Following the departure of Carol Pyrah (becoming the Chief Executive at Urban Green Newcastle), Historic Coventry Trust has appointed a new Director.
Coventry-born Anne Cranston grew up in Wyken and Binley and studied at both the University of Warwick and Coventry University.
Anne started her career working in community development in the city, working locally as Operations Director at environmental regeneration charity Groundwork from 2008-2014, before moving into the heritage sector.
For the past eight years, Anne has been working in Gloucester as Head of Projects responsible for the Cathedral’s award-winning £6 million Project Pilgrim. The project is restoring the Cathedral’s ancient fabric, boosting visitor numbers and community engagement as well as improving its sustainability with over 150 solar panels.
She has also been a key player in the city’s partnerships to regenerate Gloucester’s heritage and bring life back to its high street.
Historic Coventry Trust Chairman, Ian Harrabin, commented “We are delighted to have secured a new Director with both heritage experience and a background in working with communities.
“From our first meeting, Anne’s passion for the city and its people really stood out. It’s so important now with the first of our restoration projects completing and opening to the public that we focus on how we engage people in the city’s rich heritage. But there is still a lot of restoration work to do as well, so Anne is going to be very busy!”
Anne said the post as Executive Director felt tailor-made for her because of her career experience and love of the city. “Historic Coventry Trust is exceptionally good at bringing back to life and caring for old buildings – making them part of everyone’s everyday life. I’ve spent the past eight years in Gloucester working with colleagues and partners to do exactly that.
“As someone interested in the culture and heritage of places and the power they bring, I’ve watched in admiration as my home city has shown just who and what Coventry is. With such strong foundations in place, I can’t wait to join the team at Historic Coventry Trust – they’re achieving amazing things but I know there’s so much more to come.”
Anne took up her new role on 12th September and the Coventry Society looks forward to working closely with her. We will be inviting her to our Heritage Conference in October.