Keynote speech by Neil McCollum – Cross-Channel Geopark Festival 2025

Good afternoon I am Neil McCollum, Operations Director for the South and East, and on behalf of English Heritage, it’s my great pleasure to welcome you all to Dover Castle today for this special Cross Channel Geopark Festival. 

It feels particularly appropriate to be hosting the event here, because the very ethos of a Geopark is so in tune with the values of English Heritage. Conservation, education and sustainability are values and themes guiding the work of both English Heritage and the Cross Channel Geopark.  

We care for hundreds of historic sites in every part of England, from international icons to local treasures, and in each case, the connection to the environment, the context in which they exist, is a vital part of the story. These include iconic sites such as Down House, the home of Charles Darwin where he wrote much of ‘On the origin of the species’, through to small sites such as Kits Coty, a megalithic burial chamber in the centre of Kent and one of the first sites to be protected by the state under the Ancient Monuments Act of 1882.  

History, heritage, community and landscape are intertwined in bringing meaning and value to the sites we look after and making them accessible to everyone. This is never more evident than at Dover Castle, which has dominated the Dover horizon for over 800 years. 

Sitting on top of the iconic White Cliffs, the castle has become synonymous with the coastline and all it has represented across the centuries. The connection with France stretches back to the Norman invasion and onwards through the Plantagenet era with the construction of this great tower by Henry II, who by that time had created the largest European empire of his age, reaching from Scotland to the Pyrenees. 

As one of the country’s foremost conservation charities we are deeply aware of the value of the UNESCO brand through our properties that sit within the World Heritage Sites at Canterbury, Stonehenge and on Hadrian’s Wall. It is a brand that has instant recognition for visitors both domestic and overseas and securing that branding for the Cross-Channel Geopark will bring with it economic and social benefits to both sides of the channel.  

We believe our partnership with the Cross Channel Geopark brings a beautiful synergy, highlighting that monuments do not exist in isolation; they are part of a bigger picture, helping to bring to life the history and heritage of our wonderful landscapes.  

And that’s why I am so delighted to be here today celebrating this fantastic project and committing English Heritage to its success.