Governance 

Chairman of Trustees

Qualified as Chartered Surveyor. Former Director Burnley Building Society, Chairman National & Provincial Building Society, Deputy Chairman Abbey National plc.

Former Chairman Rural Development Commission, Chairman Duchy of Lancaster. Former member National Trust N.W. Regional Committee.

Lord Shuttleworth is the great nephew of Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth and resided at Gawthorpe Hall until 1953. He has been involved with Gawthorpe Hall and the Textiles Collection for many years, joining the board of trustees in the 1980s. 

Sally is a Shuttleworth family member born at Gawthorpe Hall. She initially became involved in the cataloguing of her great aunt’s needlework collection before joining the board of trustees 15 years ago.

Sally studied drawing in Italy after leaving school aged 16. A year was spent in Florence and another year at the City and Guilds Art School in London. Her first job was as a China restorer in a specialist antique shop in Chelsea.

In 1978 Sally moved into the children’s clothing industry, working for a successful children’s boutique in Kensington. In the late 1980s she moved north and started her own  business designing and making hand smocked baby dresses and suits. Her customers in this high end and niche business are the Travelling Community. Her customers are based in several countries, and she is well known within this group.

Alongside her work with GTC, Sally has for many years been involved in fundraising for the NSPCC. She has chaired several branch committees for the charity and remains committed to raising the profile of children who need support.  

Gina is the great great niece of Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth, the niece of the current Chairman of Trustees The Lord Shuttleworth KVCO and the daughter of Sally Figgins.

Gina studied History of Modern Art, Design and Film at Northumbria University and followed this with four years working in the Alps before realising that she wanted a more creative career.

In 2002 she began studying Millinery and went on to have a successful business making occasion ware hats for fashion, film, magazines and private clients. Her millinery career highlights included opening an eponymous shop in Kensington, London and designing hats for HRH the Duchess of Cambridge.

In 2017 Gina decided to turn her focus to Interior Design and continues to design residential interiors across the UK and the Alps, she is based between Norfolk and London.

Having spent much of her working life being exposed to textiles in various forms, and being so closely related to the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection through her family, when asked to join the Board of Trustees in 2010 she jumped at the chance.

Michael is a retired museum curator living in Blackburn. He is a graduate of St John’s College, University of Cambridge with a degree in the History of Art.

He spent the majority of his working life as curator of Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery. He has also worked for Wisbech & Fenland Museum, Cambridgeshire (curator), Bury Art Gallery (keeper of art) and Lancashire County Museum Service (registrar).

Michael was introduced to the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection while working at the Museum of Lancashire.

After retiring from local government, he managed a 3-year HLF-financed cataloguing project following which he continued to work for the Collection as a consultant and then as managing trustee until 2012.

He joined the board of trustees in 2009.

Ian has had a long association with business, firstly in his role as director in the family business of Graham and Brown and latterly as Chair of the Blackburn with Darwen Hive Business Network. His involvement at Graham and Brown gave him responsibilities in the operational and logistical aspects of the company, before leading on matters of Corporate and Social Responsibility. In 2012 he was awarded North West Director of the Year by the Institute of Directors.
Latterly, in his role as chair of the Hive Business Network he instigated the creation of partnerships between local businesses and the education providers in Blackburn with Darwen to improve knowledge of current and future skills as well as enabling a strong business network. Hive is committed to challenging perceptions and raising the profile of the area. He is also a director of Growth Lancashire who are pledged to the county maximising its potential, and chair of the Education Partnership Trust who`s aim is to create outstanding schools which transform learning, lives and communities.

Ash is a local interior design business owner with a passion for design and design education.

With an immense pride of place for the area of Burnley and Pendle, Ash serves as a Pendle Borough and Lancashire County Councillor as well as previously holding a seat on Colne Town Council. 

Ash has a background working as a design tutor at Nelson and Colne College and at Huddersfield university and has a passion for education especially in the sphere of textiles owing to the foundation of growth it provided in East Lancashire. 

Dennis is a qualified Aeronautical Engineer and a businessman with over 40 years experience in the international aerospace industry.  Dennis started Euravia Engineering in 1988 specialising in the design, refurbishment and testing of high-speed turbine aero engines. The company grew from a small ‘one-man’ business to a successful international aerospace company. In 2010 Euravia was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. In 2015 Dennis sold Euravia Engineering and founded MENDO Enterprises, a company specialising in business development and international trade. In 2010 he was appointed the High Sheriff of Lancashire and in 2001 was awarded an OBE for services to industry. He is currently a Deputy Lieutenant for Lancashire. For over 30 years Dennis has also been successfully involved in establishing, leading, supporting and encouraging a significant number of highly effective UK regional initiatives and partnerships between the private, public and voluntary sectors, aimed at increasing investment in the region and improving the quality of life across Lancashire.

Fiona is co-founder and director of East Lancashire creative agency We Love Creative. She is a journalist turned PR with some 20 years’ experience in writing business focused content for marketing and PR campaigns for a wealth of clients.

Born and raised in Pendle, Fiona is extremely passionate about the area and was instantly captured by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth’s story and her passion to make textile crafting accessible to all.

“It is a true honour to play a part in ensuring Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth’s legacy as Trustee for the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection.

I feel a sense of duty to educate our young people about the area’s textile heritage and to ensure that Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth’s story is not only heard, but is kept alive by the next generations of talent.”

Charlotte is an  Associate of the Museums Association and Chartered Institute of Fundraising. Since achieving an MA in Museum Studies she has worked with museums across Lancashire including with Lancashire County Museum Service as manager of the Museum of Lancashire, leading its £1.7m redevelopment and later as senior museum manager with responsibility for the Council's museums in Preston and East Lancashire. She was a regional visitor attraction assessor for Visit England and project manager for the £2m redevelopment of the Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery in Rawtenstall. From 2016 she worked part time as Director of GTC and developed a passion for the textile collection and ethos of Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth to support the wellbeing and education of the communities of Burnley and Padiham.

Charlotte is now Cultural Strategy Manager for Burnley but pleased to be continuing to work with GTC as a trustee.  

Tom Kay-Shuttleworth

Tom studied Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University, before starting his working career as a researcher in the House of Commons. He spent subsequent years working for charities, including the coordination of street children projects in Russia and Ukraine and, whilst based at Coventry Cathedral’s International Centre for Reconciliation, various projects in the Middle East.
More recently, Tom spent five years at a management consultancy firm, and then worked as a civil servant in a number of government departments.
As the great great nephew of Rachel, Tom continues a strong family connection to the Collection, and is excited to have joined as a trustee in 2023.