Funding cuts to the humanities subjects have been in the mind of every student who calls John Percival home since last year. But Heneb is creating a new future for Wales’ past, and with the recent launch of their five-year plan they show us the ways on how they plan to achieve this and secure the future of Welsh archaeology. But what is Heneb?
Well, Heneb: the Trust for Welsh Archaeology, is the successor of four regional archaeological trusts that was created in 2024 to protect and conserve Welsh archaeology. Made up of two parts, field services and the advisory services, Heneb’s main goal is to protect and promote the heritage of Wales and support communities and education with their work. With Welsh archaeology projects being some of the most important in the UK, preserving the history for generations is key to incorporating heritage into our daily lives.
In the UK there are over 2,500 museums, with the heritage sector employing over 200,000 people in 2023, with many opportunities for graduate jobs included. The expansion of Heneb will increase employment opportunities and introduce a pathway into Welsh archaeology and heritage post-graduation. Working with Cadw and Amgueddfa Cymru, Heneb launched five ambitious goals this year: to strengthen public services, to grow income and resilience, to engage and include communities in projects, to lead innovation and research in Wales, and finally, to continue their growth as a new professional organisation.
All of these goals point to an exciting and inclusive future in the Welsh heritage sector. And so, what does this mean for students? With an increased interest in heritage in Wales, the opportunities to involve yourself in projects across the country will increase as well, and not just for those who are studying an adjacent course.
With one of Heneb’s main goals being to increase community projects, they aim to achieve this by introducing archaeology into the Welsh school curriculum, but prior to that by creating spaces to educate communities on their heritage, allowing anyone with an interest to help them support this goal through outreach programs in schools, festivals and community spaces. They are also aiming to create a bilingual program to support Welsh speakers and connect the language to the past. “We are looking to make Gen A, Gen Archaeology in Wales. Gen Z makes it sound like it’s the final generation for children, but we want to create something new and exciting [for them],” says Dr Kate Roberts, chief executive of Cadw.
Dr Carol Bell, Chair of Heneb, said “the interdisciplinarity of archaeology makes it accessible to everyone, and it can bring communities together, and it is essential to make archaeology accessible in schools, so people can explore what really makes Wales, Wales.” With the recent funding cuts to many humanitarian projects and programs in Wales, Heneb’s plans for the future promise to be bright for the heritage and archaeology of Wales.