York Museums Trust

Annual Report 2008 - 09

Foreword by Chair

It is with some sadness that I introduce myself as the new chair of York Museums Trust. Our founding Chairman, Robin Guthrie, unexpectedly died on 12 April 2009 and the Trustees decided that I should take over the position for a term of up to three years to provide continuity.

Robin was the instigator of York Museums Trust and his soundness during the drawing up of agreements made with the City of York Council has ensured we are a flourishing organisation. In the late 1990's Robin retired from the Council of Europe where he had been Director of Social and Economic Affairs, and returned to York. Robin was asked by City of York Council to set up a charitable trust to run the local authority museums. His previous positions as Chief Charity Commissioner and as the Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation during the 1980's made him the ideal person to set up the new organisation. Under his guidance York Museums Trust has been very successful and I am delighted to be in the position to carry on the work that Robin started.

This year has been a challenging year for all of us with the uncertainties of the general economic situation. However I am pleased to report that the judicious handling of our finances has meant that our reserves are in a safe place and consequently we have not suffered from the collapse of the banks. However it has made us more aware of the need to continue to increase our reserves so that we can withstand any unforeseen changes ahead.

The issue of fundraising has been increasingly on our minds. We have therefore created a new Development Board, the members of which will help us with bringing in funding from new sources. We have a good success rate with trusts and foundations which provide most of the funding of our projects. Our most ambitious project to date, Letting in the Light, is the £2 million refurbishment of the Yorkshire Museum involving a complete redisplay of the archaeological and natural science collections. We are due to close the museum to the public on 1 November and reopen on Yorkshire Day, 1 August 2010. An increasingly important source is the Renaissance of the Regions funding which has provided the basis of much of our core work. In addition we now have a very active Enterprises Board to help develop our retail, catering and venue hire businesses that add to our sustainability.

In the following report I think you will see how we have continued to develop and improve the experiences we offer our visitors. We can only do this because of the support we have from the City of York Council with whom we work closely with on a number of projects and the enthusiasm and expertise of our staff and volunteers. I would like to thank all of them for their contribution to the work of the trust, especially my fellow trustees who are generous in giving their time and experience.

Denise Jagger
Chairman of York Museums Trust