CONTEXT 175 : MARCH 2023 13 EAST ANGLIA COAST many people who live in the town lack the skills to access the highest-paid jobs in the energy sector, and many households rely on low paid and seasonal employment. Great Yarmouth’s unemployment rates were among the highest in the country prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. Skills levels, particularly in the heritage sector, are extremely low, resulting in poorly repaired and maintained heritage assets and general building stock. That contributes to deterioration and the town’s erosion. In response to this, each trust project is developed around training and engagement. A strategy has evolved whereby entire projects are undertaken by volunteers and trainees under the close supervision of experts, from survey through to practical completion. There are many risks, but every step is painstakingly scrutinised, limitations are realised and accepted, and an extensive range of experts, professionals and craftspeople monitor, advise and mentor the process. The benefits of this model are significant. They include a broad engagement, civic pride, a highly skilled and passionate workforce, and a repaired, preserved and properly maintained historic environment, all important parts of the trust’s strategy for reviving deteriorated and neglected areas of the town. By involving local people and providing meaningful opportunities in the preservation of the town’s heritage, an overlapping legacy is developed. Rooted in the local community, the trust’s work not only improves the built environment in Great Yarmouth, but also develops the skills and employability of residents. A substantial outcome to this approach was for the trust to create a means to employ people trained on projects, who would then be able to use the skills they have acquired to continue maintaining Great Yarmouth’s heritage. In 2014 a trading company Norfolk Conservation Ltd was established, with a social enterprise remit and with the trust as the only shareholder, with any profits going to continue its charitable aims. Before the pandemic the enterprise employed seven people, all of whom have worked as trainees on trust projects for at least four years. The creation of this company has helped to fill a vacuum, and demonstrates the benefits of effective and targeted training and engagement with mainly under-represented communities. Projects have included stone repair and consolidation, flint work, church monuments, and the ongoing repair and consolidation of Great Yarmouth’s medieval town wall. Importantly they provide a pool of conservation skills to local contractors. Before placing training as a priority, Great Yarmouth lacked the basic skills needed to maintain historic buildings, such as working with lime mortar, window repairs, or traditional roofing techniques. There is still a long way to go, but much progress has been made in a relatively A restored building in Kings Street, now Skippings Gallery
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