Coventry’s dynamic heritage charity has appointed two major national players to strengthen the board in the run-up to City of Culture.
Mark Ratcliffe, who is Head of Estates for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and Andrew Whelan, who is head of UK commercial property lending for Santander Bank, have been appointed as trustees of Historic Coventry Trust.
The Trust has grown rapidly from its launch in 2012 to become one of the leading organisations nationally in pioneering new ways of bringing heritage back to life. The current £30 million development programme includes 22 buildings and sites agreed to be transferred from Coventry City Council last December.
The largest project is the restoration of the Grade I Listed Charterhouse as a major visitor attraction at the centre of the new 70-acre Heritage Park which includes the adjoining Grade 1 London Road Cemetery. Plans were also recently announced for the restoration of the Grade II* Regency-style Drapers’ Hall next to Coventry Cathedral. A new classical music performance and education venue is to be created in partnership with The Prince’s Foundation.
Ian Harrabin, Chairman of the Historic Coventry Trust, said: “Heritage charities run by volunteers invariably do one small project at a time and often run out of steam. Our approach is totally different based on starting a business and growing quickly to gain a critical mass over five years that is self-sustaining.
“In order to do this we need the skill set and contacts of the best in their field. Mark and Andrew both bring huge experience from different sectors to the board of the Trust.”
Mark has considerable knowledge in the operation of one of the country’s leading visitor attractions as well as the delivery of major redevelopment and conservation programmes.
In addition to many years’ operational leadership and management experience in arts venues in a number of locations, he was involved in the six-year £22 million refurbishment and remodelling programme to provide a new Cultural Centre on Merseyside which involved a wide range of partnerships.
Mark said: “Having worked previously in Coventry many years ago, I remember being immensely impressed with the way the city had re-envisioned itself in the face of adversity, whilst still retaining a distinct sense of its unique history.
“Joining the Trust at such a significant time for the city provides an excellent opportunity to work towards ensuring that Coventry’s historic buildings are provided with a new life and a sustainable future, through imaginative redevelopment and sympathetic repurposing, while also emphasising, where possible, their historic connotations.”
Andrew, who lives in Warwick, has been in the banking industry for over 30 years and joined Santander Bank in 2010.
Santander is one of the UK’s largest property lenders and Andrew has been responsible for leading the UK commercial property business for the last five years providing funding to some of the largest property companies in the UK.
Andrew also has a proven record in business development, setting strategies to grow successful businesses and controlling huge budgets for major companies.
Andrew said: “I wanted to become a trustee at HCT because I feel it is important that we not only preserve the key historic buildings in the city but also that we give them a new life by using them to help those in the community through arts and social and personal development.”
Ian added: “The decision to award Coventry UK City of Culture status in 2021 gives us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring the city’s heritage back to life to drive the visitor economy and benefit the community for many generations to come. This will be a major part of the legacy of 2021. With Mark and Andrew beefing up our expertise, all we need now is the funding to turn our ambitions into reality.”
