Heritage Network is bringing its conference to Bradford City of Culture in 2025. Keep checking this page for details.
Conference is always the highlight of the year; a fun and friendly mix of inspirational speakers, lively discussions and fascinating tours and visits to historic sites and community projects.
Conference Programme (overview)
Sunday 28th September
Information Point & Bag Drop
Great Victoria Hotel, 12pm - 5pm
Great Victoria Hotel, Bridge Street, Bradford BD1 1JX
Monday 29th September
Conference Plenary Session
St George's Hall, 9am - 12:30pm
St George's Hall, Bridge Street, Bradford BD1 1TJ
Tuesday 30th September
Information Point & Bag Drop
Great Victoria Hotel, 9am - 12pm
Great Victoria Hotel, Bridge Street, Bradford, BD1 1JX
Tours and Visits
Various locations, 1 - 2:30pm & 3 - 4:30pm
Various locations across Bradford and Saltaire
Lunch & Breakout sessions
Great Victoria Hotel & St George's Hall, 12:30 - 5pm
Great Victoria Hotel, Bridge Street, Bradford BD1 1JX
Tours and Visits
Various Locations, 9 - 10:15am & 10:30 - 12pm
Various locations across Bradford and Saltaire
Welcome Drinks Reception
Victoria Hall, Saltaire - 5pm - 7pm
Victoria Hall, Victoria Rd, Saltaire, Shipley BD18 3JS
Conference Dinner
Venue TBA, 7pm
Bradford city centre
Farewell Lunch
Darley Street Market, 12:30 - 2pm
Darley Street Kitchen, 2nd Floor Darley Street Market, 16-24 Darley Street, Bradford BD1 3HH
Conference Programme (detail)
Plenary Session
|
Welcome to Heritage Network Conference 2025 Jeremy Fenn, Chair, Heritage Network |
|
Impact of Heritage Network David Tittle, Chief Executive, Heritage Network |
|
Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture and welcome to the District Daniel Bates, Executive Director, Bradford 2025 – UK City of Culture |
|
Introducing St George’s Hall Penny Green, Heritage Learning Officer, Bradford Theatres |
|
Little Germany, Bradford – A community led approach to place making Kamran Rashid, Founder/CEO, Impact Hub Yorkshire CIC |
|
Structured Networking Join us in breaking out of our normal groups in a session designed to spark collaboration, share insight, and foster connections through guided discussions and interactive activities. |
| Refreshment break & exhibition |
|
Living Legacy – Shaping Bradford’s public realm through heritage-led regeneration Dr Saira Ali, Team Leader for Landscape, Design and Conservation, Bradford Council; Richard Butterfield, Partnerships Team Leader North East & Yorkshire Region, Historic England; Stephen Anderson, Director, Buttress Architects. Bradford is host to a series of projects championing heritage-led regeneration, including the Townscape Heritage Scheme, public realm improvements and Heritage Action Zone. This panel will discuss these projects, lessons learned, and future planning. |
|
The past lives of heritage buildings Kelcey Wilson-Lee, Director of Programmes and Deputy CEO, Architectural Heritage Fund Kelcey will explore the enduring relevance of historic buildings’ former functions and share the Architectural Heritage Fund’s plans to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2026. |
|
An Arts & Heritage Community Project using a collaborative hub model Amer Sarai, Head of Community Engagement, Bradford Arts Centre Bradford Arts Centre’s collaborative hub model united artists, heritage groups, and residents to share, co-create, and bring culture into everyday spaces. Learn how it celebrated histories, built community, and offered a blueprint for inclusive cultural work. |
|
Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund Jeremy Fenn, Interim Head of Investment, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, England, Midlands & East The Network says “Thanks!” to National Lottery players for thirty years of transformational funding to UK heritage projects. |
Breakout Sessions
|
Collaborative Culture: Crafting Memories at the 1st Bradford Heritage Festival [Interactive] Vicky Clifton, Director, Bradford Heritage Connection CIC |
|
Driving social value and reducing environmental impact through heritage regeneration [Interactive] Becky Valentine, Co-owner, Sustainability & Building Health Consultant, Spenbeck |
|
Heritage funding and priority areas [Panel] Louise Sutherland, Head of Engagement, North, The National Lottery Heritage Fund; Naomi Kinghorn, Head of Partnerships & Investment North, Historic England; Ríona McMorrow, Head of Grants, Architectural Heritage Fund; Nik Burdon, Grants Manager, Preservation & Conservation, Pilgrim Trust. |
|
Working together to lower carbon emissions [interactive] Sarah Rousseau, Skills & Resilience Support Officer and Jessica van der Drift, Training Advisor, Historic England |
|
Sacred Spaces: Preserving Places of Worship in the Heritage Sector [Panel] Amanda Feather, Head of Built Heritage and Regeneration Policy, The National Lottery Heritage Fund; Gordon Barr, Development Manager for Scotland, Architectural Heritage Fund; Michael Mail, Chief Executive, Foundation for Jewish Heritage; Gregory Pickup, Chief Executive, Churches Conservation Trust. |
|
Shouting about the sector: Creating a youth-led heritage podcast [Interactive] Heritage Network Youth Forum Volunteers, Podcast Subgroup |
|
Bramley Baths – there must be something in water. [Talk/Panel] David Wilford, CEO; Helen Whiteley, Business Development Manager & Jennie Willetts, Duty Manager, Bramley Baths. |
|
Is your project viable? [Interactive] Laura Williams, Development Manager for England, Annoushka Deighton, Programme Officer for the North West, Mandy Hall, Grants Officer for the Midlands, Josephine Brown, Grants Officer for the South West, Architectural Heritage Fund |
|
Saltaire Retrofit Reimagined – Are heritage, climate and the needs of residents really in conflict? [Interactive] Andrew Gardener, Architect and Director, Above Ground |
|
Maintaining Heritage Buildings: Appropriate Maintenance and Appropriate Repair [Talk] James Innerdale, Technical Advisor, The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings |
|
Heritage Works for Creative Industries [Talk/Panel] Dr James Legard, Associate Director, Harlow Consulting; Niall Phillips & Tom Brigden, Partners, Purcell; Tom Frater, North East and Yorkshire Director, Historic England. |
|
What is an Access Panel and why should you have one when planning for accessibility and inclusion? [interactive] Dr Pen Foreman, Learning and Outreach Manager, Bradford District Museums and Galleries |
Tours and Visits
The main day of conference is sandwiched between two half-days of tours and visits, which will include must-see buildings and projects, as well as some hidden gems highlighted by our steering group of local stakeholders, delegates will be asked to select tours and visits closer to the event.
If you are not planning to attend the arranged tours and visits here, you can engage with other self-guided tours and visits in the area:
- Bradford Museums & Galleries: https://bradfordmuseums.org/our-venues/
- Bradford City Heritage Trail – https://bit.ly/BradfordTrail
- Salts Mill & Peace Museum: https://www.saltsmill.org.uk/ (note: not open on Tuesdays)
- Undercliffe Cemetery Walk & Lister Park Walk – bradford2025.co.uk/programme/bradford-on-foot
- Visualising Heritage: a Saltaire Experience – https://bit.ly/SaltaireExp
Networking
Our conference is a great opportunity to network with peers, other professionals in the sector, and heritage businesses and funders. We will be including some structured networking into the main conference day, as well as plenty of opportunities for informal networking throughout the 3-day event.
Accommodation
There are plenty of hotels in Bradford, however with it being the city of culture year we strongly recommend booking early.
Our conference will be partially taking place in the Great Victoria Hotel, we have a preferential rate with the hotel for delegates, if you would like a booking link, please get in touch.
You can see the Bradford hotels listed on the Visit Bradford website. Particularly close to the conference are Leonardo Hotel, Premier Inn Bradford Central, and Midland Hotel, all within walking distance of the main day conference venues.
Discounted tickets
Network, Partner, Supporter Youth Forum and Student members can book at discounted rates saving at least £50. You should have received an email with a code to access the discounted tickets. Click the red ‘Get tickets’ button and enter your code in the box that says ‘Promo Code’. The discounted ticket options will be revealed.
If you did not get the code, please email admin@heritagetrustnetwork.org.uk.
We aim for all of our events to be inclusive, safe spaces where everyone’s views and experiences are respected. Please read our code of conduct for more information.
Sponsorship, Advertising & Exhibiting Opportunities:
Heritage Network Conference is a unique opportunity for heritage businesses to connect with leaders of community heritage organisations carrying out restoration projects and managing sites throughout the UK. Throughout the event there are sponsorship, advertising and exhibiting opportunities, please contact James Cragg for more information.
Already Attending?
Have you already booked your ticket? Share the news! Let others know that you’ll be joining us in Bradford this September by sharing a badge on social media or updating your LinkedIn banner.
Use the links below to download the badges and banners and share on your socials!
