The Trustees

 

The Trust is managed by the Board of Trustees and four sub-committees:

  • Board of Trustees : Bi-monthly meetings
  • Buildings Preservation Committee : Meetings as necessary
  • Governance Committee : Meetings as necessary
  • Development Project Board : Monthly meetings
  • Marketing Committee: Quarterly meetings

To get in touch with any of our Trustees, please use our contact form and your email will be forwarded.

We currently have vacancies for new trustees. If you are interested in joining the Board, please take a look at our recruitment pack.

Trustees and advisors

  • Heather Lane

    Chair

    Heather joined the Board in 2019 and is the Trust’s Honorary Curator. She is a cultural heritage consultant and an expert advisor to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. She was Librarian and Keeper of Collections at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, where she established the Polar Museum and chaired the University of Cambridge Museums Steering Group. Heather has been interim Chief Executive of Scarborough Museums Trust, worked on the Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City bid and managed the renovation of the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. She is a keen gardener and lives in Littondale.

  • Simon Myers

    Vice-Chair

    Simon is Dales born and bred and practised for nearly 30 years as a barrister. He then took over his family’s long established Antiques business in Gargrave.  As Deputy Leader of Craven District Council, he was responsible for the £4 million refurbishment of the Town Hall in Skipton and Craven Museum to provide a 21st century community asset. He is now Executive Member for Culture, Arts and Housing for North Yorkshire Council. He is involved with a number of local charities and community groups. He has a lifelong interest in the Arts, Architecture and Conservation and is a long time member of a number of related trusts and charities. He was a close friend of the late Christopher Dawson who first restored The Folly and has known the building all his life. Simon lives on a farm in Malhamdale where he keeps rare breed cattle and unruly dogs.

  • Richard Greenhalgh

    Hon. Treasurer

    Richard is a retired Chartered Accountant and has been the Honorary Treasurer of the Trust since October 2020. Although his work has been predominantly in developing and running several large tropical sugar estate projects overseas with Tate & Lyle, he and his family have lived in the Settle/Giggleswick area for over 30 years. Originally from Leeds and still a strong Leeds Rugby League supporter, he is pleased to be able to use his skills and knowledge in the ongoing development of The Folly and especially the Zion Chapel and Dr Buck's House.

  • Ged Benn

    Trustee

    Ged joined the Board in December 2021, having been a valued member of the volunteer garden team for several years. He is an experienced caver with an interest in the history of caving and its photography. He takes a particular interest in the maintenance of the buildings and grounds in the Trust's care.

  • Emily Coulthard

    Youth Trustee

    Emily was elected to the Board in October 2021. She is the Collections Hazards Officer at the Railway Museum in York, having previously worked at the Thackray Museum in Leeds. She is a member of our Marketing Working Group.

  • Pippa Doran

    Trustee

    Pippa joined the Board in 2022. She has worked in secondary state education for 35 years as a practitioner, leader and senior education officer (for Kent County Council). With a focus on English, diversity, race and inclusion, she has advised the Teacher Training Agency, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the Royal Society of Arts, the armed services in Cyprus and Germany, and Oxford University Press. She has published text books with Pearson and has written and implemented local and national educational strategy, including materials for all secondary school teachers on celebrating cultural diversity. Since disability forced early retirement, she has volunteered for recovery, refugee and careers charities and studied art history. She loves books, theatre, food, opera and knitting.

  • Steve Garland

    Trustee

    Steve is a retired museum professional with around 40 years of experience, including curatorial work and management of a range of museums and other cultural organisations across the UK. He also chairs the Stories in Stone Lottery project and is chair of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

  • Clare Littlejohn

    Trustee

    Clare is a retired GP with a lifelong interest in buildings.
    Recently, she studied Architectural Conservation at Edinburgh University. This cemented her belief in a 'fabric first' approach to old buildings. She has spent the last two years in hands-on restoration of two local properties, using sustainable methods.
    Clare has been a trustee at The Folly since 2022 and is delighted to be involved in an organisation that showcases sustainable heritage for the community.

  • Sue Mann

    Trustee

    Sue was formerly a history teacher, who moved into the voluntary sector to work at Age Concern, Help the Aged and Age UK. She is Board Champion for the Supporters’ Group. She holds the British Empire Medal for her contribution as Chair of the Clapham (North Yorkshire) Community Shop Committee, which received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2019, the highest award given to UK voluntary groups in recognition of outstanding work in their own communities. She rejoined the Board in 2022, having previously served for a year in 2020.

  • Helen Noble

    Trustee

    Helen joined the Board in October 2023. She is a renowned consultant in sustainable development, environment and heritage, having been Chief Executive of the South Pennines Park, Executive Lead of the World Parks Congress, Chief Executive Officer of the Causeway Coast & Glens Heritage Trust, and Head of Strategy and Policy for the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. She knows North Craven well, having been Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Yorkshire Dales Society, based in Settle.

  • Lynn Northrop

    Trustee

    Lynn is a registered architect who works part time, from home, for an architectural practice that specialises in conservation architecture. She has been responsible for alterations to many of the local and Dales churches and listed buildings. She became Trustee in 2015. Lynn is a founder member of the Craven Community Land Trust. She has lived in Giggleswick for more than 20 years.

  • Caroline Rosier

    Trustee, Visitor Engagement & Safeguarding Lead

    Caroline is a retired University Lecturer specialising in Education, Training and Development. In addition she has training in Country House Studies and conservation. Since leaving work, Caroline has undertaken consultancy in management and organisational development; mainly in the public sector. In addition, Caroline has ten years experience of working in museums, both at Craven Museum in Skipton and at George Washington's Mount Vernon in Virginia, USA. Caroline has been a volunteer at The Folly since January 2020, working with the Collections team and on the Admissions desk. She currently represents the museum on the Front of House (FOH) cohort with Museums Development Yorkshire and has attended many of their workshops and seminars. As lead volunteer FOH she is responsible for the training and development of FOH volunteers. She holds a lifelong interest in the built environment and is passionate about its preservation: Caroline is fully committed to the preservation of The Folly and its collections, and to making them accessible to our diverse community.