Nearly half feel that they have plenty of opportunity to get involved in the arts, and only 26% feel that “the arts is not for them”. They feel that heritage is an important contributor to sense of place and believe in the conservation of local heritage sites. About 70% have been to an arts event in the last year, and about 50% have attended a museum or gallery. They have a low reception to broadcast advertising, and respond to tailored/targeted communications, like plain speaking and face to face contact. Home & Heritage are open to persuasion if appealed to directly with tailored communications that meet their tastes and access needs and offer a complete package, which may involve provision of transport. Opportunities to engage them could include participatory events through U3A and local rural touring schemes.
Programme
With a strong leaning toward the traditional and mainstream, Home & Heritage may be looking for both traditional forms as well as traditional content and subject matter. Local history, memorabilia and nostalgia, dying traditions and crafts, historically based narratives, period re-creation are all likely to appeal. Many in this group also share an interest in the natural world – from gardening to programmes such as Springwatch and Countryfile on TV. A regular programme of classical music, opera and ballet, as well as more mainstream theatre may not be readily accessible within their travel distance but would be welcomed, e.g. classical recitals in churches or village halls. They are not inclined to be risk-taking so familiar pieces, names and stories, adaptations of known works and plenty of local media coverage are important ways of connecting and overcoming concerns and a natural inertia.
NADFAS or University of the 3rd Age
Partnerships
Working closely alongside heritage organisations, history associations, or community networks supporting older single people would create good entry or starting points.
Place: Environment
Safe, pleasant and formally welcoming environments are highly valued. A quality café or restaurant may form a key part of the appeal.
Place: Access & distance
This group are not travellers, with low car use and limited access to public transport. Reliable transport may be a key issue. Day-time offers are much more likely to have traction if there are access constraints. This group is almost exclusively retired or semi-retired so are time rich. Level access, large-print, captioning and other disability access facilities are enormously important, with just over half this group declaring a disability.
Pricing
Although living on modest incomes, Home & Heritage are comfortable – neither bargain discounting nor premium pricing are likely to appeal. They appreciate unfussy transparency to which they can apply rational decision-making: this preference should inform pricing. Value, all-in pricing or senior packages/offers may have a particular appeal.