Evaluating your Heritage Project

Every heritage-focused project has a unique story to tell. Evaluation is crucial for uncovering and sharing a project’s journey and is becoming an increasingly important element of project design, with funders such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund often stipulating built-in evaluations from the outset. Documenting and sharing lessons learned, best practices, and challenges can not only benefit your current and future projects but can also contribute to a collective pool of knowledge that others can draw from.

What is evaluation?

An evaluation is a systematic process of assessing a project's activities, outputs, and outcomes to determine its effectiveness and overall impact. It involves collecting and analysing data to provide insights that can guide decision-making, improve a project’s performance, and reveal its true impact.

Hafod Morfa Copperworks Powerhouse.

The Swansea Council-led scheme involved the redevelopment of the Hafod Morfa Copperworks site and associated improvements in the Lower Swansea valley. This included the Welsh distillery, Penderyn Whisky, which opened an attraction at the site. A Heritage Fund project, which together with other investments, acted as a catalyst to significant further investment from the UK Government through the Levelling Up Fund.

Our evaluation of this redevelopment project was a three-stage process, which included:

• an initial baseline to understand the situation before the start of the project

• a mid-term review to assess progress in achieving projected outputs

• a final stage evaluation to assess the project outcomes against the baseline statistics and their impact on heritage.

Each stage of the evaluation involved engagement with a range of project partners and relevant stakeholders, including Swansea Council, Swansea University, local business owners and managers, heritage representatives, building contractors, volunteers, and participants in the project. The final report helped identify the substantial economic and social impacts that can be generated from this type of place regeneration-heritage scheme and highlighted many elements of good practice demonstrated by Swansea Council and partners.

Setting up an evaluation

A logic model or Theory of Change is a tool used in evaluation to map out the pathway from a project's inputs and activities to its intended outcomes. Here's a simple explanation of how it works:

The Theory of Change is used to underpin a wider Evaluation Framework, which also sets out the rationale for the project within its wider context and the research question(s) that need to be asked to understand whether a project has been effective.

Berwick Barracks “The Living Barracks”. 

The Living Barracks Project, funded by the  Heritage Fund and led by English Heritage, is part of the Berwick Barracks Partnership’s strategy to develop a culturally rich and heritage-focused events programme. The project intended to engage new audiences both within and outside the locality and bring economic benefits across Berwick and the wider region. A Theory of Change was co-produced in the Development phase of the project to form the basis of an Evaluation Framework. This was implemented throughout the Delivery phase to evidence the progress towards agreed outcomes, and to identify the legacy of the project.

We incorporated input from the main project partners, including The Maltings (Berwick) Trust, The King’s Own Scottish Borderers, Northumberland County Council, and the Berwick Barracks Heritage Trust. We also engaged with wider stakeholders, including the local town council, Visit Northumberland, and other community bodies. Engagement included invitations to participate in scoping interviews, a Theory of Change workshop, and opportunities for wider discussions. This process ensured a broad range of voices were heard and strengthened understanding of different partner and stakeholder perspectives; in turn, ensuring better alignment with strategic priorities for the region.

What are the different types of evaluation data?

Together, quantitative and qualitative data provide the evidence to support an understanding of whether projected outputs and outcomes have been achieved as planned, and if not, why not.

Quantitative data.

This consists of measurable information that tracks a project’s progress and achievements. It includes specific activities carried out, such as conservation and interpretation of artifacts. It can also include key project targets met, such metrics for example could include the number of volunteers who participated in an activity.

Qualitative data.

This can provide rich, detailed insights into the experiences, perceptions, and motivations of individuals involved. For example, understanding changes in an individual’s wellbeing or educational outcomes. This type of data is often gathered through interviews, informal discussions, or observations. It captures the nuanced stories and personal perspectives that quantitative data might miss. By incorporating qualitative data into the evaluation, we can uncover deeper, more meaningful insights and paint a vivid picture of a project's impact.

Training and support for evaluation set-up and data collection.

Through our evaluations, our aim is not only to evaluate the current project but to work with the project team to enhance the organisation’s ability to carry out their own evaluation activities in the future. This ensures that valuable information continues to be captured beyond the current project and can be better utilised moving forward. We can provide the project team with bespoke support, for example, training staff and volunteers to enable appropriate data collection processes are in place. This increases organisational sustainability by upskilling staff to allow them to undertake evaluation activities independently in the future.

The Development Phase of Tywi Gateway Trust’s Bishop’s Park Walled Garden project. 

This project focused on restoring a historic walled garden to transform it into a resource for community use and to generate income. We supported staff development by delivering workshops and one-to-one sessions on Theory of Change and data collection techniques. This helped to inform the development of the Evaluation Framework, which underpinned the evaluation of both the project’s Development and Delivery phases. It was also submitted as part of the project’s successful bid for Phase 2 Heritage Fund funding.

Why capture the beginning and middle of your project?

Embedding evaluation practices at the beginning of a project has many benefits. An evaluation that is added as an afterthought, at the end of a project, misses out on valuable opportunities for gaining insights. This includes:

• Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses: Evaluating a project from the start allows one to pinpoint aspects of the project that are working well and which areas need improvement. This allows you to build on strengths and address weaknesses as they become apparent and can be a crucial part of progressing from the Development to the Delivery phase of a project.

• Optimising project resources: Monitoring a project’s progress can help you understand how resources are being used and identify opportunities for more efficient allocation. This can help ensure that time, money, and effort are directed towards the most impactful activities.

• Funder Confidence: Continuous monitoring also helps reassure funders that the project is progressing and generating tangible results and meeting funder objectives (referred to as approved purposes in the context of the Heritage Fund).

  
  

The Restoration and Renovation of Anglesey Column for the Anglesey Column Trust. 

The project focused on the renovation and reopening of the column and the remodelling of the adjacent cottage as a visitor engagement centre. It aimed to provide an inclusive visitor experience, learning and volunteering opportunities, and an enhanced tourism offer for the local area. As part of a mid-term evaluation review of the Delivery Phase, we helped identify areas for refinement to enable the project to adapt accordingly. Our report highlighted successes in project delivery. It also pinpointed areas where small adjustments, such as strategies for volunteer management and the reallocation of staff time, could enhance the efficiency of limited project resources. Additionally, feedback collected from visitors was used to inform marketing strategies for the site, and we were able to advise on ways to grow income and revenue streams based on our experience with similar projects.

Telling the end of your project’s story: capturing impacts

Within the context of an evaluation, an impact demonstrates the difference your project has made. Impacts might be medium-term: for example, volunteers may report improved wellbeing from spending time working on a project. Impacts can also be longer term: for example, people who live in the area may report an increased sense of ownership or pride in where they live if they understand and therefore value their heritage site more. It can often be difficult to attribute an impact exclusively to your project, as it might be part of a bigger picture that includes several actions and initiatives. That does not matter as long as it is acknowledged as part of the story.

The National Trust’s Curtain Rises Project at Seaton Delaval Hall.

Centred on a historic house located in the North East of England, the project aimed to address the conservation needs of the property, a Grade I listed building of outstanding significance within the Grade II* registered park and garden. The project also sought to enhance the visitor experience by investing in much-needed facilities to bring to life the Hall’s rich stories with new interpretation. The final evaluation aimed to assess whether the project had created a more accessible and engaging offer for visitors, as well as addressing crucial conservation works.

Through research, review, and reflection, we worked closely with the project team to enhance their understanding of how actions and activities delivered across the project’s different strands had brought about immediate and/or lasting change. Our final evaluation enabled the project team to make a logical connection between the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of work undertaken.

Capturing heritage impacts can benefit your organisation

• Avenues for funding. Building an evidence base to identify sustainable funding models and to support future funding bids.

The Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust’s 19th-century Stable Blocks.

This project aimed to enhance the Abbey’s role as a local, county, and region-wide visitor destination, to widen the diversity of visitors and improve the wellbeing of the local community. Our evaluation supported the Abbey’s Trust to develop an evaluation plan and impact assessment framework to assess the economic and social impact of the project. This supported the Trust to develop a successful bid to the Heritage Fund under its Enterprise Grants Fund.

• Informed Decision-Making: Demonstrable, data-driven insights can guide future decisions. By understanding what strategies are effective, you can make more informed choices that enhance the sustainability and impact of future projects.

• Adaptability: Regular evaluation encourages a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. By staying responsive to feedback and changing circumstances, your organisation can remain agile and resilient in the face of challenges.

• Stakeholder Confidence: Demonstrating the value and impact of projects builds trust and confidence among stakeholders, including funders, partners, and the local community. This support is often crucial for long-term organisational resilience.

• Enhanced Reputation: A strong track record of successful evaluations, with actionable learning points, can enhance an organisation’s reputation and make buy-in from funders and collaborators more attractive. This can lead to recognition within the sector and increased opportunities and support for future projects.

Pendinas Hillfort Community Project.

This is a notable example of how evaluation can help an organisation demonstrate tangible and intangible impacts within a community. The project, a collaboration between Dyfed Archaeological Trust (now Heneb) and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, was centred on community excavation and heritage interpretation. It aimed to showcase what could be achieved with the community acting as the primary driver. The team leveraged our findings to evidence the positive effects of their project on people in the Penparcau community and beyond, which directly contributed to their recognition at the Council for British Archaeology's Archaeological Achievements Awards, where the project was Highly Commended in the Engagement and Participation category.

Whether you choose to conduct the evaluation yourself or enlist an independent expert, allocating the right resources during a project’s Design and Development phase is crucial. A comprehensive evaluation can capture the rich details of your project, showcase its worth, and strengthen organisational resilience for the future. When shared widely, evaluations can also enhance the collective knowledge base of practitioners working in the same field.