Our committees play a key role in deciding where National Lottery players’ money is spent. They make decisions on applications to HLF from £100,000 to £2million. Made up of leading figures from a range of sectors, members are chosen for their experience and local knowledge.

Who are our new chairs?

Sir Ronald Cooke – Chair of the Yorkshire and the Humber committee

Sir Ron Cooke has held several academic posts, including Vice Chancellor of the University of York and Vice-Provost of University College London. Formerly a Professor of Geography, his interests range from landscape analysis, through to the study of the quality of the public realm in heritage cities to the decay of heritage buildings. Ron has served as President of the Royal Geographical Society, and chairman of two companies and numerous agencies and charities, including the Yorkshire Arboretum, York Civic Trust and the City of York's Reinvigorate York project. He is an Honorary Freeman of the City of York, a former Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Lucy Winskell OBE DL – Chair of the North East Committee

Lucy is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Employability & Partnerships) at Northumbria University, leading the institution’s relationships with local government and public bodies.  Previously a litigation lawyer for 28 years, Lucy combined her legal practice with non-executive roles in public and private organisations. Currently she is Chairman of the Board of the North East England Chamber of Commerce, Vice-President of the British Chambers of Commerce and has recently been appointed to the Arts and Humanities Research Council. A trustee of Newcastle’s Live Theatre and International Centre for Life, Lucy was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to Higher Education and the regional economy in the North East.

Who are our new committee members?

We will also welcome eight new committee members to Yorkshire and the Humber, London, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

London committee

Jonathan Pickstone

Much of Jon's career has focused on place shaping, including master planning and housing strategy. He is currently Chief Operating Officer of the Department for International Trade's Capital Investment Directorate and chairs the Central Government Geographers Group.

Northern Ireland committee

Jim McGreevy

Jim has worked in the Northern Ireland heritage sector for over 30 years, beginning as an archivist and, prior to his retirement in 2015, serving as Acting Chief Executive for National Museums Northern Ireland.

Mukesh Sharma MBE

Mukesh has over 30 years’ travel and tourism industry experience. Appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast, he serves as a board member of several charities, establishing himself as a pioneer in the development of intercultural arts in Northern Ireland.

Jodie Jackson

A recent Archaeology-Palaeoecology & Geography graduate from Queen’s University Belfast, Jodie is pursuing her passion for heritage. She is currently employed by the National Trust, working as part of the Visitor Experience team in Springhill House and The Argory.

Scotland committee

Stuart Housden OBE

A zoology graduate, Stuart has served as Director of RSPB Scotland since 1994, leading a team of 350 staff managing 78,000 hectares. He is an active participant of many Scottish Government forums and was awarded an OBE for services to nature conservation and biodiversity in 2005.

Beltus Ojong Etchu FRSA, Accredited Assessor EFQM

The Chief Executive of Next Step Initiative and President of African Forum Scotland, Beltus has worked within the voluntary sector in Scotland for over 13 years and has extensive experience in social entrepreneurship and enterprise.

Yorkshire and the Humber committee

Professor Tony Collins 

Tony is a historian at De Montfort University and the author of several award-winning books on the social history of sport. A Rugby League Cares and Hull Kingston Rovers’ Community trustee, he also serves on the committee of the World Rugby Museum and has been a historical consultant to several television and radio programmes.

Florence Spaven

Florence studied at the University of Oxford and the University of Bath, where her thesis explored the role of community groups in the conservation of heritage assets. She now works as a heritage consultant in County Durham and is involved with a number of heritage renovation projects, both in and outside of the UK.

Find our more on our Committees page.