The Trustees of Ely Museum form the governing body of the charity.

Jane Greaves (Chair)

 

Jane became a trustee in 2023 and was appointed chair in 2024. Jane is an experienced civil servant specialising in policy, currently working in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

 

Prior to her roles in the civil service, Jane worked in marketing and PR including for the Natural History Museum and National Army Museum. She has an MA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies and has undertaken voluntary work at a range of museums in England and America in a range of roles from collections to front of house.

 

Originally from Bolton, Jane moved to Cambridgeshire in 2017 (with a brief stint in London) and has been fascinated by the fens ever since. 

 

 

Patricia Birch (Vice Chair)

 

Patricia became a trustee in 2016 having worked previously as a librarian in Cambridgeshire and abroad.

 

Now living locally, her time overseas allowed many opportunities for volunteering including as trustee of the British School in Karachi, where Patricia was also a Guider.  During time in Australia, Patricia acted as a tour guide on an historic sailing ship in Sydney and as a volunteer for a charity supporting victims and witnesses in a criminal court setting.  

 

Patricia now volunteers her time supporting Ely Museum and the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge.  In her spare time, she enjoys walking, travelling and playing social bridge.

 

Hilary Burke (Treasurer)

 

Hilary joined the Museum as Trustee Treasurer in March 2024 after a 30-year career in secondary school education in Shropshire. She began her teaching life as a Physics teacher with the last 12 years as Headteacher of a large secondary school in Shrewsbury. Hilary was also Chair of the Trust Board of a local Multi Academy Trust.

 

Hilary and her husband moved to Soham in 2023 and are loving being closer to their family and being part of the local community

 

 

Katie Childs

 

Katie is currently the Chief Executive of Chawton House with extensive experience in the cultural and heritage sector having worked at the Imperial War Museums and the British Museum.  Having led on policy development and projects at the National Museum Directors’ Council Katie successfully achieved resulted in improvements in Government support for Museums and efficient cooperation across the Museum sector.

 

Also a Trustee of the Collections Trust, when she is not working Katie can be found watching Manchester United or the cricket, walking, cooking, clearing her overgrown garden or on the train to her home town of Bolton.

 

 

 

 

Pip Gardner

 

Dr Pip Gardner (they/them) became a trustee of Ely Museum in 2023. Pip is currently the Chief Executive of the Kite Trust – an LGBTQ+ youth organisation based in Ely and covering all of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough. They are also a board member for Transgender Europe.

 

Pip completed a PhD in cultural geography at the University of Sheffield examining the role of curiosity, creativity and innovation in the making of museum spaces and worked collaboratively with Museums Sheffield on the project. They have also previously worked for Woburn Abbey, University of Cambridge Museums and Hull 2017, UK City of Culture. 

 

John Bull

 

John joined the Board of Trustees in 2023 and describes himself as a ‘cultural nomad’.  A father of two he has, over the last decade (amongst other adventures), led the creation of two new cultural experiences, ‘Terra’, a Science Centre in Dubai which received over 2 million visitors during his time as the founding Director, and more recently opening the newest iteration of the Cambridge Science Centre.

 

John loves all that museums and science centres can be, especially for children and families. He’s also a Trustee of the UK Association of Science and Discovery Centres.

 

 

Ella Ponton-Hewitt

 

Ella is the Individual Giving Manager for the Royal Air Force Museum and has over a decade of experience working in museums. She has previously worked for the National Trust and small museums like the Museum of the Order of St John.

Ella joined the board in September 2023, whilst on maternity leave with her first daughter. As a trustee she is excited to support the Museum in their fundraising journey.

 

Lee Gilpin-Davies

 

Lee joined the board of trustees in 2023. He is a senior civil servant at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, where he leads for the UK government on climate adaptation and rural communities. He has worked in the civil service for over 20 years, both as a policy professional and a social researcher. He is a member of the Government Social Research Service. 

 

Before joining the civil service, Lee gained a PhD in Linguistics, specialising in child language psychology. He has lived in Ely for the last 20 years and is passionate about the city, the fenland landscape and our cultural heritage. 

 

Caoimhe Ni Dhonaill (City Council Representative)

 

Caoimhe (she/her) is City of Ely Council’s representative on the board of trustees, a role she took up in 2024. Caoimhe became a councillor for Ely North in 2023.

 

Originally from Ireland, where she studied medieval history in Trinity College, Dublin, Caoimhe moved to the UK in 2014 and to Ely in 2019 where she has now made her home. Professionally, she works as a Business Change Leader in Cambridge University Press and Assessment, after an earlier career in publishing, where at one point she was the production editor of a number of history journals. 

 

Vickie Jameson (Secretary)

Born in Ely and a descendent of the Cross Family, Vickie (she/her) has been a Trustee since December 2021.  Professionally she is an experienced HR Manager with over 20 years’ service in Local Government and is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Personnel Development.  In her other voluntary life, Vickie is also a Governor at Ely St John’s Primary School.  

Married with two children Vickie is passionate about learning, growth and enrichment and is delighted to be a part of Ely Museum, a space that captures the heritage of Ely and tells the story of the people of the fens.