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← Anna Plowden Trust

2024-11-30-accounts

ANNA PLOWDEN TRUST Review of the Year &, Annual Report 2023/24

Holly Daws treating a section of a 17th-century Iranian tile panel. Courtesy of National Museums Scotland (see page 24).

2 The Anna Plowden Trust

CONTENTS

Review of the Year
Chair’s Introducton 2
Grants awarded in 2023/24 4
Our Supporters and Sponsors 8
The Impact of the Trust’s Support:
– Plowden Scholars 10
– Anna Plowden/Clothworkers’ Foundaton CPD Grants 16
– Anna Plowden Trust Alumni 24
Nell Hoarembe fiic fsa fma 30
New Trustee Dr Isobel Grifn 32

Annual Report

Annual Report
Of the Trustees for the 12 months to 30 November 2024
Trustees’ Report 34
Independent Examiner’s Report 37
Statement of Financial Actvites 38
Balance Sheet 39
Notes to the Accounts 40

Cover: James McGhee with the 16th century frescoes at the Villa Imperiale, Pesaro, during a joint project between the Courtauld Institute of Art and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of South Switzerland (SUPSI). Courtesy of CULTO Productions (see page 13).

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024

1

Chair’s Introduction

Welcome to the Anna Plowden Trust’s Annual Report for the year to November 2024. I hope you will find interest in the work of the Anna Plowden Trust (APT) described in this report and be inspired by the enthusiasm and dedication of our scholarship and grant recipients, some of whose stories feature on pages 10-29.

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Dr David Saunders, Chair
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Our grant giving in 2024, which is summarised on pages 4-7, continues to rely on the generous support provided by individual donors, other trusts or foundations, and companies active in the conservation sector, all of whom recognise the importance of a high-quality conservation training and lifelong continued professional development (CPD) in the preservation and presentation of our National Heritage. Their support reflects the key role played by the APT in establishing and maintaining the skills needed to achieve these goals.

On a number of occasions, the Trustees have discussed whether to build on our current scholarship and CPD programmes by including support for conservation internships. While we recognised that internships can be an important step in the transition from a conservation education programme to the workplace, we have been aware that to support an annual internship would considerably reduce the number of scholarships we could offer and decided to focus on our existing core funding activities. The Trustees are delighted, therefore, that during 2024, the APT has established a collaboration with a number of other trusts and charities that are active in the UK conservation sector, with the express purpose of developing a pilot programme of conservation internships[1] . With the joint resources of the members of this consortium it has proved possible to fund three conservation internships, the first two of which – in book and manuscript conservation at the Senate House Library and in musical instrument conservation at the University of Edinburgh – were awarded in late 2024.

This year has seen two changes to the Trustee body. First, one of our longest serving and most active Trustees, Nell Hoare MBE, stepped down during 2024 – see pages 30-31 for an appreciation of her service to the Trust. Dr Isobel Griffin, Head of Conservation at National Galleries of Scotland, became a Trustee at the beginning of 2024 and has already been active in the work of the APT, not least in compiling and editing this Annual Report.

A feature of the APT that has impressed me since I first became a Trustee is the dedication and hard work of my fellow Trustees. The APT is run almost entirely by their voluntary efforts, with Trustees undertaking key roles in the administration of the Trust’s grant-giving, financial and promotional activities. Many Trustees have carried out these vital responsibilities for more than two decades and it is reassuring that the more recently appointed Trustees are now in the process of taking on these responsibilities, giving confidence that the Trust can continue to serve the conservation community in the future.

Dr David Saunders

Chair

1 The members of the consortium for this collaborative conservation internship programme are: Pilgrim Trust; Anna Plowden Trust; Idlewild Trust; Julia Rausing Trust; National Manuscripts Conservation Trust; and Radcliffe Trust.

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 3

-aa ora*+ .; J J ¥ Grants awarded in 2023/24

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Plowden Scholarships

For the 2024/2025 academic year the Trust received 53 applications for Plowden Scholarships and awarded 27 Grants; the total amount given was £74,500.

Generous support from the Dulverton Trust and other funders made it possible for us to make awards at this level, and as always, the Trustees were very impressed by the commitment and perseverance demonstrated by applicants in their fundraising endeavours.

Those awarded Plowden Scholarships in the academic year beginning in 2024 are studying at 10 institutions on 20 different conservation programmes.

University of Cardiff

City and Guilds of London Art School

The Courtauld Institute of Art

University College London,

University of Durham

University of Glasgow: Kelvin Centre for Conservation & Cultural Heritage Research

University of Lincoln

Northumbria University

West Dean College

University of York

In 2025 an MPhil in Book and Archival Materials Conservation and Paper Conservation will be launched at the Kelvin Centre in the University of Glasgow, so we expect our 2025 Annual Report to include more information about this course, hopefully with news about the first scholarship awards to its students.

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 5

Anna Plowden/Clothworkers’ Foundation CPD Grants

Retaining and developing the existing skills in the conservation field is one of the APT’s core objectives. Anna Plowden was an early and passionate advocate of the importance of continuing professional development (CPD) for practising conservators. Today CPD is essential for conservators working towards, or seeking to maintain, their Icon Accredited Conservator/Restorer status.

We are delighted with the continued support for CPD funding that the Clothworkers’ Foundation have shown. In 2022, they generously awarded the Trust a CPD grant commitment for a further, and final, five years. This ensures that we can continue to award CPD grants in the coming years, whilst giving us time to seek other sources of funding for the longer term.

Moira Bertasa outside the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, the venue for the InART2024 Conference.

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It was noted in the previous annual report that the provision of in-person courses and conferences was picking up after the 2020/2021 pandemic, although it may possibly never return to pre-covid levels. In 2024 we received 29 applications and awarded 26 grants to a total value of £14,599, of which £12,700 has been claimed to date; these totals are healthy but significantly lower than the 35 grants totalling £20,404 awarded in 2023. The Trustees are exploring the reasons for this drop in applications, but it is suspected that the financial climate is making it challenging for organisations and individuals to find funding to match the contribution that the Anna Plowden Trust can make towards CPD events.

Carlotta Cammelli at the Corpus Vitrearum stained glass forum in Erfurt and Naumburg, Germany.

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024

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Our Supporters and Sponsors

The Trustees are deeply grateful to the following trusts, foundations, and companies for their generous support of our work.

A number of generous individuals also support us, many of whom have benefited from our Scholarships or CPD grants in the past. While we have not listed them individually here, we are truly thankful to each of them.

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Robert Shepherd Memorial Fund Awards

We are also very grateful to those who have made donations to the Robert Shepherd Memorial Fund. Established in memory of leading painting conservator Robert Shepherd, it is being used to fund one Scholarship and at least one CPD grant for paintings conservators per year until it is exhausted.

For the 2024/2025 academic year the Robert Shepherd Scholarship Fund award was made to Catherine Doherty, studying for an MA Conservation of Easel Paintings at the Courtauld Institute of Art. No CPD grants were awarded from the Robert Shepherd Memorial Fund in 2024, because no painting conservators applied for a CPD grant in this year.

Catherine Doherty, whose scholarship award was funded by the Robert Shepherd Memorial Fund.

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The Impact of the Trust’s Support: Plowden Scholars

The Trust’s support makes an immense difference to conservation students, as these brief case studies from the Plowden Scholars for 2023/2024 show.

Katie Morton

MSc Conservation Practice University of Cardiff

The support I received from the Anna Plowden Trust has allowed me to complete the first year of my MSc in Conservation Practice, gaining a solid understanding of the theoretical and practical sides of conservation.

Over the course of the 2023/2024 academic year I have had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of materials, including 18th-century porcelain, waterlogged wood from Must Farm and Medieval glass from Blackfriary. I have also been able to undertake a part time volunteering role at the Newport Ship, cleaning PEG residue off the timbers of a 15th-century ship to enable them to be reassembled in the future.

Thanks to the help of the Anna Plowden Trust, I was able to participate in two placements over the summer, comprising five weeks in the university labs with lecturer Phil Parkes, and four weeks at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, with the antiquities team. Both placements allowed me to tackle a range of objects, and a particular highlight for me was two ancient Egyptian objects: a 26th dynasty coffin and an 18th dynasty papyrus. The knowledge and connections I have made this year have been extremely valuable to me and would not have been possible without the financial support from the Trust.

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Katie Morton reattaching a section of an Egyptian coffin at the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Lauren Chiu

MSc Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media University College London

The generous support from the Anna Plowden Trust has allowed me to pursue the MSc Conservation of Contemporary Art and Media at UCL as a full-time student.

The first year of the course has consisted of theory alongside practical projects. Larry Achiampong and David Blandy’s ‘The Trēow of Time’ provided the opportunity to collectively document, examine and analyse the materials and processes surrounding the acquisition and care of an artwork. Additionally, the UCL’s partnership with the V&A offered a chance to investigate complex browser-based artworks by Ben Grosser and Maya Man. I have also benefited from a diverse range of guest lecturers offering specialist knowledge in areas such as CRT monitors, neon artworks and copyright law.

My personal projects have included working with the ‘Little Magazines Collection’ within UCL’s ‘Special Collections’, documenting THE THING Quarterly ’s David Shrigley issue. I have also begun conserving constructivist artist Peter Laszlo Peri’s pigmented concrete sculpture, ‘Liberation II’. This year has enabled me to develop confidence in laboratory skills, techniques and the ethics of conserving contemporary art, and I’m looking forward to my second year of study, which will involve a placement in an institution and a dissertation.

Lauren Chiu working with a pigmented concrete sculpture by Peter Laszlo Peri.

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James McGhee

MA Conservation of Wall Paintings The Courtauld Institute of Art

I am immensely grateful for the generous support of the Anna Plowden Trust over the past two academic years, allowing me to pursue my conservation training at The Courtauld Institute of Art on the MA Conservation of Wall Paintings programme.

This year began with a two-week exchange at the Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI) in Mendrisio, Switzerland. This included extensive practical training on cleaning methods, most notably hands-on experience with laser methods. Following the exchange I undertook two months of fieldwork alongside students from SUPSI, conserving a series of 16th-century frescoes at the Villa Imperiale, Pesaro. The fieldwork offered an invaluable experience in the challenges of collaborating on a large international project, as well as further developing my skills in undertaking practical interventions on wall paintings. In addition to fieldwork, I also had the opportunity to undertake a technical study on fragments of 4th-century Romano-British wall paintings from Lullingstone, Kent.

With one year left of my degree, I have gained a wealth of experience that has provided me with the confidence to further pursue a career as a practising wall painting conservator.

James McGhee trialling a laser cleaning method, at the Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana in Switzerland. Courtesy of the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 13

Tamsin Ferguson

MA Conservation of Archaeological & Museum Objects University of Durham

I am immensely grateful for the support I have received from the Anna Plowden Trust, which has allowed me to complete my second year of the Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects course at Durham.

While the first year of the course introduced me to the theoretical knowledge and practical skills involved in objects conservation, the second year – which consisted of a 10-month placement at London Museum – gave me the opportunity to develop my practical skills in a professional environment. During my placement I worked on a range of objects with materials including ceramics, glass, leather, silver, gilding, iron, wood, waterlogged wood, waterlogged ivory, stone, textiles and paper. This has developed my existing skills and taught me many new skills, allowing me to become a more competent and confident conservator.

Tamsin Ferguson cleaning objects on open display with a brush and vacuum at London Museum, Docklands. Courtesy of London Museum.

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My placement also provided the chance to assist with the installation of a temporary exhibition at the museum and to develop my preventive conservation skills, particularly in relation to integrated pest management. Overall, the second year was an invaluable part of my course, and without the support of the Anna Plowden Trust it would have been a considerable financial burden.

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The Impact of the Trust’s Support: Anna Plowden/Clothworkers’ Foundation CPD Grants

Caterina Celada Prior

Textile Conservator, Victoria and Albert Museum Attended: Leather Conservation, West Dean

I recently had the enriching experience of attending the Leather Conservation Course at West Dean College, made possible by the support of the Anna Plowden Trust. This specialised training, delivered by experts from the Leather Conservation Centre, focused on enhancing our theoretical and practical understanding of leather conservation, particularly concerning composite artefacts—a crucial aspect of my role as a textile conservator.

My goals for the course included deepening my understanding of leather’s chemical properties, learning contemporary conservation methods, and expanding my professional network. We covered a range of topics, including the properties of leather, the identification of various leather types and their damage patterns, contemporary conservation techniques, and preventive strategies. A significant emphasis was placed on ethical conservation practices, such as minimal intervention and treatment reversibility.

Caterina Celada Prior using a mould to cast infills with leather texture properties.

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Hands-on activities, including fish tanning and a session on cleaning and stabilisation, greatly improved my comprehension of degradation processes and suitable conservation techniques. Engaging with case studies and collaborative discussions provided insights into real-world conservation challenges. Overall, the course has empowered me with greater confidence and precision in working with leather in composite objects, and I am grateful to the Anna Plowden Trust, the Clothworkers’ Foundation, and the dedicated tutors for this invaluable opportunity.

Caterina Celada Prior fleshing fish skins before inserting them into a tanning solution.

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024

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Gemma Mathieson

Paper Conservator, National Library of Scotland Attended: Asian Papers and their Applications in Paper Conservation, Edinburgh

Thanks to the generous support of the Anna Plowden/ Clothworkers’ Foundation CPD grant I was able to attend the three-day workshop Asian Papers and their Applications in Paper Conservation by Minah Song. The workshop comprehensively covered the manufacture and characteristics of Japanese, Korean and Chinese papers and their many applications in paper conservation practice. The practical treatments taught helped to broaden my understanding of readily available materials and adhesives and highlighted the variations in personal practice between participants. We discussed the factors that affect the quality of Asian papers and how to make informed decisions when selecting papers for a variety of uses.

The workshop was particularly useful for me because many of the skills learned are applicable to the longterm project I am currently working on at the National Library of Scotland. For example, Minah’s methodology for the stabilisation and lining of degraded newsprint has applications across multiple collections at the Library, and has now been adopted by several of my colleagues. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this workshop to other paper conservators.

I can clearly see where the skills learned will be implemented in my everyday practice. For example, in the treatment of transparent paper, pressing between two sheets of gently humidified Japanese paper gives a gentle, easily repeated, method for pressing friable supports. We were also instructed in the preparation of three varieties of pre-coated papers and their applications to different types of supports.

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Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 19

Marc Vermuelen

Head of Heritage Science and Conservation Research, The National Archives Attended: 2024 SciX conference, Raleigh, North Carolina

Thanks to the generous support of the Anna Plowden Trust and the Clothworkers’ Foundation CPD grant, I was able to attend the 2024 SciX conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. This leading conference in analytical chemistry provided invaluable insights into cutting-edge techniques relevant to my work at The National Archives (TNA).

The sessions introduced practical methods, including Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) and multiband imaging, for analysing and preserving historical artefacts. Discussions with experts confirmed the feasibility of establishing SERS capabilities at TNA for examining organic colorants and other materials. I was particularly inspired by accessible imaging technologies like the MISHA system, which offers exciting potential for revealing hidden details in archival documents.

Dr Marc Vermeulen presenting his research “Revealing secrets of the past: chemometrics in the study of artistic heritage materials” during the final session on chemometrics.

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The conference also emphasized collaboration, connecting me with researchers exploring innovative applications of nanotechnology and spectroscopy. These interactions reinforced the importance of knowledge-sharing in our field and generated ideas for future partnerships.

Attending SciX has equipped me with new technical skills and expanded my understanding of how advanced analytical techniques can enhance conservation science. I look forward to applying these tools in my work, ensuring the preservation of our nation’s heritage through cutting-edge approaches.

Dr Marc Vermeulen from The National Archives attending the 2024 SciX conference in Raleigh, NC, USA.

I look forward to applying these tools in my work, ensuring the preservation of our nation’s heritage through cutting-edge approaches.

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 21

Karoline Sofie Hennum

Conservator (Objects & Preventive), Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust Attended: Conservation of Transport and Industrial Collections, West Dean, Chichester

In May 2024, thanks to the generosity of the Anna Plowden Trust’s CPD grant, I attended West Dean’s four-day course about the Conservation of Transport and Industrial Collections, led by Dave Morris (Fleet Air Arm Museum, NMRN). It was an excellent course covering topics including conservation ethics and critical thinking; using and displaying working objects; material skills; and documentation processes. In my opinion, the course can play an important role in addressing the skill shortages within industrial heritage conservation in the UK.

The course was also a great opportunity to meet with and learn from other conservators and museum professionals who care for and conserve transport and industrial collections in the UK. And it gave me a useful network to call on in the future!

I particularly enjoyed the overall focus on conservation versus restoration, with thought-provoking questions such as: “What really is the original?” and “When is it actually acceptable to improve the appearance of a historical artefact and who is to decide this?”. One of my biggest learning outcomes was that you should seek to avoid personal bias when working with transport and industrial collections, or historical collections in general. There is no shame in asking other people for their opinions or setting up a decision-making group.

The course was also a great opportunity to meet with and learn from other conservators and museum professionals who care for and conserve transport and industrial collections in the UK.

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Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 23

The Impact of the Trust’s Support: Anna Plowden Trust Alumni

The Trustees like to keep in touch with past recipients of Plowden Scholarships, and are gratified to learn of their success as they establish their careers in conservation. Here are a few examples of the contribution that our Alumni are now making to the sector.

Holly Daws

Plowden Scholar 2017/2018 Conservator: Ceramics, Glass and Metals, The British Museum

With the support I received from the Anna Plowden Trust, I was able to pursue a Master’s degree at West Dean College, specialising in ceramics and glass. As part of my studies, I undertook a placement at the Royal Collection and a further placement at National Museums Scotland, which helped build my professional skills within the workplace. Focusing solely on my studies without financial constraint allowed me to achieve several industry awards, including the ICON Denise Lyall Prize and the Nigel Williams Student Prize.

Since qualifying, I have gained experience in a range of conservation settings, including contracts as a ceramics conservator with Plowden and Smith, and as an assistant artefact conservator at National Museums Scotland, where I undertook the dismantling, conserving and remounting of a large 17th-century Iranian tile panel.

Additionally, I have returned to West Dean College as a visiting lecturer, delivering academic and practical training for conservation students.

I now work as a conservator at the British Museum in the ceramics, glass and metals team. I am responsible for assessing, conserving, and preparing objects for exhibitions, loans, permanent display and storage while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-profile exhibitions like Silk Roads . A highlight of this role is being part of a team responsible for stabilising and conserving the cuneiform collection. The generous funding of the Anna Plowden Trust has allowed me to develop my conservation skills, enabling me to contribute to the conservation profession as a whole.

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Holly Daws working on a Bow figure at West Dean College.

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Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 25
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Owen Lazzari

Plowden Scholar 2017/2018 Senior Conservator, Locomotion Museum, Shildon

The generous support I received from the Anna Plowden Trust allowed me to undertake a Master’s degree in the Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects at the University of Durham. After graduating in 2019 I worked freelance for a number of years both nationally and internationally, including in Nepal and Saudi Arabia. I took on work assisting local museums with their collections care as well as carrying out interventive work for private clients.

During the covid pandemic, I struggled to find conservation work and returned to my previous career in commercial archaeology, beginning to take on clients again once lockdowns eased. Then in 2023 I was appointed to the role of senior conservator at the Locomotion Museum, in Shildon, which was the first time the museum had employed a full-time conservator. The original scope of the role was to carry out conservation on the rail vehicles being moved into a new museum building on the site, which involved carrying out significant interventive treatments on 30 of the 57 large industrial objects to be re-displayed in May 2024. Having grown up in the North East, it is a genuine joy to be able to conserve historical objects from the region for future generations to enjoy and be inspired by.

Owen Lazzari power-washing a vehicle. Courtesy of the Locomotion Museum, Shildon.

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Having grown up in the North East, it is a genuine joy to be able to conserve historical objects from the region for future generations to enjoy and be inspired by. aaai Tei

Owen Lazzari in one of the objects prepared for display. Courtesy of the Locomotion Museum, Shildon.

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Kiri Douglas

Plowden Scholar 2017-2019 Conservator (Paper and Photographs), V&A Museum

Growing up in a small rural town in Wales, I would never have believed how my career would unfold. Thanks to an Anna Plowden Trust scholarship I was able to undertake a Master’s degree at Camberwell College of Arts in London, where I completed work placements alongside my academic learning. Following my training I travelled to Los Angeles, California, to begin a Graduate Internship at the Getty Research Institute. This opportunity provided such meaningful mentorship and a network of international colleagues from a variety of disciplines. In 2021, I became an Assistant Conservator at National Museums Scotland, where the wonderful team of conservators took me under their wing while I learned the fast-paced nature of exhibition deadlines! From Edinburgh, I then moved

to Washington DC, as the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Paper Conservation. Here I was given the time, support and expertise to deepen my knowledge of artworks and undertake research projects into synthetic paper and ultrasonic cleaning treatments.

In 2025 I will begin a permanent position as a Conservator (Paper and Photographs) at the V&A Museum, London. I am immensely grateful to the Anna Plowden Trust and all the people who have supported me this far – it would not have been possible to progress as I have on my own. I hope in my current post to continue to support others, and I look forward to hearing about the experiences of new Plowden Scholars in future years.

Kiri Douglas preparing a print for an Audubon exhibition. Courtesy of National Museums Scotland.

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Bee ge See Kiri Douglas examining a large painting by William Trost Richards. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington. eee hoe rr

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 29

Nell Hoare mbe fiic fsa fma

Our heartfelt thanks to Nell Hoare as she steps down as a Trustee after many years as an inspiring and hardworking colleague. We are grateful for the lasting impact she has had on the Anna Plowden Trust and those it supports.

As I mentioned in the introduction to this Annual Report, Nell Hoare – one of the APT’s longest serving Trustees – has stepped down this year. She became a Trustee in 2001, only three years after the Trust’s foundation, and has worked tirelessly for the APT for nearly 25 years. She brought to the Trust both huge experience of the conservation, museum and wider arts fields and key skills in organisational management; at the time she joined the Trust she was Director of the Textile Conservation Centre (TCC), having previously served as Assistant Director of the Area Museums Service for the South East of England.

After leaving TCC, she continued to fundraise for its students and programmes and also for several other trusts in the conservation sector, including the Friends of the National Libraries and National Manuscripts Conservation Trust, with both of which she continues to be involved. When, some years ago, the Trustees took the decision augment the original capital vested in the Trust by raising funds to support an expanded and dynamic programme of grant giving, it was natural that we should turn to Nell, confident that her experience of fundraising in the conservation and museum sectors would offer the best chance of achieving this ambition – and so it proved.

Alongside her tireless work as a Trustee in the areas of the APT’s activities, some of which are described below, the additional funding she has secured has ensured the continued strength of the Trust’s scholarship and CPD programmes and helped to establish the APT as one of the major funders in the conservation sector.

As well as helping to strengthen the Trust’s financial position, Nell has been instrumental in promoting the work undertaken by the Trust, through publications, our website, social media and the events periodically staged by the APT. As one example, she transformed our Annual Report from a mandatory presentation of the APT’s finances into a vibrant channel to report the influence of the Trust’s support on the education and subsequent careers of our grant recipients and the consequent impact on the conservation sector. When the Trust celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2018, Nell was involved in every aspect of our activities, including the videos and publication that were produced, and was instrumental in organising the reception to mark that anniversary.

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In summary, it has been a privilege to work with Nell as she has helped to transform the APT in this way and it is difficult to underestimate her contribution to the Trust, from fundraising to maintaining our website, from producing our Annual Report to keeping track of our former grant recipients. We have perhaps only become aware of just how much she did for the APT when we had to plan how to reallocate these

responsibilities and activities. As also mentioned in my introduction to this Annual Report, it is gratifying to see newer Trustees taking on new roles but humbling to realise to what extent Nell’s contributions – carried out unobtrusively and efficiently – have been crucial to the Trust’s success.

Dr David Saunders January 2025

Nell Hoare (above, left) with an Anna Plowden Scholar, Alexandra Lawson, at the APT’s 20th anniversary event.

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welcome new trustee Dr Isobel Griffin

In order to strengthen the trustee body following Nell Hoare’s departure, a new Trustee has been recruited. Dr Isobel Griffin is the Head of Conservation at the National Galleries of Scotland, and her previous roles include Head of Collections Care at the National Library of Scotland, Head of Collections Conservation at the National Trust for Scotland and Preventive Conservator at National Museums Scotland. She is therefore very well connected in Scotland, not least because she is the Vice Chair of the Icon Scotland group. In addition to this, she is a fellow of IIC, having served two terms as the Chair of the IIC Technical Committee; a member of B/560, the committee within the British Standards Institute responsible for creating standards for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage; and she represents her employing institution at the National Heritage Science Forum.

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Isobel Griffin
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‘ I am in awe of the commitment demonstrated by the conservation students of today, in obtaining funding for their training’.

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Isobel describes her motivation for becoming an Anna Plowden Trustee as follows:

‘ As someone who is old enough to have undertaken a first degree and a three-year post-graduate conservation diploma without paying any tuition fees, I am in awe of the commitment demonstrated by the conservation students of today, in obtaining funding for their training. For many, continuing their studies would not be possible without the contribution from an Anna Plowden Trust scholarship, and it is both a pleasure and a privilege to be part of something so important.

I also really value the role the Anna Plowden Trust plays in supporting CPD for conservators; I used a CPD grant to kick-start my PhD studies with a short course at West Dean, and I encourage the conservators and

conservation technicians in my team to submit applications if they have identified training needs.

Like many other institutions, our training budget is being squeezed year on year, while the actual costs of training courses and the associated travel and accommodation continue to rise, and we are therefore hugely thankful that the Anna Plowden Trust exists to support CPD.

Compiling this report has given me a wonderful insight into the depth and breadth of the conservation profession in the twenty-first century, and I think that in today’s challenging funding landscape, having access to funding sources is crucial to ensuring we continue to flourish’.

Isobel’s colleague, Clara de la Pena Mc Tigue, who recently benefited from a CPD grant.

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 33

Annual Report

Of the Trustees for the 12 months to 30 November 2024

TRUSTEES’ REPORT

Background and Objectives

The Anna Plowden Trust was constituted by Deed of Trust dated 21 August 1998 and amended 7 October 1998. It was established to commemorate the life and work of Anna Plowden CBE, who worked for many years towards raising the standards of conservation in the UK.

The objects of the charity are to contribute to the conservation of items of historic, artistic or scientific interest, and to the development of public knowledge and skills in conservation.

Since the Trust was established in 1998, it has awarded over 425 Plowden Scholarships and over 425 CPD Grants. In total, the Trust has distributed over £1,151,000 towards its principal aims of improving skills in, and awareness of, conservation.

In the past year, the Trust has continued its two main programmes aimed at improving conservation skills.

These are:

Plowden Scholarships for those requiring assistance, usually graduates, towards the cost of studying for qualifications to enter the conservation profession;

Anna Plowden/Clothworkers’ Foundation CPD Grants for short, mid-career skills development for conservators already working in the field.

Applications for funding are invited through advertisements in national conservation journals, direct contact with conservation programme leaders and through the Trust’s website (www.annaplowdentrust.org.uk) and social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram).

The Trustees, having given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, are satisfied that the Trust’s established grant-making policies described above meet those requirements.

Our core objective is to support training in heritage conservation. This is done by supporting students on conservation programmes and supporting the skills development of the UK’s practising heritage conservators.

The public benefits that flow from this are:

We believe this greatly benefits the individuals whom we fund, the institutions for which they work (or will work in the future) and the public realm. These benefits are clearly demonstrated by the short case studies in this Annual Report.

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Trustees

Dr David Saunders, Chair Francis Plowden, Secretary Christina Rozeik, Treasurer Penelope Plowden, Grants Manager Puneeta Sharma, Grants Manager Lizzy Hippisley-Cox Nell Hoare MBE (until June 2024) Dr David Leigh ACR Jane McAusland Carol Weiss Dr Isobel Griffin ACR (from January 2024)

Risks and Reserves

The Trustees have reviewed the risks to which the Trust is exposed. As a grant-making body, these risks are not regarded as critical.

The Trustees have also discussed the reserves policy of the Trust. Although its General Purpose Fund is technically expendable, the Trustees consider that the objectives of the Trust will best be served by making regular grants towards the training and work of conservators using only the income from the Trust’s investments and not the capital, and also from donations.

Accordingly, it is the Trust’s policy to attempt to maintain an annual grant giving at least at the same level year on year or, if funds allow, to increase it, while as far as possible maintaining the real value of the Trust’s reserves.

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 35

Fundraising

The Trust, with the agreement of the Charity Commission, has for the past few years contracted one of its Trustees, Nell Hoare, to undertake fundraising on its behalf. Following Nell Hoare’s stepping down as a Trustee, the fundraising activity has now been taken on by one of the newer Trustees, Lizzy Hippisley-Cox.

The Trust raises funds mainly from trusts, foundations and companies; a small number of individuals also support it with annual donations. No public fundraising appeals are undertaken and the Trust does not engage in mass mailing to solicit donations. The Trust complies with accepted good practice in its fundraising.

Leaving a Legacy to the Anna Plowden Trust

If you would like to leave a legacy to the Anna Plowden Trust we would be enormously grateful: your generosity will make a lasting difference to the conservation profession in the UK.

For more information about legacies, please visit:

https://www.annaplowdentrust.org.uk/sites/default/ files/inline-files/APT_Legacy_Information_0.pdf

Plans for future periods

The Trust’s objectives for 2024 were to seek to maximise investment income and grants receivable and to award grants totalling at least £75,000. In the event income reached £109,661.43 and grants totalling £95,155 were awarded.

The Trust’s objectives for 2025 remain the same, again with the aim of awarding grants totalling £75,000 if resources allow.

36 The Anna Plowden Trust

Independent Examiner’s Report

To the Trustees of The Anna Plowden Trust

I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Anna Plowden Trust (the Trust) for the year ended 30 November 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity Trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Clare Emma Hobro

Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. Address: Whitehall, Chapel Lane, Fowlmere, SG8 7SA

7 March 2025

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 37

Statement of Financial Activities

For the year ended 30 November 2024

t of Financial Actvites
30 November 2024
Notes 2024
£		 2023
£
INCOME
Grants and donatons
– unrestricted
– restricted
1
– Shepherd Fund
2		 34,230.53
43,000.00
–		 1,305.78
83,975.00
–
77,230.53 85,280.78
Bank interest
Investment income		 1,365.47
31,065.43		 1,030.00
27,084.16
32,430.90 28,114.16
Total Income 109,661.43 113,394.94
EXPENDITURE
Grants made
Scholarships
Anna Plowden Trust
Shepherd Fund
CPD
Anna Plowden Trust
Shepherd Fund
Internships
Anna Plowden Trust
Total awards made in year
Less: prior year adjustments
3
Total awards made
Management and administraton
Trustee expenses
Fundraising and related expenses
Other expenses		 (71,000.00)
(3,500.00)
(74,500.00)
(12,700.00)
–
(12,700.00)
(10,000.00)
(10,000.00)
(97,200.00)
2,045.00
(95,155.00)
(511.94)
(4,100.00)
(1,295.10)		 (72,500.00)
(3,500.00)
(76,000.00)
(19,664.00)
(740.00)
(20,404.00)
–
–
(96,404.00)
5,475.00
(90,929.00)
(96.00)
(4,603.70)
(1,124.70)
(5,907.04)
Total expenditure
(101,062.04)		 (5,824.40)
(96,753.40)
Net incoming/(outgoing) resources
8,599.39
Surplus/(loss) on revaluaton of investments
4
42,346.77		 16,641.54
(21,400.83)
Net movement in funds
50,946.16
Total funds bfwd
731,620.55		 (4,759.29)
736,379.84
TOTAL FUNDS CFWD
782,566.71		 731,620.55

38 The Anna Plowden Trust

Balance Sheet

As at 30 November 2024

heet
2024
Notes 2024 2023
£ £
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors 5 496.00 928.75
Cash at bank 39,567.49 94,739.35
HSBC fxed-term deposits 135,000.00 –
175,063.49 95,668.10
INVESTMENTS
Property Income Trust for Charites (PITCH)
Cazenove Charity Sustainable Mult-Asset Fund		 82,405.25
536,887.97		 84,539.29
492,407.16
HSBC – 80,000.00
619,293.22 656,946.45
Total Assets 794,356.71 752,614.55
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Grants commited but unpaid 6 (11,790.00) (20,224.00)
Other Creditors – (770.00)
(11,790.00) (20,994.00)
NET ASSETS 782,566.71 731,620.55
Represented by:
General Purpose Fund 746,073.21 680,972.05
Restricted Fund 1 15,696.00 26,351.00
Shepherd Fund 2 20,797.50 24,297.50
TOTAL FUNDS 782,566.71 731,620.55

Signed on the Trustees’ behalf on 6 March 2025 by:

Dr David Saunders Christina Rozeik Chair Treasurer

Review of the Year & Annual Report 2024 39

Notes to the Accounts

For the year ended 30 November 2024

1. Restricted Fund

The Trust will usually classify all grants from other Trusts as restricted for the use of scholarships, CPD awards and other training purposes unless the terms of the grant state otherwise.

2. Shepherd Fund

Funds raised by the family and friends of the late Robert Shepherd in his memory. The Trust has agreed to administer the amounts raised and to make scholarship and CPD awards each year from the fund.

3. Prior year adustments

This represents CPD awards made in prior years which are now unlikely to be taken up.

4. Investments

4. Investments
PITCH
£		 Cazenove
£		 Total
£
Brought forward 1/12/23
Value at 30/11/24
Unrealised gains/(losses)		 84,539.29
82,405.25
(2,134.04)		 492,407.16
536,887.97
44,480.81		 576,946.45
619.293.22
42,346.77

5. Debtors

Tax recoverable from the Inland Revenue in respect of donations through Gift Aid.

6. Grants committed but unpaid

For most CPD awards the actual payment to the beneficiary is made at the end of the course or other event. The figure represents awards granted but where the actual payment will be made in a subsequent year.

40 The Anna Plowden Trust

The Anna Plowden Trust

4 Highbury Road, London SW19 7PR admin@annaplowdentrust.org.uk www.annaplowdentrust.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1072236