People active on the Castleford Heritage Trust
Our President, Winnie McLoughlin, has been the President of the Castleford Heritage Group since it formed in the year 2000. Winnie has served the community for many years, being a local Councillor from 1955 to 2000. In that time she was Mayor of Castleford from 1971 to 1972 and Mayor of Wakefield Metropolitan District from 1980 to 1981.
Hello, my name is Greta Sharkey, and as a Trustee, my main role is Co-ordinator of the Castleford Heritage Festival. It is very hard work involving many volunteers who give their valuable time freely. I enjoy the Festival Week so much. It is wonderful to see nearly one thousand schoolchildren learning about their heritage through ‘hands-on’ activities and then to receive the enthusiastic letters and reports back from the staff and children saying how much they learned and how much they enjoyed their time with us and “Please can we come again next year?”
Alison Drake: Alison is always very reluctant to write about herself so we thought we should mention her latest achievement (one of many). Here is the article that appeared in a recent edition of the Pontefract & Castleford Express.
“Alison Drake, chairman of Castleford Heritage Trust, has achieved an MA in heritage management, with distinction, from York University.
Alison said “I’m thrilled to finally get my masters. At my age it was quite a struggle. It was not possible at the time of the studies to give up any of the projects we are involved with at the trust. We delivered the Castleford Heritage Festival last year just as I was finishing my dissertation, so I was really under pressure.
I thought at one stage I would never get it finished as Channel 4 were pressing all of us involved in the Castleford Project regeneration scheme to do extra filming for the final cutting of the programmes.
My family and friends pulled me through it all with their generous patience, support and encouragement and I know I could not have done it without them.
I found the course very interesting and it provided information for my work with the trust. What is most satisfying to me is the way the work of the trust with local groups and schools goes from strength to strength. We want the whole community to be proud of local art and heritage and take this forward to help us make a stronger community and a better place for all of us and our children to live in.”
Cllr Mark Burns-Williamson was elected Deputy Chair of the Association of Police Authorities (APA) in September 2009 and has been a member of the Executive and Board since 2003.
He has been a member of West Yorkshire Police Authority since 1999, and was elected Chair of the Authority in June 2003 to-date. He has been a Wakefield Metropolitan District Councillor for approximately 12 years representing the Castleford Central and Glasshoughton Ward, as a Councillor, Mark is currently Chair of the Castleford Town Centre Partnership, Chair of the Wakefield Labour Group and member of many local voluntary groups. He is also a member of the Safer Communities Board which is part of the Local Government Association (LGA).
Locally Mark is also a long time governor at Wheldon Infants School and Castleford High School & Technology College which is one of the most improved state schools in England and also President of Glasshoughton Cricket Club. He is also a Life Member of Bradford University, where he gained a BSc Joint Honours Degree in History/Politics. Rugby League has been a lifelong passion as a former player, administrator and a keen supporter of Castleford Tigers RLFC.
Dave Wilders
I believe where you were born and brought up has a large part to play in your personality and has a direct result what you do in life. I was born in Airedale, and became a coal miner at Fryston Colliery first as a workman then a Deputy.
After I left the industry I rekindled my interest in art, and have for the last twenty years strived to learn new skills and exhibit my work, with quite a lot of the subject matter reflecting the once industrial past of Castleford.
I have also a passion for history and more so local history. I have researched and written books The History Of Castleford and Brick by Brick Pot by Pot. My interest extends so much that I have been for 12 years the Chairperson of the Friends Of Castleford Libray.
I am also director of Castleford Heritage Trust and Castleford Town Centre Partnership. Being part of these groups gives me a chance to meet people and have an input and work for improvement within the town.
Phil Curtis
Phil joined the trust in 2009 as treasurer.
Phil worked, for many years, as a researcher at the University of Manchester in the field of High Frequency Engineering. Phil gained both his B.Eng. and PH.D. in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from the University of Leeds. He has authored and co-authored many papers for technical journals and conferences, as well as reviewing manuscripts for publication.Phil has been studying towards becoming a qualified accountant since 2007, and currently works as a finance officer at an Academy in Leeds.
