A CEO has been appointed as a Heritage Fund UK committee member.

Northumberland National Park Authority chief executive officer, Tony Gates, has been appointed as a member of the National Lottery Heritage Fund UK’s committee for the north of England.  

The committee, which is made up of nine members, make decisions on grants between £100,000 and up to £5m, supporting a diverse range of projects that sustain and transform UK heritage in the north. 

Tony said: “It is a huge honour to be appointed as a committee member. National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects of all sizes which connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage. Heritage can be anything from the past that you value and want to pass on to future generations and plays a key part in shaping and regenerating places, building communities, supporting lifelong learning and people’s health and wellbeing. 

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“There’s a lot of synergy between the core purposes of Northumberland National Park Authority and what the National Lottery Heritage Fund aims to achieve; I look forward to being impressed and inspired by the rich and varied projects that come forward for funding to protect and celebrate the region’s irreplaceable heritage.”  

Tony Gates has been the chief executive officer at Northumberland National Park Authority since 2005 and has worked as a chief executive in landscape and heritage management for more than 25 years. 

An experienced non-executive director, Tony was appointed chair of Your Homes Newcastle in January 2020, and joined the Board of the National Federation of ALMOs from May 2021.