The Harborne Royalty Trust
The Harborne Royalty Trust has been set up as an unicorporated not for profit organisation initially. We have also carried out substantial preparatory work in anticipation of changing our structure to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) or similar in due course. The Board Members will provide a broad skill base for the Trust Board but will have no financial gain whatsoever through their involvement to save or administer the future running of this building.
The board will look at ways to ensure that those who are interested in saving this building and have the skills to manage it for the future are able to act as Board Members.
The Board Members will be providing information through the website and social media whenever possible and also plan to hold public meetings.
The Board of the Trust ready to engage in discussions with the current owner to establish a plan for retention of the building for the benefit of the community and to protect its architectural heritage.
The Trusts aims stated in its Constitution are:
- To work in partnership to ensure the preservation of the Royalty in Harborne, a Grade II listed building of historical importance and to ensure its ongoing conservation and care for public use.
- To ensure the advancement of community development by providing a multi-use community building, ensuring urban regeneration and provision of social and community infrastructure for the general public.
- To ensure the advancement of the arts, culture and heritage by ensuring the provision of mixed use performance, exhibition, entertainment and community space for the benefit of the general public and local community.
- To ensure the advancement of the arts, culture and heritage by protecting the unique art deco features of the building, its influence on early cinema design.
- To undertake any other activities that shall further the attainment of the objectives to ensure the preservation and continued use of the building for the benefit of the public, as decided by the trustees.
The Trust through discussion, understands that once close to ownership of the building it can apply to the Charity Commission to be granted charitable status which will enable a much wider range of applications to funding organisations as well as maximising the income. The Trust is a vehicle to secure the Royalty for the future and to enable everyone to continue to enjoy and benefit from the various features forming this marvellous Art Deco cinema.
The following are the current Harborne Royalty Trust board members.
Robert Sutton
Rob Sutton is an aerospace technical author with a passion for heritage conservation. For over 15 years he ran his own design and development business. In 2007 he became Chair of the Moor Pool Residents Association and led on the formation of the Moor Pool Heritage Trust which successfully negotiated and raised the funds to acquire in 2014 the Moor Pool Conservation Area community facilities including community hall, shops, residential flats, bowling green, tennis courts, skittle alley, a builders yard which is being converted to an ecology centre and a new pocket park. Rob has the practical experience of what it takes to finance the running of a vibrant community facility and has built up extensive contacts with BCC planning, conservation practitioners, building consultants, funders and local Councillors.
Bob Boucher
Bob has been a resident in Harborne for 48 years and is married with three grown up children all of whom attended local schools. Bob spent the majority of his working life as an educational psychologist employed by Birmingham and Sandwell education departments. Bob has always expressed an interest in the local community and has acted as Chairman of Harborne Tenants' Snooker Club on the Moor Pool Estate for the past twelve years. As such, he is highly experienced in community asset management. As a keen musician all his life he continues to play a wide variety of musical styles in numerous different bands in the local area. Music , golf , allotments and photography are his other interests.
Simon Coghlan
A local lad, Simon has lived in Harborne since 1959. He passed the Royalty each day in its heyday until he went to Durham University to study law. After leaving university he qualified as a solicitor in 1984 and then worked briefly in London until 1987 returning to work for Pinsents and then moving to what is now is Shakespeare Martineau in 1996 and has been there for the last 21 years. He is now a Legal Director and was a partner for 11 years. He specialises in commercial property work.
Rob Vaughan.
Robert Vaughan is a Director at Vaughan Consultancy Limited based in Edgbaston. He is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and RICS Certified Historic Building Professional. Robert’s expertise is work to historic and listed buildings and has also acted as Project Manager on historic building projects exceeding £10,000,000. Robert has lived in Harborne for over 10 years.
Trevor Norris.
Trevor Norris may be unusual having lived in Harborne all his life and says "that is quite some time". An accountant at heart and a respected businessman, he has held senior positions and run a number of high profile Midlands companies in diverse industries including energy, finance and stockbroking. He has an entrepreneurial outlook and is currently chairman of a number of business start-ups both in the UK and US and comes with an extensive business network.
Sue Timberlake.
Sue Timberlake has lived in the Edgbaston/Harborne area for 40 years. Having worked at the BBC in London before raising a family she has been Chairman of the Birmingham Arts Society (NADFAS) and is passionate about Art Deco. She hasand spent a life time involved in Sport, namely Squash where she played for Warwickshire and latterly Ggolf where she has represented England at Senior Level. She is currently President of the Midland Senior Ladies Golf Association and a Trustee of the Women’s Golf Museum in St. Andrews having an interest in the History of Golf. She has successfully raised funds for Help for Heroes and would be thrilled to see the Royalty come back to life for the benefit of the whole Harborne community.
Debbie Kerslake.
Debbie has lived in Harborne for more than 30 years. After graduating in history and doing a post-graduate diploma in social work Debbie joined Birmingham Social Services, working as a social worker and then managing a service for people with physical and learning disabilities. After 19 years she moved to the Voluntary Sector going on to become Chief Executive of a national charity, a role she has recently retired from after ten years. Debbie’s experience includes setting up a children’s charity; being a trustee of a charity caring for carers; working with the government on policy development and developing innovative services that meet the needs of under-represented groups.
Jim King.
Jim is ex WBBS and dealt with their social responsibility. Jim often turns written gibberish by the Chair into something readable so a key member of the Committee!
James Brown.
James is a Director of the Mockingbird Cinema in Digbeth and has been greatly supportive of our efforts to save the Royalty. Now James is fully on board with the project and will be a great asset as we move forwards.
Board Member News
The Harborne Royalty Trust are extremely grateful to all former Trustees who have given their time at various stages of the project.
The Trust is also grateful to the many other volunteers who have come forward and offered their services. If you would like to help or perhaps join the board of the Trust then please get in touch.