The Civic Trust of England was a

charitable organisation A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ...

founded in 1957. It ceased operations in 2009 and went into administration due to lack of funds. The Civic Society Initiative was set up in 2009 with the support of

The National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

, CPRE and other organisations to ensure a future for the civic society movement and was formally launched in April 2010 as Civic Voice.

Original function

Civic Trust's prime purpose was to improve the quality of new and historic buildings and public spaces, and to help improve the general quality of urban life. The trust operated from two main offices, in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

and supported a national network of civic societies. These were local groups in which volunteer members helped to improve their surroundings. It ran the Civic Trust Regeneration Unit, which supported urban renewal through programmes addressing issues of concern such as "the night time economy". It ran campaigns to influence and change thinking on civic matters, and change government policy. It helped establish

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

s and coordinate

Heritage Open Days Heritage Open Days (also known as HODs) is an annual celebration of England's architecture and culture that allows visitors free access to historical landmarks that are either not usually open to the public, would normally charge an entrance fee, ...

Civic Trust Awards

Civic Trust Award plaque on the Severn Bridge

The

Civic Trust Awards The Civic Trust Awards scheme was established in 1959 to recognise outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment. As the longest standing built environment awards scheme in Europe, since 1959, more than 7000 projects have ...

was established in 1959 to recognise outstanding architecture, urban design, landscape and public are which improve the quality of life for local communities. Whilst the Civic Trust as an umbrella organisation went into administration in April 2009, the Civic Trust Awards have continued as an independent scheme operating on a not-for-profit basis as a

Community Interest Company A community interest company (CIC, colloquially pronounced "kick") is a type of company introduced by the United Kingdom government in 2005 under the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004, designed for social ente ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Civic TrustCivic Voice official websiteCivic Trust Awards
Organizations established in 1957 Organizations disestablished in 2009 Charities based in England Heritage organisations in England 1957 establishments in England Interested parties in planning in England Architectural conservation Architecture in England 2009 disestablishments in England Civic societies in the United Kingdom

Original function

Civic Trust Awards

See also

References

External links