Who We Are
Mission
The Scottish Community Heritage Alliance (SCHA) supports both individuals and organisations involved in community heritage throughout Scotland. SCHA strives to represent these grassroots voices at a national level, while providing advocacy, networking, support and research opportunities. We are looking for people who are passionate about Community Heritage to join us and make their voice heard
Values
Small Title
Inclusivity
SCHA is for all within the community heritage sector (and what is deemed to be community heritage) including individuals, organisations, volunteers, those who have an interest in community heritage, students/learners, etc. regardless of background, ethnicity, gender, etc
Collaboration
Community Heritage is stronger together
Advocacy
Listen to the people within community heritage and help to create a positive change
Support
SCHA will continue to share with members opportunities in networking, partnerships, funding, development, sustainability, training and research
Innovation
SCHA will lead the way in supporting Community Heritage to become resilient, respected and understood in the wider heritage sector
Meet The Board
Seymour Adams (Chair)
Seymour worked previously in the UK civil service (Ministry of Justice, Treasury and Department of Health) and subsequently in the NHS. He specialises in corporate governance and was Chair of the Audit Committee of the Scotland Office from 2012 – 2015. In Argyll, he is Chair of Friends of Kilbride and Vice Chair of CHARTS (Culture, Heritage and Arts Assembly, Argyll and the Isles). He is a clarinettist and conductor and is currently secretary of Oban Music Society.
Dr. Susan Kruse (Treasurer)
Dr. Susan Kruse is the retired Learning and Engagement Manager at Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH), which she co-founded in 2009, though she still does a fair amount of volunteer work there, and now at Dingwall Museum. She has led many projects investigating Highland archaeology and heritage, from earliest times to 20th century remains, and is a passionate supporter of community involvement.
Dr. Julian Grant
Julian is an independent researcher and heritage practitioner based in Leith. He has a Masters in Scottish History from the University of Glasgow and a PhD from University of the Highlands and Islands. For his doctoral research, he partnered with community heritage groups around the North Coast 500 to create a series of public exhibitions showcasing local residents' perspectives on place, culture and the impact of tourism. His subsequent work has revolved around working creatively with communities to document and make visible their rich and multi-layered histories.
Dr. Eleni Koumpouzi
Eleni is an artist and a museum professional, who has recently completed a doctorate in community heritage engagement, researching the position of disadvantaged communities in the public heritage environment . She is the co-Director of Ichnos Heritage, an organisation promoting innovative heritage interpretation. Eleni is a member of the Scottish Local History Forum’s Advisory Committee, and she has over 25 years’ experience in leading a series of publicly funded community heritage and arts projects in London, Glasgow and internationally.
Jasmine Montgomery Wilkie
Jasmine is the Development Officer for Comann Dualchas Innse Gall, the Outer Hebrides Heritage Forum. In her role she works closely with and lobbies on behalf of community-led museums and heritage organisations in the Outer Hebrides, promoting collaborative working within the sector. She has a Masters with Distinction in Museum and Gallery Studies from the University of St Andrews.
David Fayle
David has been involved in various community projects involving music, vocalisation, and festival performance over the past ten years, recently expanding the list to include regional crafts and relationships with animals. He has carried out fieldwork-based research with the Grampian Association of Storytellers (GAS) and the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (TMSA), and been part of the organising team for the Cullerlie Traditional Singing Festival. He has a Master’s with Distinction in Ethnology and Folklore from the University of Aberdeen.
Morven MacDonald
A qualified Museum Professional, Morven is the Curator and Manager of The Highland Museum of Childhood and Old Strathpeffer Railway Station Trust and is passionate about preserving the museum’s collections and the Victorian spa village railway station which is home to the museum. Her multi-faceted role in the organisation necessitates a diverse skillset – Morven is experienced in collections management and curation, audience engagement, workforce management, organisational governance and financial and strategic management.
Iain Ross Wallace
Archaeology has been a life-long interest for Iain. A career in business development, training and systems administration was combined with 30 years’ service in the Royal Naval Reserve, where he taught meteorology and navigation, amongst other subjects. Returning to Glasgow in 2008, he completed an MA in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow in 2015, followed by a Masters (Research). In addition to designing training courses for ACFA – Field Archaeology for All, he is Convenor of Langside Community Heritage and Director of the Scottish Stonemasons Marks Project.
SCHA Advisors
Nicola McHendry
Nicola McHendry is the Manager at the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage and the head of Cairn Heritage - a museum consultancy specialising in community and grassroots heritage. Her experience is in working with communities to break down barriers and collaborate across disciplinary boundaries. She aims to provide better opportunities where they are most needed, in marginalised communities who have historically been underrepresented and underfunded for arts and cultural activities.
Ailsa Smith
Ailsa has a Certificate in Field Archaeology from Glasgow University, and has been involved with ACFA (the Association of Certificated Field Archaeologists) on some of their projects, as well as Scotland’s Rock Art Project. She is the chair of Clutha Archaeology Group and represents them on the Lanarkshire Heritage Forum. She is the community and volunteer archaeology representative on the Scottish Strategic Archaeology Committee.
Project Officer
Dr. Laura Ferguson
Dr. Laura Ferguson is Project Officer on SCHA's 'Grassroots Heritage in Scotland' project. Laura comes with an established background in both academic and non-academic heritage projects. She has previously worked for University of the Highlands and Islands, Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Reserve, Queen's University Belfast and the Scottish Association for Marine Science. Across these roles, Laura has specialised in coastal and maritime heritage, Arctic heritage and community heritage, with a particular focus on marginalised heritage and stakeholder engagement.
