Bath & North East Somerset Council has appointed Charlotte Somers to the newly created role of head of marketing, fundraising and supporter development.
Charlotte, pictured, will help deliver the council’s plans to further develop its cultural and heritage sites, including the re-interpretation of its world-class Roman Baths, new education and community spaces at the Victoria Art Gallery and a new home for its Fashion Museum and its internationally renowned collection.
Charlotte joins from Hall for Cornwall, the county’s largest independent theatre, where she was marketing & business development director and a key member of the leadership team that delivered a multi million-pound major new arts venue, community and heritage education space.
Prior to that she headed marketing and communications for the St Aubyn Estates’ portfolio of heritage businesses in Cornwall, including St Michael’s Mount, run in partnership with the National Trust.
At Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES) she will take the lead in delivering Heritage Services’ supporter-focused strategy to expand audiences for its museums, collections and venues along with will oversee fundraising for the new Fashion Museum.
B&NES has pledged that the Fashion Museum’s relocation to the Old Post Office, pictured, on the corner of New Bond Street and Northgate Street, will still go ahead despite the project failing to secure any investment from the government’s ‘levelling-up’ fund.
The council had bid for £20m – more than half the project’s total budget. Council officers are now exploring alternative ways of funding the Re-Fashioning Bath project, which will create a new home for the world-leading museum while triggering a wider regeneration of the city’s Milsom Quarter and attracting high-end retailers and workspaces for creative businesses.
The Fashion Museum, which was housed in the Assembly Rooms for nearly 60 years, closed last October.
The council said Charlotte’s appointment was the latest of several new hires to strengthen the service’s leadership team.
Head of heritage services Robert Campbell joined in late 2021 following spells at the Museum of London, Imperial War Museum, English Heritage, Museums of History New South Wales and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.
Amanda Hart, previously director at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester, took up the position of Roman Baths manager last year and in March former director of programming at the V&A Sophie McKinlay was appointed as project director for the Fashion Museum.
Cabinet member for economic & cultural sustainable development Paul Roper said: “Bath and North East Somerset’s heritage offer is world class and we are committed to ensuring its future for generations to come.
“Putting together a strong leadership team is a key part of this, and this latest appointment will further enhance our ability to achieve our vision and priorities over the coming years – including the development of the new Fashion Museum in the Milsom Quarter.
“The appointment of a new head of marketing, fundraising and supporter development further strengthens an already excellent team and ensures the council continues to invest in its people to protect, conserve and engage communities with our heritage assets.”
B&NES’ Heritage Services team is responsible for stewarding the public-facing heritage assets in its care, including the Roman Baths, pictured above, Victoria Art Gallery and Bath Record Office. These significantly contribute to the local economy through heritage tourism, supporting local services that benefit residents and contributing directly to the council’s purpose of improving people’s lives.
The Fashion Museum’s collection is currently housed in heritage glove maker Dents’ headquarters in Warminster. Items from the collection are also currently on display in exhibitions at Kensington Palace and The Queen’s Gallery in London, V&A Dundee, and Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow.
B&NES said it anticipated the new Fashion Museum would open within four years.
