Welcome to Leeds Castle! We are delighted that you are interested in applying for a Trustee role at Leeds Castle Foundation. Leeds Castle is a 900-year old estate & a very unusual kind of castle, used throughout her history as a luxurious retreat, rather than for military purposes.
With a long history of female ownership, including six medieval Queens & the last private owner, Anglo-American heiress, Lady Olive Baillie, the estate has been owned by the Leeds Castle Foundation, an independent charity, since 1974.
Until now, entirely dependent on income from guests to meet the annual £11m costs of looking after the Castle and Estate, the impacts of the COVID and Cost of Living crises mean we are seeking to place more focus on our charitable status, drawing in external fundraising income, reaching out to new audiences and building our reputation as a charity that provides inspiration, escape and soul food for everyone.
There is much to do in improving our environmental sustainability & biodiversity & becoming more inclusive & accessible in all of our work. We have extensive heritage assets, collections, attractions & estate infrastructure which require significant investment over the next ten years & increasing financial resources through fundraising & other means will be crucial in support of this.
The estate today continues the tradition of being a glamorous retreat, a place for excellent hospitality, relaxation & fun. Each year, we host around 400,000 day visitors, 9,000 schools visitors, host 150 functions & weddings & welcome thousands to our luxurious & varied accommodation portfolio.
Ambitious plans for the future include seeking external funding to grow our conservation & audience development work, development of gardens, accommodation & new visitor experiences, building on our recent work to Bring the Castle to Life & the installation of a cinematic medieval experience ‘Queens with Means’.
Leeds Castle has a loyal, local customer base & we are keen to build on our stewardship of these members through a better understanding of their needs & desires. Understanding how digital transformation can help us achieve this & other goals like audience outreach & volunteering will be important.
With the recent arrival of a new Chair & Chief Executive, we are seeking a new Chair of Audit and three trustees, who can help us deliver our ambitious strategic plan.
We are particularly interested in those with experience in accounting, risk, investments, digital transformation & management of visitor attractions. We would also like to appoint at least one trustee who has strong Kent connections.
Knowledge of heritage is not essential, but a strong interest in what Leeds Castle offers & a belief in the importance of sharing it widely & preserving it for future generations is essential.
We are very keen to improve the diversity of our Board & welcome applications from appropriately qualified first-time Trustees, as well as experienced ones.
We look forward to meeting you!
Ros Kerslake, CBE, Chair,
Helen Bonser-Wilton, Chief Executive.