ABOUT
Cultura is a distinctive ‘go to’ organisation whose USP is to enable people to be the essential creative force in shaping society and making places special through cultural heritage. Our projects are exemplars for sustainable development, supporting health and wellbeing and enabling people to make a positive contribution to their locality through volunteering, education, skills development and training. We’re to be found working in England, Scotland and across Europe.
For over 50 years Cultura has supported the values and traditions that shape our cultural town and landscapes. Our roots in civil society and public engagement in ‘place making’ evolved into productive reuse of landmark historic buildings, then supporting employability by investing in lifelong learning through traditional skills training. We participate in a range of European programmes and networks, in the last 20 years focusing on delivering climate heritage demonstration projects – sustainable relationships between people, place and environment. Our properties include two working watermills which complement historic and contemporary renewable energy generation. Our vision for the next 10 years is to strengthen alignment of Cultura’s credentials with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially cultural heritage’s contribution to climate action, adopting ESG (Environment, Social, Governance), thereby being true to our mission that ‘Here is what we make of it‘.
ABOUT
Cultura is a distinctive ‘go to’ organisation whose USP is to enable people to be the essential creative force in shaping society and making places special through cultural heritage. Our projects are exemplars for sustainable development, supporting health and wellbeing and enabling people to make a positive contribution to their locality through volunteering, education, skills development and training. We’re to be found working in England, Scotland and across Europe.
For over 50 years Cultura has supported the values and traditions that shape our cultural town and landscapes. Our roots in civil society and public engagement in ‘place making’ evolved into productive reuse of landmark historic buildings, then supporting employability by investing in lifelong learning through traditional skills training. We participate in a range of European programmes and networks, in the last 20 years focusing on delivering climate heritage demonstration projects – sustainable relationships between people, place and environment. Our properties include two working watermills which complement historic and contemporary renewable energy generation. Our vision for the next 10 years is to strengthen alignment of Cultura’s credentials with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially cultural heritage’s contribution to climate action, adopting ESG (Environment, Social, Governance), thereby being true to our mission that ‘Here is what we make of it‘.
PEOPLE
HRH The Duke of Gloucester,
KG, GCVO, GCStJ, FRIBA, Royal Patron
Cultura Trust is honoured to have the Queen’s cousin, Prince Richard The Duke of Gloucester as patron of the charity. The Duke has a passion for heritage and practised as an architect before assuming royal duties. He has taken an active interest in Cultura’s projects.
The Right Honourable The Lord Beith, President
Lord Alan Beith is President of Cultura. Founder, former chair and current President of the Historic Chapels Trust, he is a keen supporter of heritage matters. He lives in the North East of England.
Deborah Jenkins, MBE, Chair
A founder of Common Purpose and a non-executive director and chair in the NHS for 24 years, Deborah is passionate about place-making and manual skills. Chair of the National Qualifications Awarding Organisation NCFE, Barnard Castle Vision Regeneration Partnership and co-founder of Trades4care, her long-term ambition is to establish a guild house for apprentices, journeymen and master craftspeople.
Adrian Banford
With a career in countryside management, post-16 education and rural development, Adrian brings expertise in heritage management and sustainability. A visiting fellow in land-based industries at the University of Northumbria, he chairs the Cumbria Zero Carbon land management expert panel for Cumbria Action for Sustainability. Adrian lives in Cumbria is also a trustee of Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
Peter Candler
Peter is a successful established business entrepreneur and Managing Director of Rivergreen Developments Plc, responsible for many award-winning commercial and residential developments including repairing and refurbishing listed buildings in sensitive locations and in disadvantaged communities, and has been an influential advocate of environmental sustainability. He served as High Sheriff of County Durham and was chair of the Trust during its transformation to Cultura.
Torsten Haak
Torsten started his career as a journeyman cabinetmaker in Hamburg. He then qualified in town planning, urban conservation and architecture and following on from 15 years with the Glasgow City Heritage Trust he is now the Executive Director of the Iona Community. He has held a number of UK and international roles including Vice-President since 2021 of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Historic Towns and Villages, and Board Trustee and Treasurer of Europa Nostra UK.
Barry Speker, OBE, DL
Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Barry has practised for over 40 years in medical law and ethics, employment law, family law, property and immigration. He played a key role in regeneration partnerships including 8 years with the city’s Grainger Town, a £40 million project that brought back into use 40 million sq ft of vacant space and saved 244 listed buildings which were at risk. Former chair of Newcastle’s Local Strategic Partnership, he is now a Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear, President of the North East Council on Addictions, a trustee of the Tyne Theatre, Adoption Matters, the Children’s Foundation and Hon Chair of the North East Chinese Association.
Graham Bell, FRSA, Director
An international thought leader in cultural heritage management, Graham has led the Trust since 1995. Working with UK and European partners, Graham has grown the organisation’s ambitions from a regional heritage charity to develop innovative projects that deliver against the UIN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Describing himself as an alchemist and principled practitioner, he has established a European reputation through teaching, conferences, publishing and award-winning recognition for Cultura’s achievements. Graham is the Founding President of the Hungarian Renaissance Foundation, a Board member of Europa Nostra (Europe’s largest civil society NGO committed to cultural heritage) and has a range of other governance and project responsibilities across Europe. https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-bell-uk-a63ab43b/
SUPPORT US
With the invaluable help of grants, we are able to carry out vital conservation work on the historic sites in our care, and to run volunteering, education and events programmes that enable people to get involved in our projects and work.
Individual donations, whether one-off for a particular project, or regular donations towards our core work, are another way of helping to ensure we can continue the legacy of the last 50 years of the Trust.
You can donate securely through our Cafdonate page:
"*" indicates required fields
HOW TO DONATE
With the invaluable help of grants, we are able to carry out vital conservation work on the historic sites in our care, and to run volunteering, education and events programmes that enable people to get involved in our projects and work.
Individual donations, whether one-off for a particular project, or regular donations towards our core work, are another way of helping to ensure we can continue the legacy of the last 50 years of the Trust.
You can donate securely through our Cafdonate page:
PEOPLE
HRH The Duke of Gloucester,
KG, GCVO, GCStJ, FRIBA, Royal Patron
Cultura Trust is honoured to have the Queen’s cousin, Prince Richard The Duke of Gloucester as patron of the charity. The Duke has a passion for heritage and practised as an architect before assuming royal duties. He has taken an active interest in Cultura’s projects.
The Right Honourable The Lord Beith, President
Lord Alan Beith is President of Cultura. Founder, former chair and current President of the Historic Chapels Trust, he is a keen supporter of heritage matters. He lives in the North East of England.
Deborah Jenkins, MBE, Chair
A founder of Common Purpose and a non-executive director and chair in the NHS for 24 years, Deborah is passionate about place-making and manual skills. Chair of the National Qualifications Awarding Organisation NCFE, Barnard Castle Vision Regeneration Partnership and co-founder of Trades4care, her long-term ambition is to establish a guild house for apprentices, journeymen and master craftspeople.
Adrian Banford
With a career in countryside management, post-16 education and rural development, Adrian brings expertise in heritage management and sustainability. A visiting fellow in land-based industries at the University of Northumbria, he chairs the Cumbria Zero Carbon land management expert panel for Cumbria Action for Sustainability. Adrian lives in Cumbria is also a trustee of Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
Peter Candler
Peter is a successful established business entrepreneur and Managing Director of Rivergreen Developments Plc, responsible for many award-winning commercial and residential developments including repairing and refurbishing listed buildings in sensitive locations and in disadvantaged communities, and has been an influential advocate of environmental sustainability. He served as High Sheriff of County Durham and was chair of the Trust during its transformation to Cultura.
Torsten Haak
Torsten started his career as a journeyman cabinetmaker in Hamburg. He then qualified in town planning, urban conservation and architecture and following on from 15 years with the Glasgow City Heritage Trust he is now the Executive Director of the Iona Community. He has held a number of UK and international roles including Vice-President since 2021 of the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Historic Towns and Villages, and Board Trustee and Treasurer of Europa Nostra UK.
Barry Speker, OBE, DL
Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Barry has practised for over 40 years in medical law and ethics, employment law, family law, property and immigration. He played a key role in regeneration partnerships including 8 years with the city’s Grainger Town, a £40 million project that brought back into use 40 million sq ft of vacant space and saved 244 listed buildings which were at risk. Former chair of Newcastle’s Local Strategic Partnership, he is now a Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear, President of the North East Council on Addictions, a trustee of the Tyne Theatre, Adoption Matters, the Children’s Foundation and Hon Chair of the North East Chinese Association.
Graham Bell, FRSA, Director
An international thought leader in cultural heritage management, Graham has led the Trust since 1995. Working with UK and European partners, Graham has grown the organisation’s ambitions from a regional heritage charity to develop innovative projects that deliver against the UIN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Describing himself as an alchemist and principled practitioner, he has established a European reputation through teaching, conferences, publishing and award-winning recognition for Cultura’s achievements. Graham is the Founding President of the Hungarian Renaissance Foundation, a Board member of Europa Nostra (Europe’s largest civil society NGO committed to cultural heritage) and has a range of other governance and project responsibilities across Europe. https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-bell-uk-a63ab43b/
SUPPORT US
With the invaluable help of grants, we are able to carry out vital conservation work on the historic sites in our care, and to run volunteering, education and events programmes that enable people to get involved in our projects and work.
Individual donations, whether one-off for a particular project, or regular donations towards our core work, are another way of helping to ensure we can continue the legacy of the last 50 years of the Trust.
You can donate securely through our Cafdonate page:
"*" indicates required fields
HOW TO DONATE
With the invaluable help of grants, we are able to carry out vital conservation work on the historic sites in our care, and to run volunteering, education and events programmes that enable people to get involved in our projects and work.
Individual donations, whether one-off for a particular project, or regular donations towards our core work, are another way of helping to ensure we can continue the legacy of the last 50 years of the Trust.
You can donate securely through our BTmydonate page:
PROJECT FUNDERS
Gayle Mill, Mill Lane, Gayle, Hawes DL8 3RZ
T: 03330 034 007 | E: hello@culturatrust.org
The Trust is a company registered in England (01654806),
registered as a charity in England (513055),
and as a charity in Scotland (SC050330).
© Cultura Trust, 2022
PROJECT FUNDERS
Gayle Mill, Mill Lane, Gayle, Hawes DL8 3RZ
T: 03330 034 007 | E: hello@culturatrust.org
The Trust is a company registered in England (01654806),
registered as a charity in England (513055),
and as a charity in Scotland (SC050330).
© Cultura Trust, 2022