For background information on the consultaion by the DCMS in the lead up to the Living Heritage inventory, see our page: //www.morrisfed.org.uk/resources/unesco-ich/

Current info on Living Heritage Inventories in the UK

‘Living Heritage’ is the UK’s implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)

What is Intangible Cultural Heritage?

See: UNESCO ICH – Safeguarding our living heritage: https://ich.unesco.org/en/home where they say: “Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.”.  A full definition of ICH is at: UNESCO – What is intangible cultural heritage

So … our morris dancing and related activities is a living, intangible cultural heritage.

Why does ICH need safeguarding? This is UNESCO’s answer: UNESCO – Why safeguard intangible cultural heritage.

Calls for submissions to the Inventory for Living Heritage in the UK are open until 27th March 2026

To avoid duplication, The Morris Federation is working with the Morris Ring and Open Morris – as the Joint Morris Organisations – to prepare submissions representing the key activities of our membership, which will include not only all the styles of morris and sword dancing, but also appalachian, clog stepping and mumming, for example.

What about specific events?  We may ask you to submit your own events for inclusion, but we will let you know the process for that when we are further into the process ourselves.

Latest News from DCMS on ‘Living Heritage’

Note: The DCMS is now using the term ‘Living Heritage’ rather than ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’ or ICH.

On 5th December 2025 the DCMS wrote to us to say:

We’re pleased to announce that the call for submissions to the inventories of living heritage in the UK is now open!

You can visit our website at https://www.livingheritage.unesco.org.uk/ for more information. There’s a comprehensive guidance page detailing the steps needed for submissions, along with extensive FAQs.

There are a range of ways to get involved, including:

• Community Support Hubs – we have 11 organisations who are helping to provide support and advice
• Information sessions – we’re running regular online sessions where we’ll cover the basics of the inventories and applying
• Review panel members – if you’d be interested in helping review submissions, please send us an EOI
• Plus we’ll be adding details about workshops on Community Consent and other specific areas soon…

We’ll be open for submissions until Friday 27 March 2026, but inventory submissions will be an ongoing, live process, so there will be future calls for submissions too.

Previous News

On 7th June 2024 the UK became full State Party members to the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).  See Press Release from UNESCO: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/intangible-cultural-heritage-united-kingdom-becomes-183rd-state-join-unescos-convention

Implementation – what will happen?

The first stage of implementation will be to create an inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the UK.

The second stage of implementation will be the ongoing safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the UK.

Please find a summary of the consultation process lead by the DCMS in the run up to the call for submisisons, on our page: //www.morrisfed.org.uk/resources/unesco-ich/

Why is this important?

If we don’t know where we’ve come from, we can’t see where we’re going. If we don’t value what our forebears did, why will anyone value what we do now? Will everything today be in vain, forgotten, sneered at, decayed? This is our chance – our one chance to influence our future selves. These dances and tunes and songs have existed, inspired, and been robust enough to evolve but without losing their quintissential strength. We as Morris dancers may not agree with everything we do, and differ on the path of progress, but we are all passionate about what we call ‘The Morris’. That we give it that definite article demonstrates the weight of the importance of carrying the tradition forwards.

We are not a transitory people. We, the English – this ragbag of Europeans, Asians, Africans, Normans, Vikings, we cultural magpies: we adore taking this from here and that from there, and making it ours. Not better, not worse, just ours. Fish and chips; curry; rock ‘n roll, trainers – but we love keeping them. And actually, we love Morris dancing – go on, admit it, we do! We may make fun of it, but it’s our Morris dancing and only we can mock it! You go and mock your own traditional dance if you want!

What is the Morris Federation doing?

The Morris Federation is regarded by DCMS as a key stakeholder in this process, and we are attending meetings with them to ensure that we represent our members.  We we try to represent the key activities of our membership.

When it comes to adding items to the Inventory, we may ask you to submit your own events for inclusion, but we will let you know the process for that when we know more

We are working with our counterparts in the Morris Ring and Open Morris to ensure we have a common perspective, and to submit items to the inventory with support from all 3 organisations.

In general, the ICH should be listed by the people undertaking the activity themselves.

Since 2021, the MF has been represented on the ICOMOS-UK’s Intangible Heritage Committee‘s National Forum, along with EFDSS, Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green, Heritage Crafts, etc. ICOMOS = International Council on Monuments and Sites UK: ICOMOS-UK

What can our members do?

When it comes to adding items to the Inventory, we may ask you to submit your own events for inclusion, but we will let you know the process for that when we know more details.

Last updated: December 2025