Living Heritage

Community development through cultural resources in South East Europe (1998-2005)

Between 1998 and 2005, I was commissioned by the King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium) to work on a new programme to support community cultural action in South East Europe. Following a period of research into local heritage projects in Northern Europe, I wrote the programme’s guiding principles and was launched in Skopje (Macedonia) in March 2001.

Over the next four years, and working with a consortium of local partners and foundations, the programme supported 140 community projects in Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Romania. The projects included festivals, local museums, performing arts, crafts, natural spaces and many other forms, mostly drawing on traditional culture. Much of the work was done in remote areas, often with groups who had never had any financial support before. I worked on the training and support of the community groups and later on the programme evaluation.

The Living Heritage Programme was one of the best things I’ve been involved in. The need was huge and the commitment of local people humbling. As a result, results in terms of empowerment and community development were exceptional. I am still in touch with some of the people involved and in many projects both work and its effects have been sustained for years after the completion of the projects.

The programme confirmed my conviction that people can imagine and deliver life-changing work in their own communities when they are given the means to do so. It also taught me a huge amount about community development, human resilience and the power of culture to energise people, even in very difficult circumstances.

Reports on individual country evaluations can be downloaded here: