She stayed on to help see them through the toughest days of the Covid 19 impact, but this week-end, Caroline Kay – Chief Executive of Bath Preservation Trust for 13 years – has finally announced she will step down from her role at the end of April.
The announcement has come in a message to all staff, volunteers and members.
‘Caroline has worked tirelessly for the Trust and she leaves it in good, if reduced, shape to face an exciting and challenging post-pandemic world. She goes with the organisation’s full support and grateful thanks for all she has achieved.
Caroline has led the Trust through a period of considerable change and for many she is its public face. In her remaining time with BPT it will remain very much “business as usual” in the day-to-day running of the organisation with Caroline remaining very much in charge until she goes at the end of April.
Caroline Kay said, ‘Bath Preservation Trust has meant a great deal to me over the last thirteen-and-a-half years and it was for that reason I stayed on to help weather the storm of 2020. While there are still challenges ahead, thanks to the efforts we put in this year and the encouraging support we have received from external funders including the National Lottery Heritage Fund and DCMS, I am confident the Trustees and the dedicated and hardworking staff team, present and future, will be able to take the Trust to an even better place going forward.
For myself I now feel able to move on and consider other ways of exercising my professional and personal interests. I’d like to thank all the colleagues I’ve worked with over all those years inside and outside the organisation for their dedicated service and the fun and privilege of their company.’.
Thomas Sheppard, Chair of Trustees, said;
Caroline’s leadership has transformed the way the Trust has been run and her leadership during the pandemic has been a vital part of keeping the Trust going and planning for the future.
As the public face of the Trust she has been an articulate contributor to many of the issues and challenges facing the city of Bath.
In giving notice now, Caroline has given the Trust time to to plan and prepare for the recruitment of her successor, a process which will be led by the Trustees over the next months.
In recruiting Caroline’s successor we will be casting our net wide to find the right person to lead the Trust.
During Caroline’s tenure as Chief Executive the Trust’s achievements include:
- £5m redevelopment and expansion of No. 1 Royal Crescent museum, with 22% increase in visitor numbers
- Incorporation of Herschel Museum of Astronomy into BPT’s portfolio of 4 museums
- 2 nationally-awarded planning guidance manuals, ‘Warmer Bath’ and ‘MakingChanges’
- Examination of over 1500 Planning and Listed Building Applications in Bath
- Development of Training and Internship Placements in Planning and HeritageManagement
- Survival during COVID and development for the future.
Bath Preservation Trust was set up in 1934 to safeguard the historic city of Bath. Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the only complete city in the UK afforded World Heritage Status.
The purposes of the Trust are to encourage and support the conservation, evolution and enhancement of Bath and its environs within a framework appropriate both to its historic setting and its sustainable future, and to provide educational resources, including museums, which focus on the architectural and historic importance of the city.
The Trust receives no statutory funding and is supported by visitor income, grants, legacies, donations and around 1400 members who share a passion for the city and its environs.
The Trust also runs four accredited museums in Bath and has the support of over 200 volunteers.
