Bristol Music Trust, the charity that runs Colston Hall, has appointed five board members who will steer the venue through its £48.8 million transformation.
The redevelopment project is the biggest of its kind in the arts sector in Bristol and includes plans to remodel and upgrade the Main Hall and The Lantern - a smaller performance space.
The extensive cellars will also be opened up to create a new music and education venue.
Earlier this month, Bristol Live published photos of the current state of the inside of Colston Hall as the stage and balcony are demolished.
The board, whose members represent sectors including charity, business, the arts, finance and education, provides corporate governance and guidance to Bristol Music Trust through management policy, advocacy, commercial experience and networking.
Pat Connor, Tony Cherry, Craig Gentle, Tanya Lacey and Sandra Meadows will be joining the board of trustees along with incoming chair Simon Chapman.
But who are they?
Pat Connor is director of BBC South West, and the BBC’s head of development and events.
Her role will be to make sure Colston Hall's work takes advantage of local and national opportunities.
Tony Cherry is a partner at the international law firm DAC Beachcroft and is also a director of Bristol educational organisation Cabot Learning Federation.
Craig Gentle is the chief financial officer at St James’s Place Wealth Management. He will "have an eye" on the trust’s finances and will advise on investment and commercial deals.
Tanya Lacey is a Bristol-based singer-songwriter and advocate for women’s involvement in music.
She works closely with Bristol Plays Music - the music hub for Bristol that is run by Bristol Music Trust - as well as lecturing in songwriting and lyric development at ACM (Academy of Contemporary Music).
Sandra Meadows is the chief executive of support and development agency Voscur and specialises in voluntary, community and social enterprise sector development.
Louise Mitchell, chief executive of Bristol Music Trust, said: “We are thrilled to welcome these five new members to our board of trustees.
“There is a wealth of knowledge in this group, who are particularly strong in the media, the arts and education and city wide activism.”
Other members of the board include: Sir Brian McMaster, former director of the Edinburgh International Festival; Sonia Mills, chair of Bristol Music Trust Capital Fundraising Group; Andrew Nisbet, founder and chairman of Nisbets plc; James Wetz, chair of the Centre for Social Policy linked to the Social Research Centre at Dartington; and Cllr Estella Tincknell, who represents Bristol City Council on the Bristol Music Trust Board.
Edward Colston and Bristol's slave trade
The Transform the Hall project not only aims to overhaul the building itself, but its associations with slave-trader Edward Colston, who was not a benefactor of the hall and died 146 years before it was built.
Although the building's foyer was revamped and reopened in 2009, the rest of the hall has not been refurbished for 60 years.
