Treat Mom like a Queen and join us for Mother’s Day Brunch on Sunday, May 13th. The garden will be filled with the beauty of spring for your family to enjoy. Mom will be able to enjoy a scrumptious buffet meal filled with items that the whole family will take pleasure in. This is a very popular event at Abkhazi Garden so make certain to reserve your space early.

Adults $27.00 plus tax
Children under 12: $15.00 plus tax
Two Seatings: 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

White Rhodo. Photo by Jeff de Jong.

The Victoria Rhododendron Society will be holding its Annual Sale at Abkhazi Garden on Saturday May 12th, from 9:00 a.m. until noon. This is your opportunity to purchase one or more of these remarkable plants that grow so well in the island. Expect to see many rhododendrons not sold in the nursery. Expert growers will also be on hand to answer your questions. Admission to the garden is free until noon. Come and support The Rhododendron Society and stay to wander through Abkhazi Garden.

Abkhazi is offering a special breakfast menu on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. in addition to its regular lunch and tea selections on Thursdays to Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Drop by for a visit at 1964 Fairfield Road, Victoria or call to make a reservation at 250 598 8096.

Abkhazi Garden Breakfast Menu (all main dishes are $12.00)

Classic Eggs Benedict
Ham, house hollandaise sauce with garden herbs on baked scone. Served with veggie hash. Substitute with smoked salmon.

Early Riser
Farm fresh eggs, sausage, Wildfire toast with homemade jam and a side of fruit or veggie hash.

Gardener’s Healthy Choice
Hot oatmeal, wildflower honey, yogurt or cottage cheese served with warm toast and fresh fruit.

Chef’s Specialty
French toast made with house brioche, fruit compote and Canadian maple syrup with a side of bacon.

Saturday, March 24 from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. Abkhazi Garden welcomes all those who wish to discover this amazing garden at no charge for gate admission.

Discover for yourself the magic of this rare and special place, which is renowned for being in the top 100 small gardens of the world. Abkhazi Garden is located at 1964 Fairfield Road, Victoria, B.C. For more information please visit our Abkhazi Garden webpage or call the garden at 250 598 8096.

Designer Pamela Robert decked the halls of the historic Abkhazi Garden home in festive holiday-inspired decor to be enjoyed for the entire month of December. A two page spread of the design was featured in the Times Colonist on Saturday, December 17th.

You can see the home first hand by attending one of TLC’s holiday events at Abkhazi this month or stopping in during their regular hours, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Christmas and New Years.

Photos by Dennis Robinson.

Vancouver, British Columbia, December 19, 2011 — On behalf of the Honourable Peter Kent, Canada’s Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Mr. John Weston, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country, today announced that the Government of Canada will be investing in the conservation of the Binning Residence National Historic Site.

“The Binning Residence heralded a new form of architecture on the Coast and continues to attract tourists and architectural enthusiasts to West Vancouver,” said Mr. Weston. “It is exciting to picture how today’s investment in this leading example of early Modern architecture will continue to awe and enlighten Canadians.”

The Binning Residence, located in West Vancouver, British Columbia, is a remarkable illustration of early modern architecture in Canada and the ideas of Bertram Charles Binning, an artist and promoter of Modernist ideology. Designed and constructed during the Second World War, it responded to the social and economic conditions of the time by using local materials and efficient construction methods to create an affordable home. The residence’s features set a pattern of design that would have a profound influence on post-war residential architecture throughout the 1950s and 1960s and was designated a national historic site in 1997. Since 2008, the site has been owned and managed by The Land Conservancy of British Columbia.

Through Parks Canada’s National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program, the Government of Canada will be contributing up to $11,426 for the preparation of a conservation plan for the site.

“One of our Government’s major objectives is to inspire Canadians to develop strong and meaningful connections with Canada’s national treasures,” said Minister Kent. “Our national historic sites are vital to our history, our identity as Canadians, and our tourism industry. By investing in them and by building lasting relationships with the community groups that operate them, we ensure that they will continue to help support local economies and encourage more Canadians to explore and discover our national heritage.”

“We are very pleased that we are able to move forward with a heritage conservation plan for this unique national historic site,” said Tamsin Baker, Lower Mainland Regional Manager of The Land Conservancy of British Columbia. “Once completed, the plan will provide an invaluable roadmap to ensure that the house will be effectively managed in the long-term. It will also ensure that the site will continue to inspire future generations of visiting artists and architects.”

The Cost-Sharing Program reflects the Government of Canada’s dedication to protect Canada’s heritage through funding towards the conservation of our national historic sites. In this centennial year, Parks Canada is pleased to continue its efforts to ensure that Canada’s historic and natural heritage is protected for the enjoyment, education and appreciation of all Canadians, today and in the future.

For additional information, please see the accompanying backgrounder at www.parkscanada.gc.ca under Media Room.

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Information:
Adam Sweet
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
819-997-1441

Media Relations
Parks Canada
819-953-8371

Parks Canada’s National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program

Abkhazi Garden is located at 1964 Fairfield Road. For a map to the site please visit our Visiting Abkhazi Garden page.

When:  Thursday, December 22, 2011

Time:  Doors open at 6:00, Choir starts at 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Where:  1964 Fairfield Road, Abkhazi Garden

Cost:  $10/person, includes admission, a hot drink and treats

Celebrate the season with a visit to the 1950’s home of Peggy and Nicolas Abkhazi. Tour the house interior and see the beautifully transformed dining room by Pamela Robert of PR Interior Design and Andrea Posno – Walker Poppies Floral Art. Pamela and Andrea infuse the restaurant with a holiday season sensation colour scheme of crimson red, glimmering silver, festive greenery, pine and birch. Come and experience a holiday restaurant with the makings of tradition. Let the enchanting VIVA Youth Choir pleasure your sense of sound while enjoying a warm cup of tea and some holiday treats. Book your space today!

If you can’t attend this Holiday Garden Recital, don’t dismay, there’s still a chance to view the historic site during regular business hours from 11-5pm daily. Abkhazi Garden Restaurant is now serving breakfast on Saturday and Sunday from 8am until 11am. Come and do your holiday shopping at the Shop in the Garden as there are many great gift ideas from local artisans.

Abkhazi Garden

Help Secure the Garden Today- Turn your dollar into 2 this giving season! TLC has received a generous matching grant from the W.Garfield Weston Foundation in the amount of $125,000. These funds will go directly towards the Abkhazi Garden property mortgage.

The Land Conservancy, supported by many individuals and organizations, purchased Abkhazi Garden through an intensive fundraising campaign in 2000. The negotiated price for the Garden was $1,375,000. With fundraising, legal, financing and other costs, TLC needed to raise approximately $1.6 million to secure the future of the Garden. Because of the relatively short period of time to raise funds, TLC opted to cover most of these costs with a syndicated mortgage. Due to the generous support of 18 individuals who came forward to invest in this mortgage, and many others who made donations, we were able to put together the necessary financing to acquire the Garden and save it from being turned into a townhouse development.

In early 2001 a second property, immediately adjacent to the Garden, became available. This second lot had originally been part of the Abkhazi’s property and was an integral part of the original Garden. As with the main Garden property, TLC put together a mix of loans and additional private mortgages to acquire the lot, with the intention of re-integrating it into the Garden. This lot cost an additional $210,000.

TLC still needs to raise funds to pay off the mortgages on these properties in the amount of $1 million. Each month, our mortgage payments are over $10,000, plus it costs several thousand dollars a month to operate and open the garden to the public. Every dollar makes a difference when it comes to the long-term care of this community treasure. Please give generously to Abkhazi Garden today.

THE LAND CONSERVANCY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Since 1997, TLC has been saving special places throughout our beautiful province for today and future generations. As B.C.’s leading charitable land trust, we have protected more than 300 properties of fast disappearing natural areas, historic sites, farms and ranches, and places of community and recreational importance. TLC works with many partners, all levels of government, businesses, community groups, and individuals to ensure the broadest support for our activities. TLC is proud to work on behalf of over 8,700 Members worldwide. Become a Member today at conservancy.bc.ca

For further information: 
Jill Patterson, Outreach & Development Officer, 479-8053, jpatterson@conservancy.bc.ca.

Soup

Parsnip soup with local wild mushrooms
Sweet parsnips, mushroom and balsamic garnish

Salad
Dungeness Crab Salad
Roasted beets, tangy grapefruit, organic greens
and a sweet vinaigrette

Main

Duck Confit with Wild Rice
Pan seared confit duck caramelized apples
Lavender honey and savory wild rice.

Cheese Plate

Fresh house made crackers and a section of cheeses.

Bumbleberry Ice Wine.

Sweet Finale

Leading up to its 100^th birthday in 2012, the Historic Joy Kogawa House is getting some TLC. With a new roof and set of front stairs now in place, we are pleased to report the next phase in the restoration plan is to tackle the interior sun room and living room.  Once completed, these rooms will allow more space and light during community events.  Funds for the interior renovations have been received from the City of Vancouver, the Heritage Legacy Fund, and the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.  However, additional matching funds are required for the work to continue in the new year. 

On the writing front, through TLC’s partnership with the Historic Joy Kogawa Society, the third writer-in-residence was welcomed into the house in September for three months.  Susan Crean is a non-fiction author from Toronto who will use her time at the house to work on a new non-fiction book in part about head-tax payer, Wong Dong Wong, who came to Canada in 1911.  She will also be engaging in a series of public conversations at the house with writers who use their work as a means of social change. After a break over the holidays, another writer will be moving in for three months starting in mid-January. 

Individuals interested in contributing to the restoration of Historic Joy Kogawa House, please call TLC’s Lower Mainland Manager, Tamsin Baker at 604 733 2313 or email tbaker@conservancy.bc.ca.

TLC volunteers donated over 400 hours to create this working green house at Abkhazi Garden. Thanks to Dennis Robinson, Dick Bullard, and Ken Beswick
for all their efforts.

Stop by Abkhazi Gardens, 1964 Fairfield Road, and enjoy a walk through the garden or lunch at the restaurant. The garden is open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. while the restaurant is open 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch Thursday to Sunday and 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for tea and desserts Thursday to Sunday. Call 250-598-8096 for more information.

What: Festive Craft Night
When: Thursday, December 8, 2011
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: 1964 Fairfield Road, Abkhazi Garden
Cost: $20 per person, includes 4 hand crafted ornaments, hot drinks and treats

Reserve Your Space Today!

What: Caroling and Storytelling Evening
When: Thursday, December 22, 2011
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: 1964 Fairfield Road, Abkhazi Garden
Cost: $10 per person, includes hot drinks and treats

Reserve Your Space Today!

Celebrate the season with a visit to the 1950’s home of Peggy and Nicolas Abkhazi. Tour the house interior and see the beautifully transformed dining room by Pamela Robert of PR Interior Design and Andrea Posno of Walker of Poppies Floral Art.

If you can’t attend the Festive Craft Night, don’t dismay, there’s still a chance to view the historic site during regular business hours from 11-5pm daily. Abkhazi Garden Restaurant is now serving breakfast on Saturday and Sunday from 8am until 11am. Come and do your holiday shopping at the Shop in the Garden as there are many great gift ideas from local artisans.

Abkhazi Garden

Turn your dollar into 2 this giving season! TLC has received a generous matching grant from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation in the amount of $125,000. These funds will go directly towards the Abkhazi Garden property mortgage.

TLC purchased Abkhazi Garden in 2000. Created by Prince Nicholas and Princess Peggy Abkhazi in 1946, the Garden is a unique jewel in a city known for its gardens. At the time of purchase, Abkhazi Garden was scheduled to be demolished to make room for townhouses. The local community, knowing the beauty and value of this property, stepped up and encouraged TLC to become involved.

With such a short timeframe to raise funds, TLC opted to cover most of the cost with a mortgage. Thanks to the generous support of individuals who invested in this mortgage, and many others who made donations, we were able to put together the necessary financing to acquire the garden and save it from being lost.

Currently, TLC maintains a mortgage on the property of $1 Million with monthly payments of over $10,000. Plus, it costs several thousands of dollars each month to operate and keep the garden open to the public. Every dollar makes a difference when it comes to the long-term care of this community treasure. Please give generously to Abkhazi Garden today.

The Land Conservancy of British Columbia

Since 1997, TLC has been saving special places throughout our beautiful province for today and future generations. As B.C.’s leading charitable land trust, we have protected more than 300 properties of fast disappearing natural areas, historic sites, farms and ranches, and places of community and recreational importance. TLC works with many partners, all levels of government, businesses, community groups, and individuals to ensure the broadest support for our activities. TLC is proud to work on behalf of over 8,700 Members worldwide. Become a Member today at conservancy.bc.ca.

For further information:
Jill Patterson, Outreach & Development Officer, 479-8053, jpatterson@conservancy.bc.ca.

For the winter 2011 season, Abkhazi is offering a special breakfast menu on Saturdays and Sundays (starting Nov 19 at 8 to 11 am) in addition to its regular lunch and tea selections (from Thursdays to Sundays, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) . Drop by for a visit at 1964 Fairfield Road, Victoria. Also enjoy our Shop in the Garden for holiday gift ideas.

Abkhazi Garden Breakfast Menu (all main dishes are $12.00)                  

Classic Eggs Benedict

Ham, house hollandaise sauce with garden herbs on baked scone. Served with veggie hash. Substitute with smoked salmon.

Early Riser

Farm fresh eggs, sausage, Wildfire toast with homemade jam and a side of fruit or veggie hash.

Gardener’s Healthy Choice

Hot oatmeal, wildflower honey, yogurt or cottage cheese served with warm toast and fresh fruit.

Chef’s Specialty

French toast made with house brioche, fruit compote and Canadian maple syrup with a side of bacon.

The W. Garfield Weston Foundation is stepping up in support of TLC’s Be the Change Campaign by offering a matching grant of $125,000 to assist in paying down the outstanding mortgage on Abkhazi Garden in Victoria.

“This grant has made a significant impact on the campaign. It ensures the viability and thus the long-term protection of an important cultural property for future generations. We are issuing a challenge to anyone willing to make a contribution to Abkhazi to step up now as it will be doubled up to $250,000,” says Bill Turner, TLC Executive Director.

In March of 2011, TLC launched its Be the Change Campaign, an overarching public engagement campaign to raise $10 Million for TLC’s mandate and operations. Mortgage debt reduction on properties such as Abkhazi Garden is one component of the initiative. To date over $1.2 Million has been raised, including funds to retire the mortgage on Wildwood.

TLC purchased Abkhazi Garden in 2000. Created by Prince Nicholas and Princess Peggy Abkhazi in 1946, the Garden is a unique jewel in a city known for its gardens. At the time of purchase, Abkhazi Garden was scheduled to be demolished to make room for townhouses. The local community, knowing the beauty and value of this property, stepped up and encouraged TLC to become involved.

With such a short timeframe to raise funds, TLC opted to cover most of the cost with a mortgage. Thanks to the generous support of individuals who invested in this mortgage, and many others who made donations, we were able to put together the necessary financing to acquire the garden and save it from being lost.

Currently, TLC maintains a mortgage on the property of $1 Million with monthly payments of over $10,000. Plus, it costs several thousands of dollars each month to operate and keep the garden open to the public.

With the holiday season upon us, now would be the perfect opportunity to make a special gift to Abkhazi. Bring a friend to the restaurant for tea or lunch and visit the gift shop featuring socially-conscious gifts, many by local artisans. Admission to the garden is by donation until March 1st and free for TLC Members. 1964 Fairfield Road. Abkhazi Garden is also the perfect place for holiday gatherings. *New this winter, TLC is offering a breakfast menu at the restaurant starting at 8 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

If you would like to contribute to TLC’s Matching Grant Program for Abkhazi Garden, please call TLC’s Head Office at 250-479-8053. For more information about the garden, gift shop or restaurant, call 250-598-8096. Double your impact on Abkhazi Garden today!

BC Binning residence was left to TLC in an estate on September 30, 2008.

The Binning Residence is a truly unique site. It was designed by B. C. Binning, with the help of his friend and architect Ned Pratt in 1941. While this pioneering bungalow is considered to be one of the first modern homes in the West Coast, categorizing its style is a challenge as the style is truly unique. Over the years, many artists and architects made the pilgrimage to see and experience the house and visit with the Binnings. B. C. Binning passed away in 1976 and his widow Jessie continued to live in the house until 2007 at the age of 101.

Learn about aboriginal experiences and understandings in protecting heritage resources - both tangible and intangible.

Moderated by Briony Penn, TLC’s Vice Chair, this session explored the important links between livelihood, spiritual connection and ownership of land. In Fiji, over 300 Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA) have been set up by local communities to manage near shore areas.  The communities have a desire to improve livelihood and the areas are being actively looked after. The Fijian system of Vanua, which has the belief that people without a land are like a people without a soul, ensures the areas are managed sustainably. In effort to reintroduce relationships to biodiversity on Rotuma Island, forest habitat programs, bird watch programs, and reef profiling are being set up.

In Taiwan only 2% of the population is indigenous aborigines and they are facing similar economic and social challenges to aboriginal people around the world. Bulaobulao is an intentional community set up by 7 families on 24 acres where they not only live on the land but also offer tourist walks, tours and meals.  This has provided employment for the families and a revival of culture for the community.

In Canada, the Tsawout First Nations are working with the regional government and local conservation groups to revive the sensitive plants of a place called TIXEN (Cordova Spit). Fencing, new signage, and education have all helped to protect the plants and animals so important to the Tsawout First Nations and us all. Education of their youth, festivals, ceremonies, and language are also a critical part of this process.

Liz Welliver (Maryland, USA), Joe Young (United Kingdom), Abhinav Khanal (Nepal) from Lester B. Pearson College meet with Dame Fiona Reynolds, Director General of the National Trust for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Bill Turner, TLC's Executive Director.

Engaging the Public in Special Places – Summary of Dame Fiona Reynolds’ Talk on Thurs, October 13, 2011.

Our core purpose is to look after these wonderful places for ourselves and for future generations. This should give us confidence to enter the debate on climate change.

The National Trust of England, Wales and Northern Ireland  has just enrolled its 4 millionth member, which I hope will be encouraging to smaller trusts. We have done this not only through our core job of looking after places, but through people. Strategies for engaging people is the golden circle that will get us through these challenging times. The most important job we do is to inspire people to want to be part of our movement. 

People are looking for the simple pleasures of life, that don’t cost a lot but provide lasting memories. This is what we offer to the world.

We return to our founders and what their words tell us to do in 2011. This takes us to new ways of connecting with people. The National Trust is taking their historic houses, bringing them back to life and removing barriers to people engaging with their history.

We measure our success based on how enjoyable people’s visits are. People are encouraged to picnic on the lawn and sit on the furniture. We are giving people a sense of meaning and contemporary relevance while enjoying their history glory.  If you come to the Trust it is time well spent. 

There is immediate benefit of contact with nature, yet as a society we have become more disconnected. A child is more likely to be admitted to hospital from falling out of bed than falling out of a tree.

Two out of three children play outside less than once a week. We are promoting outdoor activity in a safe and welcoming environment.

We are also reconnecting people with food. In a study done 26% of people under the 30 thought that bacon came from sheep. The National Trust is promoting grow your own food initiatives through allotment, supporting local farmers, community orchards, and beehives. There is even a virtual farm called My farm http://www.my-farm.org.uk where you can join an online farming community to make decisions about how the farm is managed.

The National Trust is also playing a part in climate change by installing solar panels on roofs, converting great estates from fossil fuel to wood burning. The National Trust is retrofitting entire villages of heritage houses to become more energy efficient and is involved in managing land for best carbon sequestration, giving the opportunity to put more land into sustainable land management practices.

The National Trust has had to learn to be a campaigning organization again like their founders did in 1895. Today, challenges have been around the sale of public forests and the restructuring of planning system. NT engaged the whole organization to demonstrate to the government how wrong the sole focus on growth was in redeveloping the UK planning system. 150,000 people have signed the NT petition.

The only solution is to engage people in the kind of future they want. Everybody should feel they have a stake in what is beautiful in their environment and a voice in how it is shaped in the future.

We have got a big challenge with both long-term and short-term challenge yet we are not set apart in our own cocoon. We offer experience and a sense of mission relevant to people everywhere. The next generation wants to be part of the management of these beautiful places. This is about heritage and nature coming together and building people’s support and enthusiasm that turns into the confidence we all have that these places will remain for everyone forever.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  October 14, 2011

VICTORIA, B.C. – Protecting our culture – the people, places and stories that give us a “sense of place” – should be a core commitment arising from the United Nations Conference on Climate Change that will take place in Durban, South Africa, November 2011.

More than 260 delegates from 34 countries representing over 6 million members sharing a common vision to safeguard the world’s natural and cultural heritage are signing the Victoria Declaration on Climate Change as part of the 14^th International Conference of National Trusts, October 12-15, 2011.

Opening the INTO Conference ceremony, Simon Molesworth, Chairman of the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO), shares: “All of the debates of climate change miss that not only are we talking about the survival of the planet and our species, but we are talking about the essence of our being, the essence of our culture. Culture is not talked about enough by our world leaders. They do not understand that the maintenance of the concept of community of people is at risk. The Victoria Declaration is a clear message to decision makers that if you don’t focus on the impact of climate change on culture you have destroyed the essence of the world.” See a video clip of Simon’s speech during the conference.

Everything is connected in the world around us and there is a cause and effect for every action we take as global citizens. The issue of climate change is no exception. There is scientific evidence supporting global warming and the physical results are all around us, but the less recognized effect is the loss of social sustainability – our culture that makes us unique. People’s “sense of place” is directly connected to the historic places in their communities and the stories of their past.

As an example the nation of Tuvalu off the coast of Polynesia recently had safe drinking water flown into the island from Australia because the rising sea levels have contaminated the fresh water supply with salt. There is a real threat that the over 10,000 Tuvaluans on the island will have to be re-located to the mainland and this unique culture and civilization will be lost forever. A culture moved, is a culture lost.

As part of the Victoria Declaration on Climate change, INTO members are asking global leaders to include in their strategies on climate change not only changes in our physical environment, human health and welfare, but to recognize the core strength and connectivity of human beings requires maintenance of our cultural sustainability. It is our responsibility to protect special places and stories so future generations will have the same sense of pride and spirit many of us enjoy today. It is culture that binds us together around the world.

Follow the conference in real time on twitter @2011can, hashtag #INTO2011. Photos will also appear at conservancy.bc.ca/flickr and video footage at conservancy.bc.ca/youtube. Click here for the full Conference Program.

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Thursday’s Session 2, Transformation and Communication: New Strategies for Protecting and Promoting Historic Places, will be located in the Victoria Conference Centre salon A and B from 10:20 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This panel will explore solutions to the challenges facing historic places, including pressures to be relevant to young people and new audiences, to serve new uses, to attract tourist dollars and investment, and to acknowledge growing interest in intangible heritage.

Moderator:

• Christina Cameron, Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage, Universite de Montreal.

  Dr. Cameron is a Professor in the School of Architecture at the Université de Montréal, where she
  directs a research program on heritage conservation as well as international workshops on current issues
  in the field. She previously served as a heritage executive with Parks Canada for more than thirtyfive
  years. Internationally she has been active in the intellectual development of the World Heritage
  Convention of UNESCO since 1987 and has twice chaired the Committee in 1990 and 2008. In March 2008 she received the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Public Service of Canada, the country’s highest recognition for public service.

Presenters:

• Bonnie Burnham, CEO and President, World Monuments Fund, New York, USA.

  Bonnie Burnham joined the World Monuments Fund as Executive Director in 1985 and was named President in 1996. Previously, she was Executive Director of the International Foundation for Art Research. She holds degrees in art history from the University of Florida and the Sorbonne. Ms. Burnham has been honored as a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government, is a Distinguished Alumna of the College of Fine Arts of the University of Florida, and is the first recipient of its Beinecke-Reeves Distinguished Achievement Award in Historic Preservation.
  She received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Florida Southern College in 2009. She has served on the boards of the National Institute of Conservation and the Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation. She is currently on the board of the New York Studio School and a member of the United States Commission for UNESCO and the Board of Advocates, College of Design, Construction and Planning, University of Florida.

• George H.O. Abungo, International Heritage Consultant, Nairobi, Kenya.

  George H.O. Abungu is a Cambridge-trained archaeologist and former Director-General of the National Museums of Kenya. He is the founding Chairman of Africa 2009, ISCOTIA (the International Standing Committee on the Traffic in Illicit Antiquities), and CHDA, the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa (ex-PMDA), among others. He has been a guest scholar at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles, Chairman of the Kenya Cultural Centre (2002-2005) and a visiting lecturer at Gothenburg University, in Sweden, and the University of Western Cape in South Africa. He was an advisor to the Aluka project of the Mellon Foundation, the Global Heritage Fund and was Kenya’s Representative to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2004-2009).

• Fiona Reynolds, Director General, National Trust, London, UK.

  Director General of the National Trust since 2001, Fiona is passionate about the countryside and
  heritage. She is a reformer who welcomes and encourages change, but one who also believes that we
  can learn much from those who have gone before and that all organisations should practice what they
  preach. In the 10 years since she arrived, Fiona has seen membership of the National Trust grow from
  2.7 million to 3.8 million people today. In this period income has doubled and visitor numbers to Trust properties have increased from 10 million to 17.7 million. The Trust is now Europe’s biggest conservation body.