ABSTRACT
Abstract The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) is unrivalled in its knowledge of the physical threats facing historic buildings and the techniques for minimising decay and damage. It also has a proven track record of successfully recruiting and motivating volunteers and of providing effective education to professionals, craftspeople and the general public. In 2006 the SPAB developed the acclaimed Faith in Maintenance (FiM) project, the success of which was recognised by a highly prestigious Europa Nostra Award in 2010 in the Education, Training and Awareness category. Education and training were the key elements of the FiM project, resulting in ‘traditional’, expert-led engagement via knowledge transfer. However, evaluation of the FiM project suggested that additional or alternative forms of engagement were required, and this has resulted in the new Maintenance Co-operatives Project. This three-year project brings together groups of people who care for places of worship and encourages them to work together to tackle the problems of maintenance and repair. This clear step towards participative practice and public engagement in heritage conservation resonates well with new international principles for capacity building. In relation to Sherry Arnstein’s ‘ladder of participation’, however, do Maintenance Co-operatives push local volunteers up to Citizen Power level at the top of the ladder or do they remain somewhere in the middle at a more tokenistic level?
