Company attracted to culture

A new Sunderland company has been set up to run major city attractions including National Glass Centre and the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens. The new venture – which will also oversee Sunderland’s bid for UK City of Culture in 2021 – has been hailed as an innovative model for cultural leadership.

Sunderland Culture has been formed by the University of Sunderland, the city council and Sunderland Music Arts and Culture (MAC) Trust which is developing a new cultural quarter behind the Sunderland Empire.

The company will manage and operate major cultural venues owned by the three partners, and develop and deliver large-scale cultural projects. It will also raise the profile of the city’s arts provision and manage programming for the city’s cultural sector.

Board directors from the three partner organisations have been joined by five independent board members to govern the activities of the new venture.

The newly-appointed independent trustees are: David Roberts from Manchester-based igloo regeneration; Andrew MacKay, director of the Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust in Cumbria; Annabel Turpin, chief executive of the Arc arts centre in Stockton; Iraa Kadchha, director of Sunderland-based RGB Media and Gillian Miller, regional director of the Association of Colleges.

They join six trustees appointed by the company’s founding partners. Representing Sunderland City Council are Fiona Brown, Executive Director of People Services and Coun John Kelly, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Wellness and Culture. Representing the MAC Trust are John Mowbray OBE, High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear and Paul Callaghan CBE, who is chair of the Leighton Group. Representing the university are chief operating officer Steve Knight and Graeme Thompson

Viv Hardwick