‹ YMT Annual Report 2006

What our Visitors think?

“I recently spent five weeks visiting historical sites, including museums such as the British Museum and the V&A, all over England, and yours was by far the best regional museum I saw. Well-designed and with a fascinating display of things I can actually remember! It was great to see this more recent memorabilia as well as the much older artefacts from hundreds of years ago. A fantastically balanced collection!”

Visitor to York Castle Museum

York Museums Trust - Annual Report 2006 - 7

Robin Guthrie, Chairman of York Museums Trust.

List of Trustees

  1. Robin Guthrie (Chair)

  2. Dr Peter Addyman

  3. Mike Allen

  4. John Cherry

  5. Sir Ron Cooke

  6. Cllr Chris Hogg

  7. Denise Jagger

  8. Viola Jones

  9. Prof Sir John Lawton

  10. Cllr Janet Looker

  11. Alan Owen

  12. David Rayner

  13. Terry Suthers

  14. Prof Dianne Willcocks

Foreword by Chair

I am delighted to introduce this year’s Annual Report, following another busy and successful year for York Museums Trust.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Trust and so much has been achieved in that time, in investment, education, exhibitions and curatorial work behind the scenes. The Trust’s many achievements during 2006/7 are detailed later on in this report. The two highlights for me were the re-launch of Kirkgate, the Victorian Street, at York Castle Museum, and the exhibition Constantine the Great – York’s Roman Emperor, about York’s most renowned Roman emperor, at the Yorkshire Museum.

Both these developments were key to our continuing increase in visitor numbers and both benefited from the Trust’s success in bringing in additional funding. I have continued to be very impressed by the hard work and commitment of our staff over the last year – and indeed the last five - and my warmest thanks go to the Trustees for their skills, knowledge and commitment.

Robin Guthrie - Chair

July 2007

York Museums Trust

York Museums Trust is an independent charitable trust established in August 2002 to manage York Castle Museum, Yorkshire Museum and Gardens, York Art Gallery and York St Mary's, all of which were formerly managed by the City of York Council. The Trust cares for the collections and manages the buildings that they occupy, working in partnership with the City of York Council to improve the museums and gallery for local residents and visitors to the city.

Vision

Our Vision is for York Museums Trust to play a major part in positioning York as a world class cultural centre.

Mission

To cherish the collections, buildings and gardens entrusted to us, presenting and interpreting them as a stimulus for learning, a provocation to curiosity and a source of inspiration and enjoyment for all.

Strategic Objectives

  • To protect and conserve the collections, gardens and building
  • To promote access to the collections, gardens and buildings appropriate to the 21st Century
  • To create learning opportunities for all and develop innovative programmes springing from the collections, gardens and buildings
  • To network and collaborate with partners and contribute to the development of the economic and cultural life of the city and the region
  • To raise substantial funds to realise these aims
A family in the toy shop in Kirkgate, York Castle Museum.

A family in the toy shop in Kirkgate, York Castle Museum.