Who We Are
Mission
The Scottish Community Heritage Alliance (SCHA) supports both individuals and organisations involved in community heritage throughout Scotland. SCHA strives to represent these grassroots voices at a national level, while providing advocacy, networking, support and research opportunities. We are looking for people who are passionate about Community Heritage to join us and make their voice heard.
Values
Inclusivity
SCHA is for all within the community heritage sector (and what is deemed to be community heritage) including individuals, organisations, volunteers, those who have an interest in community heritage, students/learners, etc. regardless of background, ethnicity, gender, etcCollaboration
Community Heritage is stronger togetherAdvocacy
Listen to the people within community heritage and help to create a positive changeSupport
SCHA will continue to share with members opportunities in networking, partnerships, funding, development, sustainability, training and researchInnovation
SCHA will lead the way in supporting Community Heritage to become resilient, respected and understood in the wider heritage sectorMeet The Board
Dr Eleni Koumpouzi (Chair)
Eleni is an artist and a museum professional, who has recently completed a doctorate in community heritage engagement, researching the position of disadvantaged communities in the public heritage environment . She is the co-Director of Ichnos Heritage, an organisation promoting innovative heritage interpretation. Eleni is a member of the Scottish Local History Forum’s Advisory Committee, and she has over 25 years’ experience in leading a series of publicly funded community heritage and arts projects in London, Glasgow and internationally.
Vicki Anderson (Secretary)
Vicki brings a wonderfully varied heritage background to the role. She currently works with Historic Environment Scotland at Skara Brae in Orkney, and has previously worked at Edzell Castle and Arbroath Abbey. Before joining HES, she worked with the National Trust for Scotland at the House of Dun near Montrose. Her experience goes beyond her professional roles. Vicki has been involved in a wide range of volunteer projects, from helping with the restoration of a World War II-era aircraft to collecting and recording information about castles and churches. This has given her experience of heritage from several different angles – from getting hands-on with the physical stuff to thinking about how we record, understand and share it. Vicki’s interests range from Scottish history and archaeology to folklore and community heritage. She is particularly interested in finding creative ways to make the past accessible and relevant – and, importantly, to make people want to engage with it.
Dr Julian Grant (Treasurer)
Julian is an independent researcher and heritage practitioner based in Leith. He has a Masters in Scottish History from the University of Glasgow and a PhD from University of the Highlands and Islands. For his doctoral research, he partnered with community heritage groups around the North Coast 500 to create a series of public exhibitions showcasing local residents’ perspectives on place, culture and the impact of tourism. His subsequent work has revolved around working creatively with communities to document and make visible their rich and multi-layered histories.
Iain Ross Wallace
Archaeology has been a life-long interest for Iain. A career in business development, training and systems administration was combined with 30 years’ service in the Royal Naval Reserve, where he taught meteorology and navigation, amongst other subjects. Returning to Glasgow in 2008, he completed an MA in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow in 2015, followed by a Masters (Research). In addition to designing training courses for ACFA – Field Archaeology for All, he is Convenor of Langside Community Heritage and Director of the Scottish Stonemasons Marks Project.
David Fayle
David has been involved in various community projects involving music, vocalisation, and festival performance over the past ten years, recently expanding the list to include regional crafts and relationships with animals. He has carried out fieldwork-based research with the Grampian Association of Storytellers (GAS) and the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (TMSA), and been part of the organising team for the Cullerlie Traditional Singing Festival. He has a Master’s with Distinction in Ethnology and Folklore from the University of Aberdeen.
Neil G. Smith
Neil is a retail supervisor by day and an amateur historian by night. He has a BA in Information and Library Studies from the Robert Gordon University. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute. Passionate about his home county, he is the Founder of the Kincardineshire Association, a Committee Member of the Association of British Counties, and a Trustee of Stonehaven Tolbooth Museum. He has a particular interest in local aspects of transport history and drives a 1932 Austin Seven, called Pobble.