How do you define “heritage”?

To me heritage is all about people: what they leave behind, and how that helps us to understand the impact they had on a place or people. Heritage belongs to all of us and in turn we are responsible for it.

Tell us about what’s happening at Wardown Park Museum

We’re a small, local history museum in Luton’s Wardown Park. [quote]It's been an amazing few years transforming our little museum into a beautiful, engaging, inspiring place.[/quote] We are all so pleased with the new Wardown House, Museum and Gallery, and proud to shout about the stories of this extraordinary town of Luton.

What’s your role in this heritage project?

I was Project Director, which sounds very grand but my role really was to help bring together some creative, passionate and talented people from the museum, the Museum Makers (our fab volunteers) and other wider arts and heritage community, to make this transformation possible.

Why did you decide to create the Wardown House Museum and Gallery project?

The museum had lost its way - it didn't really reflect our super diverse communities; it didnt showcase our collections and it was at risk in these difficult financial times. We wanted our museum to fly the flag for Luton and all its communities both locally and nationally. We also needed it to be more financially sustainable, and that meant rethinking its look, layout, and content. In fact there wasn't much we didn't re-evaluate to achieve what we now have. Now, it’s finally a museum that the community can take pride in, after all it’s their collection; their stories!

What’s your favourite aspect Wardown House Museum and Gallery?

I love the attention to detail we have. We wanted the new displays to be really interactive, and not just with a token touch screen or trail. We wanted this lovely Victorian house to be like a theatre set; a backdrop to tell the house's story from its construction in the 1870's to today.

Our aim was that if you can touch it then we want you to touch it! To sit in the chair, pick a book of the shelf, even play billiards! We trust our visitors and we don't feel our job is to teach or tell stories but let our visitors find out and discover for themselves. I really think we have achieved that aim.

What’s it like being Director of Art and Museums at Luton Culture?

Well, I am never short of projects, ideas and work to do that's for sure! My role is so broad as I manage both of Luton’s Museums, including Stockwood Discovery Centre which we redeveloped in 2008, plus our Hat Factory Arts Centre and Library Theatre.  My current project is the creation of a Cultural Quarter in Luton, with four former hat factories under development as spaces to support new local talent in the Creative industries. When you work in this sector you certainly need to adapt, change and learn fast.

Is there a piece of Luton heritage or history that particularly inspires or resonates with you?

My guilty pleasure has to be our horse drawn carriage collection. It was given to us by a local man, George Mossman, in 1991 and there are over 70 vehicles, the largest collection in Europe. I love the design, engineering and detail of them but what I love most is the stories we can draw from them about people and society.

What was the last heritage project you visited / enjoyed interacting with?

I recently visited Woburn Heritage Centre, a small volunteer run place in a gorgeous little Bedfordshire village. The volunteers have a wonderfully rich display of local objects and stories. Small volunteer run museums are the lifeblood of heritage, so I think it’s really important to visit and support them.

Why do you think heritage is important?

Heritage helps us connect with each other, our similarities and differences are the things which make life fascinating and at times challenging, but through understanding and sharing our heritage I think we can become a more tolerant society. [quote]"Through understanding and sharing our heritage we can become a more tolerant society."[/quote]

Do you have a favourite historical figure?

Boudicca, not because I know much about her but it's often been my nickname. Not sure if I am flattered or offended by that!