Welcome to the trustee team! Tell us a bit about you…
I joined Leeds Civic Trust in 2023, quickly becoming involved with the Heritage Watch Group and later stepping into the role of Chair in January 2024. With nearly a decade of experience in the heritage sector, I joined the Board of Trustees in February, committed to utilising my professional expertise to support the Trust’s mission. As a volunteer for Leeds Civic Trust, I want to help celebrate and promote Leeds, champion its historic built environment, and raise awareness of its heritage value and the vital role it plays in shaping our city’s identity.
What about the Trust appealed to you? Were you already familiar with our work?
As a Leeds resident, I found Leeds Civic Trust’s mission deeply inspiring. Their commitment to making the city an even better place to live and work truly resonates with me. By celebrating our rich heritage, championing high-quality design and planning, and advocating for improved public spaces, the Trust is playing an important role in shaping Leeds into a city we can all be proud to call home.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not at Wharf Street?
When I am not volunteering for the Trust, I can often be found in one of Leeds’ many fantastic independent coffee shops and eateries enjoying a bite to eat – we really are spoilt for choice! You might see me wandering around with my camera in hand, checking in on the many historic buildings dotted around the city. When I am not out and about, I can usually be found at home working my way through my ever growing collection of books or binge watching a good box set!
If you could invite three Blue Plaque recipients to a dinner party, who would they be and why, and in which of our buildings with a blue plaque would you host it?
This was a tricky one as there are so many interesting people and places to choose from! My top three would have to include Leeds’ first historian and antiquarian Ralph Thoresby, the fearless suffragette and socialist Mary Gawthorpe (whose Blue Plaque is just around the corner from my own house) and the pioneering architectural sculptor Catherine Mawer who broke gender barriers in a male-dominated trade.
Bringing these three together would make for a lively evening of conversation, spanning history, social change, and the built environment, all rooted in a shared passion for Leeds. The venue for this epic gathering? Nash’s Fish & Chip Restaurant (situated in the former Kemplay’s Academy) for a classic chippy tea and a brew!
Something you love about Leeds?
Leeds has a rich history, shaped over centuries, which is reflected in the built environment we see and experience today. I love the very fabric of our city! It showcases a diverse mix of architectural styles and an impressive range of building materials, each telling its own part of Leeds’ story and the people who helped build it. My advice to anyone visiting Leeds is this: just look up!
And lastly, something about Leeds you’d like to change?
Leeds is fortunate to boast around 4,000 hectares of green space, making it one of the greenest cities in Europe. Yet, I believe there’s still more we can do to bring more of that greenery into the very heart of the city centre. The newly opened green space at Aire Park on the South Bank is a significant step in the right direction, but we could go further. The recent enhancements to the public realm in neighbouring Bradford are a great example of how well-designed green spaces can transform a city’s core, an approach we should be looking to replicate here in Leeds.
