Jonathan Ruffer is to be officially recognised as Founder of The Auckland Project, in honour of his continued investment and ongoing commitment to the Project and revitalising Bishop Auckland.
As of today (Monday 2 July 2018), Jonathan will concentrate on strategic initiatives and bringing new opportunities for The Auckland Project into play. He will hand over the role of Chair of the Trustees to Nick Turner who has served on the Board of The Auckland Project for the past three years.
David Maddan, CEO, The Auckland Project, said: “Now that the foundations of The Auckland Project have been firmly established, in his new role Jonathan will be able to concentrate on the increasingly important outward facing aspects of our work to revive Bishop Auckland.”
Jonathan Ruffer established The Auckland Project, then known as Auckland Castle Trust, in 2012, following the purchase of Auckland Castle in Bishop Auckland and its Zurbarán paintings of Jacob and His Twelve Sons.
His ambition is to transform the former private palace of the Prince Bishops of Durham into a world-class visitor destination, bringing with it the means to revitalise Bishop Auckland and help reinvigorate the surrounding region.
Jonathan, said: “Thanks to the hard work of the entire Auckland Project Team we have made great strides since 2012 and are now heading, full steam towards the opening of Auckland Castle in 2019, closely followed by our other venues. I am now looking forward to the next six years and the bright future stretching far beyond that for The Auckland Project and Bishop Auckland as a whole.”