IT would be a sad day if the Heritage Open Days are scaled back. Organisers say that the event has become too big for volunteers to organise and whilst they look for a full-time manager they are reducing the size of this year’s event, but with a view to returning all guns blazing in 2021.

The open days have grown into a terrific event celebrating the heritage of Winchester and its district. It has not been introduced by a local authority or national quango but has evolved organically from the ground up over the years as most of the best things do - such as the Hat Fair.

READ: Winchester Heritage Open Days scaled back as volunteers struggle to find solution

As a former capital of England, heritage will obviously be a big deal in the city. Knowledge and memory of the past should be a key part of public discussions. Without knowledge of the past we may find one day that we are in danger of forgetting who we are as citizens.

Heritage is not simply about taking nice photographs of the cathedral or the Westgate. Jews fund-raising for a statue in Jewry Street of medieval woman Licoricia, murdered largely because of her religion, are well aware that it means much more.