Prime Minister appoints six new trustees to the National Heritage Memorial Fund Board

They are: Sir Roger De Haan, philanthropist and former Chairman and CEO of Saga, David Heathcoat-Amory, Chairman of London and Devonshire Trust, and Dr Tom Tew, CEO of the Environment Bank, who will join immediately; Sandie Dawe, CEO of VisitBritain, and Steve Miller, Head of Norfolk Museums Service, who will join in February; and Perdita Hunt, Director of the Watts Gallery Trust, who will join in July.

The new Trustees will be part of a 15-strong Board which runs both NHMF and HLF. Its role is to steer the policy and direction of the two Funds and take decisions on grant applications. NHMF, the nation’s grant-in-aid fund of last resort for heritage, has a current annual budget of £4m – £5m. To date, HLF has awarded £5.9bn to 36,000 heritage projects across the UK. Its grant budget for 2013-14 is £375m.

Dame Jenny Abramsky said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming such a talented range of individuals onto the Board. We continue to face tough times in the heritage sector and over the next few years we are anticipating continued high levels of demand for our funds, which means stiff competition and difficult decisions. These new Trustees will bring a wealth of specialist and general knowledge and experience, plus fresh insight, and will work alongside our existing Trustees to help meet these challenges.”

Biographical notes

Sir Roger De Haan

Sir Roger De Haan’s career as both Chairman and CEO of Saga spanned almost 40 years. Having retired from business in 2004, he now supports a range of charitable activities through the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust. Education, the arts and regeneration are a major focus of his philanthropy. He farms a mixed arable and livestock farm.

David Heathcoat-Amory

David Heathcoat-Amory was an MP for 27 years until 2010, and served as a government minister in the Department of the Environment, the Department of Energy, HM Treasury and the Foreign Office. He is a Chartered Accountant, Chairman of London and Devonshire Trust and a director of Lowman Manufacturing Co Ltd.

Dr Tom Tew

Dr Tom Tew is a nature conservationist, formerly Natural England's Chief Scientist and currently Chief Executive of the Environment Bank, a private sector company that works with planning authorities, landowners and developers to deliver sustainable development for wildlife. He has led global, European and national programmes and served on numerous governmental advisory boards, including Sir John Lawton’s Making Space for Nature panel.

Sandie Dawe

Sandie Dawe is Chief Executive of VisitBritain, responsible for marketing Britain worldwide and developing Britain’s visitor economy. During her 25-year tourism career, Sandie has led marketing, business development and publicity strategies to grow the value of tourism to Britain, including culture and heritage, business and sports tourism. She led VisitBritain’s strategy on the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.

Steve Miller

Steve Miller is Head of Norfolk Museums Service, one of the largest county museum services in Britain operating 10 museums across Norfolk including: Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery; Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse; and Time and Tide in Great Yarmouth. He has been a member of the European Cultural Parliament (ECP) since 2008 and also a cultural leadership fellow of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA). He is a council member of the National Museum Directors’ Council (NMDC) and the Association of Independent Museums (AIM).

Perdita Hunt

Perdita Hunt is Director of the Watts Gallery Trust where she successfully led a campaign to save the Watts Gallery and is now doing the same for Watts’ house and studio. She is also a trustee of Toynbee Hall, a Deputy Lieutenant for Surrey, member of Arts Council England’s (ACE) South East Committee, a member of the Development Committee for Guildford Cathedral and a consultant for Leadership Insight. A trained arts administrator, Perdita has worked in senior positions at ACE, HLF and WWF-UK.

Notes to editors

The National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) is the 'fund of last resort' and receives annual grant-in-aid from the Government. It was set up in 1980, to save the most outstanding parts of our national heritage, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. NHMF is due to receive £20m grant-in-aid from the Government between 2011 and 2015 allowing for an annual budget of £4m–£5m.

Further information

NHMF / HLF press office: Katie Owen on 020 7591 6036, mobile: 07973 613 820.