A former Chair of the National Trust who also edited The Times newspaper is among eight new board members appointed to the Cyfarthfa Foundation, the foundation set up to develop Cyfarthfa Castle and Park into a major tourist destination.
Sir Simon Jenkins, whose father came from Dowlais, is a leading writer and journalist, who has also served as Editor the Evening Standard. He is also a former Deputy Chair of English Heritage and currently a columnist for The Guardian.
Amongst his many books on politics and history is a volume on the churches, houses and castles of Wales.
Announcing the full membership of the Foundation Board, its Chair, Geraint Talfan Davies said: “I am delighted that Sir Simon has been willing to throw his considerable experience behind this transformational project. He brings unrivalled knowledge and experience to the task, underlining how important a project this is for Wales and the UK.”
Sir Simon said: “I am truly proud to be participating in a revival of interest in the history of the south Wales valleys. Merthyr in particular was a cradle of Wales’s industrial revolution. Its story in all its facets needs to be told.”
A masterplan for the development of Cyfarthfa was published last year. It had been prepared by a team led by internationally-renowned Ian Ritchie Architects and including leading landscape specialists, Gustafson Porter and Bowman, who have recently landscaped 40 acres around the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Their 20-year plan envisaged an international quality museum and art gallery set in an expanded 100-hectare public park that would have the capacity to attract nearly half a million visitors a year. It also placed social renewal and community engagement at its heart.
“It speaks volumes for this imaginative plan that so many people who are leaders in their field have wanted to play a part in making it happen. The quality of this board should give confidence both to potential funders and to government,” said Talfan Davies.
Merthyr Tydfil Council funded the masterplan exercise and, following its publication, the Welsh Government has given £1.2m of development funding for the project.
Among the other new members are:
Hanif Kara, co-founder of AKT II, one of world’s leading structural and civil engineering practices that has won more than 350 design awards, including three Stirling Prizes.
Ewan Jones, a partner with architects, Grimshaw, the practice that designed the Eden Project in Cornwall. He is also a former board member of the Design Commission for Wales.
Geoff Hunt, Chief Operating Officer for Arup across the UK, India, Middle East and Africa. He lives in Porthcawl and is a former Chair of Groundworks Wales.
Sara Turnbull, a chartered environmentalist, social entrepreneur and expert on sustainability. She led the development of sustainability policies for the world-famous architectural practice Foster + Partners. She lives in Swansea and is a board member of the Swansea-based Coastal Housing Group that has 6,000 homes under management in south Wales.
Dr Carol Bell, who is currently Vice President of National Museum Wales and Vice Chair of the Wales Millennium Centre. She is due to step down from both those posts next year. She is also a board member of the Development Bank of Wales, and one of the founders of Chapter Zero, part of the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Initiative.
Marion Loeffler, a German-born historian and specialist in Welsh industrial history. She comes from Berlin and lectured at Humboldt University before coming to Wales where she first worked as a lecturer at Aberystwyth University. She is now Reader in Welsh history at Cardiff University, speaks Welsh fluently and has presented history progammes for S4C as well as for ORB in Germany.
Robert Rummey, a landscape architect specialising in re-purposing historic assets for regeneration, tourism, educational and environmental benefit. The practice is currently applying this approach to three castles in the UK and one in Italy, as well as at Bletchley Park, the wartime de-coding centre. His practice has also designed and implemented a 120-hectare park at Betteshanger Colliery in Kent.
They join existing board members –
Chair, Geraint Talfan Davies, a former Controller of BBC Wales and former Chair of Welsh National Opera, the Arts Council of Wales and the Institute of Welsh Affairs.
Deputy Chair, Rowland Davies, a lawyer and property specialist, and former senior commercial property partner at Geldards LLP. He led the team that assembled land for the Millennium Stadium. He is also Vice Chair of the Contemporary Art Society for Wales.
Lisa Mytton, Leader of Merthyr Tydfil Council, has worked for more than 20 years in post-16 education, dealing mainly with apprenticeships, and more recently as an Estyn Peer Inspector. She is also a governor of Cyfarthfa Park Primary School.
Geraint Thomas, Deputy Leader of Merthyr Tydfil Council and Cabinet member for Regeneration. He has been an Independent Councillor for the Cyfarthfa ward since 2017, and was educated at Cyfarthfa High School and Merthyr College.
Helen Protheroe, Director of Development and Alumni Relations at London’s Royal College of Art, where she oversees the college’s global charitable and external relations activity. Helen, born in Merthyr Tydfil, previously worked for the Royal College of Music and Drama, Wales Millennium Centre and Royal Opera House.
[Issued by The Cyfarthfa Foundation]