I was a cultural services manager, but am now retired.

My Fellowship was for a study of principles of training in industrial heritage crafts. I spent seven weeks visiting heritage sites in the eastern United States to study management, finance retail and interpretive practice.

For ten years, I operated a youth training project on industrial artefacts, using practitioners of traditional trades to pass on their skills. My idea was to preserve traditional skills in an interactive museum environment to ensure they are not lost, and provide a visitor experience.

I utilised the knowledge gained to develop a large mansion with a 600-year history into a visitor attraction, using a time point of 1825 to install five interpretive areas, and to theme retail conferencing and catering to provide a unique experience. This had an impact both locally and further afield, with the venue attracting tourists and residents, and providing a valuable new resource for schools and colleges. We also provided commercial facilities for conferences, events and weddings.

The wide knowledge of organisational practice I gained from my Fellowship allowed me to work with a number of charities after retirement. I spent more than 18 years helping them to become properly constituted – a very enjoyable bonus.