Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour get more things done by partnering with others. At national level that’s by being part of the Maritime Heritage Trust. Locally, other heritage organisations are obvious collaborators, and the River Torridge Heritage Group brings together twelve local organisations from along the estuary with a common interest in heritage. 

For the Heritage Open Days events in September last year, many of these groups held exhibitions, open days, talks and guided walks. But there are also others, who may not see themselves as natural curators of heritage, that took part. Also open to view was the elaborate 17^th century plasterwork ceiling in the Kingsley Room of the Royal Hotel. On the Quay, at Trio and Bond Hairdressers, a more modest wall plaque is from a similar date, probably also made by the Abbott family from Frithelstock, and sits above a fireplace where it was discovered during renovations. In the High Street, the old Woolworths has been transformed into a climbing and bouldering centre. They offered wall space for the Heritage Harbour exhibition panels, ‘Transformed by War’, about the role of west coast harbours, including the Torridge, during World War II. The Heritage Open Days events attracted nearly 400 visits over the space of a few days and clearly demonstrated how much interest there is in local history.

March was a busy month. At the Barnstaple Hotel on the 13^th, the second Northern Devon Flourishing Culture Awards ceremony was held. Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour won the award in the heritage category with a nomination that highlighted the importance of community and involving those for whom heritage was not their main business. 

Last Saturday, Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour organised a one-day symposium in Bideford, ‘A new look at Elizabethan maritime history’, in partnership with South West Maritime History Society and The Burton. To a packed audience (tickets sold out two weeks before) one question discussed was the relevance of heritage in 21^st century. 

In one way, the ninety people at the symposium answered the question themselves. They had turned up for a day to learn more about their history. Heritage helps us understand where we came from and inspires learning for the future. It has economic benefits with tourism and regeneration. Heritage and how we look after it, value it and have pride in it is a partnership that involves us all.