Heritage Malta is once again organising two courses, one in English and the other in Maltese, on the caring of historic houses. The courses are aimed primarily at homeowners, professionals and crafts persons and others involved in the caring of houses of character and historic houses in Malta and Gozo. There is a growing interest in the conservation and conversion of these buildings but not all the work that is being carried out is guaranteeing their conservation.

The course will help participants to appreciate better the urban development of our old towns and villages and the architectural development within them. It will also give guidance on the best practices which are to be used in the conservation, restoration, rehabilitation and use of these houses. This will give better knowledge on what is possible to do yourself and when the professional needs to be called in.

The English language course will be held on Thursdays at the Heritage Malta Head Office in Merchants Street, Valletta. The first session will start on the 22nd of January. Other sessions will be held on the 29th of January and on the 5th, 19th and 26th of February. The final session will be held on site at Zejtun.

The course in Maltese will be held at The Institute of Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage, Heritage Malta, Bighi in Kalkara. The first session will he held on Monday, the 26th of January. Other sessions will be held on the 2nd, 16th and 23rd of February. The final session will be held on March the 2nd at Zejtun.

The courses will be 10 hours long. All sessions will be held between 6.00pm and 8.00pm. Limited places are available. The course fee is €60 per participant. Heritage Malta members pay €50.

The course is sponsored by Lime Building Products Ltd.

The closing date for applications Tuesday 20th January. For further information please call: 23954 Ext 202/206 or write to: icmch@gov.mt, or visit the Heritage Malta website: http://www.heritagemalta.org.