tapestry.
The government says the establishment of the list is an important step towards protecting the crafts, customs and ceremonies that define the country’s unique culture and identity.
Beyond their cultural importance, these traditions hold substantial economic value.
Research from Historic England shows the heritage sector could contribute more than £15 billion to the economy in 2022. According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), crafts alone generate £400 million annually, while events such as the Lewes Bonfire Festival in East Sussex attract 40,000 visitors, boosting the local economy.
The initiative follows the UK’s ratification last year of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The convention mandates signatory nations to compile an inventory of traditions, practices and skills integral to the cultural fabric of their communities.
Separate lists will be prepared for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, combined with the UK register.
Entries on the list must include the communities or groups that practice them, and may fall under seven categories: oral expressions such as poetry, songs and storytelling; performing arts; social practices; craft; Sports and games; culinary methods; and nature, land and spirituality.
These could include anything from Wales’ national Eisteddfod to bagpiping, bog-snorkelling, making soda bread or Ulster lace, apple tree wassailing or solstice celebrations at Stonehenge.
Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross told the Press Association that “every part of the UK is rich with living heritage”.
“We want to start a national conversation about the crafts, customs and celebrations that are valued by communities across the UK.
“And it’s not just about having a conversation, it’s about keeping them safe for future generations,” she said.
She pointed to the dozens of crafts on the Heritage Crafts Red List that were helping to draw attention to some endangered crafts, and said the living heritage list could advance the conversation about supporting crafts and traditions more broadly.
Baroness Twycross also said it was important that the list was inclusive – and came from the communities themselves.
“We feel that our living heritage is constantly evolving and being influenced by all the different communities that make up the UK.
“Traditions form the essence of our national story.
“They make us feel proud of who we are and where we come from, and I think it’s right that the traditions brought by immigrant communities are part of that as well,” he said.
And she said: “We are asking the communities themselves to put things forward on the living heritage list.
“It’s about the communities themselves saying what they value and what they think should be passed on and valued to future generations as well.”
For information on submissions for the Living Heritage List, people can visit: www.livingheritage.unesco.org.uk
