On 2 December, the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) reconnected partners and colleagues for the launch of their powerful exhibition, ‘Heritage Belongs in Every Climate Conversation.’
With support from the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, INTO have worked with partners across six countries to restore six historic buildings to protect them against the severe impact of climate change. Since 2022, this project has fostered connections between National Trust properties in the UK and the sites in each country, where shared challenges led to shared solutions.
This month’s event marked the culmination of three years of work, offering a space for the programme collaborators to reflect on their journey and how heritage is a powerful vehicle in addressing climate change and building future resilience.
‘Since joining the programme it quickly showed me how strongly heritage and climate work reinforce one another,’ said Charlotte Thomas, Withstanding Change’s Programme Manager. ‘Each site has grown into a real asset for its community, and this exhibition is a brilliant way to honour that collective work.’
Between the panels and films displayed, they each surfaced stories from Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Syria, Uganda, and Zanzibar. They altogether highlighted that the restored sites were not just conservation projects, but gathering spaces for their local communities. Each space has become alive with women’s groups creating livelihoods, generations exchanging knowledge, and with climate discussions that feel rooted in daily reality rather than in the abstract.
The event also featured a panel of speakers which included Stephanie Grant (CPF Director), Robert Specterman-Green (Director, Media & Creative Industries at DCMS), as well as HRH Princess Dana Firas (INTO Chair). Together, they underlined how ‘Heritage organisations are not passive recipients; they are the drivers of climate adaptation, combining technical restoration with community empowerment.’
This was illustrated by what was the evening’s most moving moment – where attendees caught the preview of INTO’s new short film on the Ghassania Theatre in Homs. The film illustrated the resilience of community cohesion in a space once damaged by war.
Looking ahead, the exhibition will be shared more widely - starting with the Blickling Estate in Norfolk in February 2026.
For more information about the programme, visit INTO’s website.
