Opening the Door to Heritage

The ARCH Programme will act as a gateway to the wider a Orange Heritage offering in Portadown and Co. Armagh generally. Our focus is on Orange and Loyal Orders  Heritage which has four too long been seen as closed to wider audiences. Our community heritage approach which helps develop and open up a range of military, industrial and local heritage has stepped ups to the challenge of taking Orange Heritage, an often contested and hard to access field and make it open to all.

Just like the arch we use as our motif the programme will be a public display, a framework to support other community heritage and a gateway to explore further. Its use of cutting edge technology, as well as  a range of new tours, products and services promoted by new community heritage activists, will open the door to local heritage.

New Interpretative and Education material for new and existing audiences will help more people to understand and value the heritage we will showcase. From that enlightenment we believe there will be more acceptance and understanding which will take the heat and the hostility out of certain aspects of heritage which has not been valued equally by both communities.

Development of our website and with new tours and functionality to the Mobile App,  will allow more  people to engage digitally and begin their journey of discovery. A range of new tours, products and services in conjunction with new community heritage activities tailored to express need and demand will provide greater points of access to and pathways into heritage. Our vision is for the entire community to learn to love heritage like we do.

The project invest heavily in Interpretative and Education material for schools which will be developed, to improve interest, understanding and engagement for all ages. This will provide many new pathways to access heritage which until now has often been hidden or hard to engage with.

Portadown town tour group
Able to Access Heritage

A wider range of people will be involved in heritage

We want to see more people able to access heritage in new and exciting ways.

We use the symbol of the arch to represent commemoration, heritage and access. It is used across the world to celebrate the past, as a marker and monument and often is at the heart of celebrations and events. Our project is similar in many ways and with through events and electronic engagement help people access heritage.

It will develop existing website and add new tours and functionality to the PHT App, allowing more and different people to engage digitally and begin their journey to discovery.

Develop a range of new tours, products and services in conjunction with new community heritage activities tailored to express need and demand to provide greater points of access to and pathways into heritage.

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New Paths and New Narratives

Helping People learn about heritage, leading to changes in ideas and actions

The aim of Portadown Heritage Tours is to bring the past to life and to help others share in the story we are passionate about.

To do this we realise that the way we talk about the past and tell the story has to change. We all access information in new digital ways. The way we tell our story and help people engage with heritage must change too. The Programme will develop a range of new tours, products and services in conjunction with new community heritage activists.

New Interpretative and Education material for school will be developed, which will address difficult and divided histories and will aim to improve community relations in the future by helping young people properly understand and engage with the past.

EVENTS

We will be hosting a range of heritage and other events which will help to educate, engage and hopefully excite you about the heritage we promote. So plan to attend and begin your journey of discovery.

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EXPLORE

Explore the past with our tours and tourism events and activities as we bring the past to life and bring it to you. From family fun to opportunities to get involved we have a programme to suit all ages and abilities.

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EXHIBITIONS

Heritage always has a setting, often historical, cultural or social and to fully understand and in turn interpret it there needs to be a full and clear understanding of its context, which our exhibitions help to do.

Visit our blog
Helping You Access Heritage
The Gateway to the Past

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