Thank you to Wakefield Civic Society for hosting a hugely successful Spring Convention on behalf of Civic Voice and YHACS.
The event, at CAPA College and Café Create, Wakefield, on April 12th and 13th attracted more than 90 attendees from across the country and our regional societies. The theme was Regenerating of Our Towns and Cities and drew on Wakefield’s experience as a successful Heritage Action Zone partnership.
On Friday, April 12th, Kevin Trickett MBE, President of Wakefield Civic Society and YHACS, led an informative and entertaining walk around the Westgate Heritage Action Zone, where we learned how the “Merrie City” had developed over the centuries and saw how buildings dating back as far as 1590 had benefited from the regeneration initiative.
In the evening we met for an excellent meal at Café Create, where we enjoyed much conversation and conviviality. Our speaker was Helen Featherstone, Director of England, North at the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The following morning we assembled at CAPA College, a performing arts centre of excellence for students aged 16 to 18 from all over the North. We were all impressed by its state-of-the-art facilities and passion of its principal, Clare Nicholson. Several incredibly talented students sang and played for us.
A string of speakers kept up a rapid-fire pace and had us thoroughly engaged throughout the day on a variety of topics linked to the regeneration theme.
The line-up was: Simon Lightwood MP for Wakefield; Clare Elliott, Service Director, Economic Growth and Skills, Wakefield Council; Richard Butterfield, Partnerships Team Leader, North East & Yorkshire Region, Historic England; Jonathan Maud, Chairman and Managing Director, Rushbond plc; Paul Gwilliam, Westgate Heritage Action Zone project manager, Wakefield Council; Paul Cartwright, Chair, Pontefract Civic Society and YHACS Committee member; Julie Russell, Service Director, Arts, Culture and Leisure, Wakefield Council; Louise Clare, Senior Engagement Manager, National Lottery Heritage Fund; Tony Wade, Co-Director, Edgelands Arts; Margaret
Hicks-Clarke, Chair YHACS and Chair of Goole Civic Society; Kevin Trickett MBE, President, Wakefield Civic Society and Honorary President, YHACS; Martin Hamilton, Chair, Civic Voice, Director of Leeds Civic Trust and YHACS Committee member.
A full report on the Spring Convention will appear in the next issue of the YHACS newsletter, Society Insight.