NEW appointments have been made to help shape the future of a century-old pottery in St Ives.

Lara Goodband, Simon Harrison, Matthew Whittell, Nik Ramsay-Trease and Tamzyn Smith are among the latest intake of trustees to the Bernard Leach (St Ives) Trust Ltd.

The trustees will support the strategic development of the Leach Pottery and its staff during a time of major change which will see the site transformed over the next two years.

The £8.9-million transformation of the Leach Pottery Museum, the original home and work place of revered potter Bernard Leach, will see a new Learning and Production Centre to provide more classes and workshops and increase pottery production

A new reception and cafe building, refurbishment and extension of the existing museum to include an introductory gallery, hands-on exhibits and a trail and converting the 2008 Cube gallery into an archive study centre and library

The new trustees come from a wide range of sectors including charity, the arts, culture, finance, IT and marketing.

Lara Goodband is a creative director and visual art curator at gallery spaces and city-wide outdoor projects. She is currently contemporary art curator and programmer at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery in Exeter where she leads on contemporary art curating and commissioning new work inspired by the museum’s collections.

Simon Harrison has spent more than 20 years in fundraising and campaigning for a range of organisations including Cancer Research UK, He was head of international campaign development at Comic Relief and the director of Edinburgh International Television Festival. He is currently head of product development & fundraising campaigns Cancer Research UK.

Matthew Whittell has recently retired from a career in finance in order to spend more time as a potter. His experience lies in raising money for businesses to develop and grow, with a focus in recent years on delivering good, and environmental benefits in particular, for communities and society at the same time as financial returns. 

Nik Ramsay-Trease was the director of strategy and transformation for a multi-national IT company. She is an accomplished leader in the industry with more than 25 years of leadership experience.

She has a track record of successfully delivering complex organisational programmes and fostering cultural change. She also holds a Master's degree in neuroscience.

Tamzyn Smith has more than 20 years of collaborative leadership with the cultural, social enterprise, local authority and third sectors, locally, regionally, and nationally. Her previous roles include CEO of Cornwall Museums Partnership, overseeing the collective efforts of Cornwall Museum Partnership’s team ensuring its mission of creating positive social change with museums.

In addition Callum Trudgeon will become an observer member of the trust board for 12 months. Callum Trudgeon was the first apprentice at Leach Pottery in 2014, graduating in 2017 following a BA Hons in Contemporary Creative Practice at Plymouth University. Following graduation from Leach Pottery, he continued working in the studio until 2022, during which time he undertook a number of international residencies, before setting up a production pottery in New Zealand. He is special advisor to Ceramics New Zealand 2024.

The trust was originally looking to appoint three new trustees, but was overwhelmed by the quality of applications and has appointed five new members to the board, plus an observer.

Libby Buckley, director at the Leach Pottery, said: “Our new board members offer a diverse and amazing set of skills and knowledge that will support us through our next few years as the pottery undergoes unprecedented change to safeguard it for future generations.

“It’s particularly encouraging to be able to appoint a former Leach Pottery apprentice. Since leaving us in 2022, Callum Trudgeon has gone on to set up his own pottery in New Zealand. Increasing training opportunities and apprenticeships like Callum’s is central to the ongoing transformation project.”