2. ‘Funding comes from a variety of sources to restore the literally irreplaceable buildings we work on. We try to reconcile historical integrity with commercial viability and rely on the support of volunteers. So, we need to involve all stakeholders all the way through the project.’ (Janine Walker, Chief Project Manager, Happy Heritage, a not-for-profit restoration organisation) Her latest project was the restoration of a 200-year-old ‘poorhouse’ as a visitor attraction, originally built to house local poor. Janine’s team drew up a list of stakeholders and set out to win them over with their enthusiasm for the project. They invited local people to attend meetings, explained the vision and took them to look round the site. Also, before work started Janine took all the building staff on the same tour of the site as they had taken other groups and the VIPs who provided the funding. ‘Involving the builders in the project sparked a real interest in the project and the archaeological history of the site. Often, they would come across something interesting and tell the foreman, who would involve an archaeologist and so preserve an artefact that might otherwise have been destroyed. They took a real interest in their work, they felt involved.’

a) Who do you think are the main stakeholders for this project????

b) What are the benefits and risks of involving these stakeholders in the project????