Swindon Heritage Preservation New Chair.
It’s all change at Swindon Heritage Preservation with a new Chair taking over the reins at the AGM on Saturday 8th November 2026. And now’ll hand over, for the most part, to the words of my chum Jason Spickett, of Swindon from the Air. He’d already written something on Facebook and why re-invent the wheel eh?
At the charity’s AGM on Saturday Chairman Bob Wright stood down so he could spend more time with his family. Bob has had involvement with Swindon Heritage Preservation for many years. He was first appointed as Char in November 2023. He’s given his all to lead and mentor this fantastic team. And, under his Chairship, the SHP team have achieved so much.
But if you think he’s going to become a pipe and slippers man, think again! Bob will be staying on as a trustee. He’ll continue to help with the running of the charity and the the fight to save the Mechanics Institute.
So big shoes to fill, and the task now falls to Aaron Marchant, voted in as the new Chair.
I’m so pleased with this appointment. And I’m sure everyone at the AGM felt the same way. Judging by the applause as he stood to make his first speech in the new role
Photo courtesy of Jason Spickett
Aaron’s vision for SHP
At the AGM Aaron gave us his vision for the next year. He’s got three objectives and they are:
1. To continue to champion the rescue and restoration of the Mechanics Institute and to ensure it has the best possible chance of rescue.
2. Ensure they maximise the use of the four buildings they already have, to get more people using them and to increase the revenue that comes in.
3. To grow their presence and influence across the town. Swindon Heritage Preservation are keenly aware that heritage sits across the whole area. In particular with buildings like the Corn Exchange and the Oasis. And Aaron wants the charity to play a bigger active role in safeguarding the heritage we have.
He spoke about the gap between vision and delivery that exists. And how we need to deliver on our cultural heritage and not allow our historic buildings to rot. He said Swindon’s revival starts and ends with the recognition that our heritage is the building blocks of our future.
So, what do we know about our new Chair? Anyone who speaks with me knows that I worry that as our older historians fade away leaving fewer to carry on telling the story of our town. And that much will get forgotten and lost forever.
Well, Aaron is a mere twenty-eight years old. But he’s been involved with Swindon Heritage Preservation since 2022. He’s well-qualified. He holds a Master’s Degree in history and a background in planning and infrastructure. He’s been Vice Chair and has worked at close quarters with Bob Wright who has trained him up to take on the top job.
We’e seen the future and it’s not orange
The long and short of it is that, the future for Swindon Heritage Preservation is bright. It has an excellent new Chair and an amazing team behind him who are knowledgeable and supportive.
Jason now goes on to say that he’ll continue to support both the charity and Aaron on his new role. He also urges you all to get involved with them – or, at the very least, to be a member. And I concur with that!
Find out how here: https://swindonheritage.org.uk/#Support-us
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