Speakers
Marta Alberti
Deputy Director of Excavations, Vindolanda Trust
Marta Alberti is the Deputy director of excavations at the Vindolanda Trust. Her summer day job consists in supervising the exciting yearly excavations at Roman Vindolanda. Her winter day job involves maintaining site records, handling post excavation processes, researching various aspects of the site’s archaeology and writing reports. Marta moonlights as a PhD researcher: she is interested in you, the people of the Wall! Marta’s studies focus on non-professional participation to archaeology on the Wall, and the reasons why hundreds of people get involved in excavating, researching, exploring, guiding, cataloguing (and many more activities) this incredible monument.
Graham Bell
Director, Cultura Trust
Graham Bell is Director of Cultura Trust, founded in 1965, and has roles in other charities across Europe. His professional journey began as an architect under the influence of projects and people motivated by social responsibility: Byker (innovative social housing to national heritage in 20 years), St Oswald’s Hospice, the Grainger Town Project. A career in regeneration of historic places led to him being UK national co-ordinator for 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage and being an advocate of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially the contribution of cultural heritage to lifelong learning, climate action, wellbeing and the local economy.
Chris Blandford
President, World Heritage UK
Chris Blandford is a heritage specialist, master planner, and landscape architect. Since 2017, he has been President of World Heritage UK, the charity that represents and promotes, locally and nationally, the interest of all the World Heritage Sites spread across the UK. Prior to this role, for 40 years Chris was Chairman of the CBA Studios Consultancy. Since the early 90s Chris has been deeply involved with the planning, conservation, and management of numerous historic destinations and designations in the UK. Much of his professional time over has been focused on the planning and management of World Heritage Sites. These have included Stonehenge, Tower of London, Giants Causeway, Royal Botanic Garden Kew, Liverpool, Greenwich, Blaenavon and Durham to name but a few. Chris’ advice on policy, the nomination process, and management plans have resulted in the successful inscription of a number UK World Heritage Sites. He is very familiar with the protocols, processes, and application of the UNESCO World Heritage Operational Guidelines. On behalf of ICOMOS has undertaken expert assessments of candidate WHSs. Working internationally, he has assisted the development of World Heritage Sites in Peru, Oman, Italy, India, Singapore and elsewhere. Chris is an active contributor to the Association of European World Heritage Sites.
On behalf of WHUK Chris was the author of the 2020 World Heritage UK: Asset for the Future, a comprehensive Review and Strategy for the sustainability of all the UKs World Heritage Sites. He is currently preparing the national World Heritage Strategy for Southern Ireland .
David Brough
Heritage Consultant, Newcastle University
David has been involved with World Heritage, and particularly with Hadrian’s Wall, for over 15 years. He has also worked extensively with heritage managers in China and has coordinated the development of the Wall to Wall initiative. He has been working on the current project for the last year or so.
Abigail Cheverst
Engagement Coordinator, Hadrian’s Wall 1900
Abby is a local freelancer experienced in a range of community and sporting events from the Olympics to large outdoor music festivals. She is a also volunteer with WallCAP.
Dr Rob Collins
WallCAP Project Manager, Newcastle Universtity
Dr Rob Collins is a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at Newcastle University and the Project Manager of WallCAP. He has a terrible habit of inserting juvenile humour into his talks.
Chloe Duckworth
Lecturer & TV Presenter, Newcastle University
I am a lecturer in archaeological science, a public speaker and an author. I have worked on excavation and survey projects in Spain, Greece, Iran, Italy and the UK. In 2021, I was short-listed for the Council for British Archaeology’s ‘Achievement of the Year’ award, after launching a campaign to promote the wonder and value of archaeology in the UK.
These days, as a co-presenter of Channel 4’s The Great British Dig, I am lucky enough to work with fantastic local communities across the country, helping them to uncover the hidden secrets of the area they live in today.
Clare Forsythe
Hadrian’s Wall Youth Ambassador Engagement Co-ordinator
I am a 21-year-old plate spinner: a trustee of the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, a current theatre studies degree student, a producer and actor in a new touring comedy ‘Gone To The Wall’ for HW1900. I have lived and worked within Hadrian’s Wall and the World Heritage Site all my life and am now developing the youth engagement offer along Hadrian’s Wall! I am excited to develop my career further, exploring engagement between heritage, communities, and the arts.
Lady Jane Gibson
Chair, Hadrian’s Wall WHS Partnership Board
Jane is also chair of Spirit of 2012, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy charity and is a board member of the York and North Yorkshire LEP. She was founding chair of Make It York, the city’s destination management company.
Frank Giecco
Technical Director, Wardell Armstrong LLP
Technical Director with Wardell Armstrong Archaeology based in Carlisle. Experienced archaeologist with over 25 years’ running and managing field archaeology projects throughout the UK and overseas, both community and commercial. Significant interest and expertise on the archaeology of Roman Britain and in applications and support for philanthropic and funding projects – such as working with the Heritage Lottery Fund. Enthusiastic and impassioned about community excavation, volunteering a lot of personal time and energy in supporting and involving as wide a range of people from wide a background as possible in archaeology. Using archaeology to benefit academic understanding and peoples lives.
Bill Griffiths
Head of Programmes & Collections, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
A Roman Military Archaeologist by background, Bill is a member of the Hadrian’s Wall Partnership Board and chairs the Hadrian’s Wall 1900 anniversary festival steering group. At TWAM, he is responsible for several teams and the regional museum development and cultural learning programmes
Dr Jane Harrison
WallCAP Community Archaeologist, Newcastle University
Jane’s first ever excavation was on the Wall, and since then she has run many community-rooted archaeological research projects, involving and training local volunteers from Orkney to Oxfordshire. A number of those have included Roman sites, from a ceremonial-ritual site, to locations associated with pottery industries, and Romano-British farmsteads. Jane’s roles in the WallCAP project include planning, implementing and managing fieldwork and contributing to project reporting. As a wholehearted advocate of local involvement in archaeological projects, Jane is delighted to be involved in such an exciting opportunity to increase community participation in investigating the wonderful Wall.
Dr Ian Kille
Community Geologist, WallCAP
Geology, landscape and all it connects to has been a life-long fascination. My geological childhood was on the Wealden Chalk and the Jurassic of Somerset, then training as a research geologist at Oxford and Imperial College, investigating the Isle of Mull volcano.
In 2006 I set up Northumbrian Earth to share my enthusiasm for Northumberland and the Borders running geo-walks, talking and writing about the Northumberland Coast, the Cheviots and much else. I worked for 2 years as the community geologist for the Lindisfarne Peregrini project and now work as the Community Geologist with the WallCAP team.
Jez Light
Hadrian’s Wall Beaconmaster, The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacons
I’m Jez Light and my background is in producing cultural events in historic locations. I worked on the Connecting Lights event on Hadrian’s Wall as part of the Cultural Olympiad for London 2012 and on Hadrian’s Cavalry in 2018 as well as other major events for Northumberland County Council, Artichoke and Culture Creative. When I’m not talking to people about the Jubilee Beacons I work for the Hexham Community Partnership, Hexham Abbey and Queen’s Hall Arts.
Kathryn Murphy
Project Support Officer, WallCAP
Kathryn studied Anthropology & Classical Studies in Canada before moving to Edinburgh to complete an MSc in GIS & Archaeology. She then worked in commercial archaeology and the Historic Environment Record for local government before joining the WallCAP team, where she supports volunteer activities, helps run fieldwork and excavations, and manages the WallGIS.
Gary Pickles
National Trail Ranger, Northumberland National Park
I am the Maintenance Ranger for Hadrian’s Wall National Trail.
I’ve Worked in Countryside Management for over 20 years in a broad range of roles and this breadth of experience is what I utilise everyday in managing the multitude of tasks that arises throughout the Path.
Matthew Rabagliati
Head of Policy, Research & Communications, UK National Commission for UNESCO
Matthew is the Head of Policy, Research and Communications at the UK National Commission for UNESCO. He leads the organisation in developing and delivering its policy advice and research to the UK government, devolved administrations and UNESCO. He was formerly Senior Parliamentary Advisor at Historic England, and Policy and Communications Manager at the Heritage Alliance.