Here’s who is speaking on Friday 10th October at World Heritage UK’s annual conference at Saltaire WHS.
Ashleigh Taylor – Blaenavon WHS
Ashleigh Taylor MSc AMA is the Director of the Charity ‘The Hwb Torfaen’ and has spent most of her career falling accidentally into working with vulnerable, disadvantaged, and young, people within heritage, and now pursues this field with passion with the WH sector! With a degree from Durham in Archaeology, and an MA in Egyptology from Birmingham, in 2019 she re-trained and gained her MSc in Childhood and Youth specialising in children’s rights, voice and participation in World Heritage.
Ashleigh is currently the lead on Learning and Engagement in Blaenavon WHS and provides consultation and advice across the world on this topic. She is the Chair of Blaenavon Industrial Landscape WHS L&E network and has supported the site through 2 management plan reviews and 2 periodic reviews as well as numerous projects to bring community and stakeholder engagement to the forefront of the site’s management. She has been the director of the World Heritage Youth Ambassadors since 2014. In 2022 she was recognised as an inspirational woman for 2022 Women’s Day by the Prince and Princess of Wales for her role in supporting vulnerable children through the power of culture and heritage.
In 2022 Ashleigh became a trustee for WHUK, and in 2023 the treasurer, bringing her knowledge in the field of community, participation, and youth engagement within WH to the organisation.
Sam Scriven, Principal Officer – World Heritage, Dorset Council
Sam grew up on the Jurassic Coast, and his experiences there inspired him to study geology. His first job out of Uni was running school and public fossil hunting trips at the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, where he learned the value of good engagement. In 2009 he joined the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site team and became an expert in geological heritage management and interpretation. Sam now works as Principal Officer for World Heritage at Dorset Council, providing advice and leading on the co-ordination of Site management.
Tom Waterhouse – Managing Director, Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire
Tom is the Managing Director for Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, the largest bus operator in Cumbria, with services which travel 13.4 million miles and carry 22.5 million passengers each year. Many of these services operate into and within the Lake District National Park. A former graduate trainee with Stagecoach, and originally from Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, Tom has been based in Cumbria since 2018 having previously held the role of Operations Director. He lives with his partner and young family just outside Carlisle. Tom is also a non exec board member for both Cumbria Tourism and the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce.
Hannah Joyce, Lucy Thomas & Dan Amor – Slate Landscape of NW Wales WHS
Hannah is a Regeneration Programme Manager within the Economy and Community Service at Cyngor Gwynedd, with responsibility for The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site. Hannah has a background in project management, community development and public funding, and has been part of the World Heritage Team since pre inscription.
Lucy is Project Manager of a five-year programme of community engagement activities across the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales World Heritage Site. A project which aims to engender a strong sense of local pride in the Slate Landscape, enhancing wellbeing, providing skills development opportunities and boosting the local economy.
Dan currently works as the World Heritage Coordinator for Northwest Wales. Before that he was the Outreach and Education Officer at Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.
Tony Watson – Head of Tourism, North Yorkshire Council
Tony is Head of Tourism for North Yorkshire Council, leading Visit North Yorkshire – the largest tourism body by area in England. He is responsible for delivering the county’s ten-year Destination Management Plan, supporting a multi-billion-pound visitor economy that stretches from spectacular coastlines and national parks to vibrant market towns, historic cities, and world-class cultural attractions.
North Yorkshire is also home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, part of a diverse offer that draws millions of visitors each year. Tony previously held senior roles with the Lake District National Park Authority, where he championed its World Heritage designation and chaired its marketing group, showcasing the English Lake District on the global stage.
He has a strong track record in building award-winning partnerships, driving commercial growth, and delivering major events. Passionate about collaboration and place-based storytelling, Tony is committed to ensuring tourism delivers lasting benefits for businesses, communities, and visitors alike.
Sarah Calderbank – Head of Communications & Engagement, Lake District National Park Authority
With more than 25 years’ experience in PR across the public, private and third sectors, Sarah has developed a passion for multi-channel, inspirational storytelling communications for beloved places. In her current role, Sarah manages teams to inform, inspire and engage with the Lake District National Park and English WHS – responding to and harnessing the public’s passion for the Lake District – a task that is both challenging and incredibly rewarding.
In July 2017 Sarah led the communications for the announcement of the Lake District as the UK’s 31st UNESCO World Heritage Site, generating widespread media coverage. She continues to work with partners, businesses and communities to bring the WHS story alive to a wide range of audiences.
Sarah is a Chartered PR, marketer, life-long learner and happy hill walker.
Prof. Andy Wilson – Chair in Forensic & Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford
Andy is a Professor at the University of Bradford, with a background in heritage, archaeology and conservation. He is academic lead for their Visualising Heritage team which specialise in the use of 3D capture and visualisation for wide-ranging applications in place-based research, including the use of cutting-edge digital twin technologies. In 2021 the university secured a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for their world-leading work and innovation in developing archaeological technology and techniques and its influence on practice, policy and society. Since 2022 they have secured in excess of £7m investment in infrastructure, including a number of UK firsts for digital capture, cross-sectional imaging and mobile mapping technologies.
The 2025 WHUK Annual Conference is supported by:
