YHACS is run by an Executive Committee made up of volunteers from civic societies around the region who are usually elected at our Annual General Meeting although new committee members can be co-opted at any time. As we are a registered charity, committee members are trustees of the charity. There are four officers – Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer plus any number of ‘ordinary members’.
Apart from the chair, committee members are elected annually and have to stand down at the Annual General Meeting although they can stand for re-election each time. The chair is elected for a period of three years and can serve as chair for a maximum of two terms of office (i.e., six years in total). When an individual retires from the position of chair, they can re-join the committee in one of the other posts.
As well as elected members, YHACS also has a President. This is an honorary position and the President is not a trustee of the Association. The President may sit in on meetings of the Executive Committee and offer advice, but the President does not have a vote in committee matters.
PRESIDENT
Kevin Trickett MBE, BA (Hons), MBA, MA (Phil)
Kevin is a native of Wakefield and has lived in and around the city all his life. After a 40-year career in the Civil Service, culminating as a senior project and programme manager, Kevin now devotes much of his time to charity work, writing, public speaking, and travel. Kevin writes and speaks about some of his favourite subjects including architecture, heritage, philosophy, travel and Art Deco. He also writes restaurant reviews and other articles for Wakefield-based regional business-to-business magazine TopicUK. His blog can be found on his website https://itbroadensthemind.com/.
Kevin is well versed in the activities of the civic movement, having been a trustee of Wakefield Civic Society since 1990. He was elected as the Society’s President in March 2002 and continues to hold that position today. Shortly after taking up the presidency of Wakefield Civic Society, he became a trustee of the Yorkshire and Humber Association of Civic Societies (YHACS) and was elected as its Chair in January 2011. He stepped down from this role in January 2024 and was elected President of YHACS.
In the 2018 New Year’s Honours List, Kevin was awarded the MBE for services to the community in Wakefield.
Portfolio: Strategy and Growth; Governance
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
CHAIR
Margaret Hicks-Clarke
Margaret was elected Chair in January 2024, having served as Vice Chair since 2021. She is Chair of the relatively new Goole Civic Society, established in 2011, and also a member of Scarborough and District Civic Society.
Born and educated in Sheffield, she lived in Leeds for many years, where she was assistant editor of the Yorkshire Post. She moved to Goole in 2003 and was Head of Operations for the Press Association, the UK’s national news agency, based in nearby Howden.
Now retired, she is involved with various local organisations helping to promote Goole and also Filey, where she now lives. She sits on the Goole Town Deal Board and is a trustee of Castaway Goole, a charity providing theatre and arts opportunities to adults and young people with learning and physical disabilities or mental health difficulties.
Portfolio: Civic Pride and Engagement
VICE CHAIR
Alan Goodrum BA MSc MA CMILT FRTPI
Alan lives near Halifax and is a member of Halifax Civic Trust. Originally from Selby he had a career in town planning and management in local government and development corporations, including Kirklees Council and Leeds Development Corporation. His final role was Chief Executive of Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils, leading on the creation of a joint officer team, shared services and mitigating the impact of HS2. He was chair of of the District Councils’ Chief Executives Network which he was involved in establishing. Since retirement he has a portfolio of activities including being a Director of a Housing Association, advice on senior appointments and ‘corporate peer challenges’ with the Local Government Association. His interests are regeneration, the creation and development of place and identity in communities, town centres and conservation.
SECRETARY
Helen Kidman BA (Hons) MCIPS MCMI
Born in Brigg, North Lincolnshire, Helen went to college and worked in London before moving to Ilkley twenty years ago. Now happily retired after 34 years in the civil service as a procurement specialist. Special interests include environment, transport, planning and local history. Chair of Ilkley Civic Society and active involvement in several other voluntary organisations and campaigns.
Portfolio: Planning
TREASURER
Jane Lee BA
Jane was born in Wakefield but now lives in Keighley where she is currently the Chair of The Friends of Keighley’s Carnegie Library and Secretary of the Green Space Campaign Group. She is also actively supporting the creation of the Keighley Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, of which she hopes to become a member in due course.
For many years, Jane was an active member of the Labour Party, serving as Branch Chair and Secretary. She stood as a candidate for Bradford Council in 2020 as an Independent in Keighley West, having parted ways with the Labour Party.
Jane’s other interests include the peace movement, opera, architecture, art and crafts.
Committee Members
Ben Cowell FdSc, BA (Hons), PgDip
Ben has been a resident of Wakefield since 2008, having first moved to Leeds in 2005 from his childhood home of Newcastle upon Tyne to study at the University of Leeds. Ben is the Legal Services Manager for Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, joining the NHS in 2014 and working within the legal departments of numerous Trusts. Prior to this, Ben was a police constable with West Yorkshire Police for six years, serving in Leeds on both response and neighbourhood policing teams along with time spent as a special constable and a PCSO with the British Transport Police and Northumbria Police respectively.
In his spare time, Ben enjoys swimming, walking and spending time with his young family. Hobbies include acting, local history and the regeneration of Wakefield and the wider metropolitan district. Ben is undertaking a masters degree in law with the aim of becoming a solicitor.
Ben, who is Secretary of Wakefield Civic Society, joined the YHACS committee on 3rd June 2023.
Paul Cartwight
Paul has always lived around Pontefract, and has over 40 years of private sector commercial experience in sales, marketing and operations, which includes 10.5 years with Ufi-learndirect – a government funded learning and careers charity. Paul has a good understanding of programme and project management. He has been chair of the British Youth Band Association, and an international visual judge, with previous cadet and officer experience in the Air Training Corps. Paul and his wife Christine joined Pontefract Civic Society in 2009, he was elected as honorary secretary in March 2011, then executive chair in March 2015. Based on his commercial management experience, Paul has set a new strategy for the trustees, which is more action oriented and accountable, more visible, and more engaging to all sectors in the community, from residents and businesses to community groups and schools.
Portofolio: Conservation
John Clarke
John joined the Royal Air Force from school as an apprentice and became a Radar Technician for 9 years travelling the world having many adventures. In ‘Civvy Street’ he worked as an electronics engineer designing and installing newspaper systems worldwide.
He is the press officer for Goole Civic Society and volunteers for several charities such as AgeUK where he teaches the over 50s basic computer and tablet skills!
Since joining Goole Civic Society John has been involved in several campaigns including saving Goole’s Victorian Market Hall and raising the profile of the town with the banner of “making Goole a better place to live”.
George Eglese AIPM
Finding inspiration in the challenges of the modern-day world, Harrogate-born George looks toward nature and heritage for answers to shape our future with.
With a focus on local and non-profit organisations, notably a project to rewild swathes of greenbelt land to restore the former ancient Royal Forest of Knaresborough, he explores how the right environments can help us on a shift of better connectedness with our heritage and natural environment.
His budding interest in place has led him to joining the Institute of Place Management and subsequently to his joining YHACS and now its committee to, as he says, “help mould the bigger picture – it’s always better to work towards a shared vision – power comes in unity”.
Portfolio: Design; Strategy; Community Engagement
Martin Hamilton
Born in Leeds, Martin worked at the University of Leeds for over 20 years in various management roles before becoming Director of Leeds Civic Trust in December 2016, taking over from the long serving Dr Kevin Grady. Martin was also a Councillor on Leeds City Council for 12 years (representing Headingley Ward) during which time he developed a particular interest in planning and development issues (including a period chairing the City Centre Plans Panel) – an interest which has stood him in good stead in his new role!
Portfolio: Housing
David Moss
David has been a Committee Member of Selby CS for six years, and has spent the last four years as Secretary and “Planning Applications” monitor. Originally from Lancashire, David has been living in Yorkshire for 35 years. He has a doctorate from Oxford in chemistry. He retired after 33 years with various UK chemical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, in research and development managerial roles.
Portfolio: Newsletter
Alan Nicholson
After qualifying as an electrician, I joined British Rail’s Signal & Telecommunications Department in 1973, working up to being a Team Leader in a Signal Fault & Maintenance Depot at Scunthorpe with Network Rail, taking voluntary severance in 2010. I was Chair of the staff side Area Council for LNE area of the rail network, dealing with consultations & negotiations with management, and acting as Stage 2 Representative for colleagues facing disciplinary, grievances, etc. My interest in civic issues is an extension of my local history interests, becoming a member of Grimsby, Cleethoroes & District Civic Society since retirement.
Simon Green
Originally from London, Simon spent his entire career as a reference librarian in the Central Library in Hull.
He is interested in buildings of all periods, and is a member of various organisations in the field of architectural history, such as the Victorian Society, the Twentieth Century Society, and the Vernacular Architecture Group.
He is a member of Hull Civic Society and has a particular interest in the development of the website and the Facebook page.