PLANED is delighted to announce the launch of its inaugural Pembrokeshire Community Heritage Week at the end of May, an event which will promote and celebrate the rich heritage and culture of communities across the county.
The first Pembrokeshire Community Heritage Week will be entirely virtual due to COVID-19 restrictions, but it is hoped that this will lead to bigger things, with plans for next year’s event including face-to-face activities at venues across Pembrokeshire.
Organising the Week is Stuart Berry, PLANED’s Culture and Heritage Coordinator, who said: “We really think this year could be the springboard to develop this event into a much bigger one that fully encompasses our county’s amazing history and heritage.
We really hope that we can inspire other organisations and our wonderful community heritage groups, and that the Week can become a platform to celebrate the work that is happening in communities, and to reach more people in telling the story of Pembrokeshire’s past.”
This year the week will run from Monday 31st May to Friday 4th June, and new online material will be made available throughout the week, including community heritage podcasts, a live video stream from Scolton Manor on the Bank Holiday Monday afternoon, history talks and presentations, campfire stories, and much more.
PLANED will also be providing fresh links to existing online content, including the virtual Archaeology Day event organised jointly by PLANED, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the Dyfed Archaeological Trust in 2020, as well as the monthly Echoes of the Past podcast series.
One particular highlight of the week will be a live online ‘pub quiz’ which will be open to everyone and broadcast over PLANED’s YouTube channel. Stuart says: “We hope that the quiz will test everybody’s knowledge of the history of Pembrokeshire, but we have pitched it so that you won’t need to be a history expert to get involved. Sadly, we aren’t able to offer any prizes – other than bragging rights amongst your mates – but we hope it will provide an evening of entertainment and fun for anyone with an interest in the county!”
A number of community groups and organisations are already contributing to this year’s event including Tenby Museum and Art Gallery, Span Arts, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Haverfordwest Museum, and Pembrokeshire County Council run Scolton Manor.
PLANED is encouraging all local organisations and voluntary groups to get involved with the week, either by participating in PLANED’s activities, or by producing their own events, which could include Zoom talks, virtual tours or walks, online exhibitions, or anything else that helps celebrate the wonderful heritage of Pembrokeshire.
An itinerary of events and timings will be available via the Echoes of the Past website and Facebook page as well as across all PLANED media outlets, but if you’d like to get involved, please contact Stuart Berry on: stuart.berry@planed.org.uk or visit www.echoeswales.cymru for more details.
