During a UK Sporting Heritage Summit taking place at the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket at Glamorgan Cricket’s headquarters in Cardiff, the Deputy Minister for Culture Sport and Tourism, Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, announced to the 80 delegates at the summit, the initial details about the creation of an expert panel for Wales to establish a national vision for sports heritage - a first for the U.K.
With the summit being held at the first fully-accredited cricket museum in the UK, the expert panel will build on the already excellent partnerships between Wales’ local and national museums and will provide a forum for those involved in creating and safeguarding sports heritage to work together. The establishment of the panel follows recommendations made in the feasibility study - ‘Celebrating Our Sporting Heritage’ published last year.
In addressing the summit, the Deputy Minister, said: “Every sport leaves a legacy of memories and memorabilia to tell its stories of success long after the feats of their owners have faded from popular memory.
"However, this legacy is spread between private collectors, community and regional clubs, and public and private museums. Cherished, but often vulnerable, items are given different degrees of care – from carefully managed museum stores to boxes under collector’s beds.
“The feasibility study recognized that there is no single answer to these varying levels of accessibility and preservation. Ensuring the continued survival of this memorabilia and presenting it in interesting and meaningful ways presents an extraordinary challenge.
"Without any kind of national framework for policies, standards, guidance or collecting models there is a risk that many key artefacts could be lost to future generations. I’m therefore delighted that we can now work with Sporting Heritage and partners to secure a future of our Sporting Heritage.”
Justine Reilly, the Director of Sporting Heritage, who organized the summit at Glamorgan’s headquarters said: “Sport and sports clubs are central to many of our communities and are embedded within the stories of political, economic, and social development.
"These stories are inspirational and thought-provoking in their content and context. However, the heritage of sport – the objects, archives, and oral histories which bring sporting heritage to life and allow these stories to be shared – are all too often at risk.
“Sporting Heritage works across the UK as the Subject Specialist Network for sport. Our aim is to provide a strategic approach to sporting heritage which removes collections from risk and empowers organisations, communities and individuals to celebrate and share their stories.
"We are thrilled to be able to draw together a specialist panel in Wales and create a joined-up approach for sporting heritage across the nation.”
The two-day summit at the Sophia Gardens ground addressed issues of how sporting heritage can become more resilient and ensure collections are suitably preserved for future generations to enjoy. Speakers also looked at the impact of sporting heritage on community cohesion including local examples from the Cardiff area as well as speakers from Football Memories Scotland and the Scottish National Football Museum. Delegates were also given a fascinating insight into the outreach activities of the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket, as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of Glamorgan County Cricket Club’s headquarters.
Andrew Hignell, the Curator of the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket said, “We were delighted to welcome Lord Elis-Thomas once again to our Museum and we were very proud to be the venue where his ground-breaking announcement was made. With cricket being the first ball game in Wales, and having a legacy dating back to the middle of the 18th century, it was a very fitting place for him to make this announcement.
"It was also a real pleasure to share our experiences and successes with other members of the sports heritage sector, and I was truly humbled by the kind words which delegates shared after hearing about our activities and the other outreach activities which Glamorgan County Cricket Club, as well as Cricket Wales, undertakes in promoting the game and its rich heritage."