New faces at the Waterways Trust

The Waterways Trust has appointed two new trustees - waterway enthusiasts and successful business people both.

Frances Done, currently the Chief Executive of York and North Yorkshire Inward Investment Board, has the success of the 2000 Commonwealth Games in Manchester to her credit. As Chief Executive of Manchester 2002, she masterminded the largest multi-sport event ever hosted in the UK. Among other experience, she has served on the Board of the Manchester Ship Canal Company for four years, and worked as Chief Executive of Rochdale Council during the project to restore the derelict Rochdale Canal to navigation. A member of the Inland Waterways Association, Frances has a great enthusiasm for canals and their importance to local communities.

Richard Combes joins the Trust’s Board of Trustees as Honorary Treasurer, and will put his knowledge of the waterways and his business skills to work for the Trust. He is presently Chairman of Bedfordshire & Luton Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. He started travelling the waterways nearly 40 years ago and is now on his second boat, a custom-built Stowe Hill he commissioned on his retirement.

He explained: "Our inland waterways are a national treasure. In its short lifetime, the Waterways Trust has delivered major benefits for Britain’s inland waterways, facilitating more than £45 million of investment into the canal and river network. However, like most voluntary organisations, the Trust faces many challenges, including falling visitor numbers at the museums. I will be working with the team as Honorary Treasurer to help identify new ways of increasing visitor numbers to all three sites and further improving them as unique visitor attractions built around the nationally important collections."