Historic Coventry Trust is an energetic charity that was launched in 2015 (previously known as Coventry Charterhouse Preservation Trust) formed to acquire, restore and reuse Coventry’s heritage buildings, preserving them for future generations and contributing to Coventry’s economic, social and cultural enhancement.
The Trust aim is to become the guardian of the city’s heritage in perpetuity – a local ‘National Trust’ and a strategic partner to enable regeneration of all of Coventry’s heritage. The Trust is a social enterprise and aims to become self-sufficient, generating revenue from restored historic buildings and innovative development.
The trust was initially formed to acquire Charterhouse, a 14th century former Carthusian monastery founded by Richard II. Charterhouse is Grade I Listed and includes Medieval and Elizabethan wall paintings of national importance. The building and its grounds form the centrepiece of the trust’s major project, the creation of a new 70 acre Heritage Park on the edge of the city centre, which also includes the Joseph Paxton Arboretum Cemetery adjoining and a large are a of riverside and woodland landscape.
Coventry is a city with a rich history of a thousand years. However, many key historic buildings are largely forgotten in recent decades and underused. The trust will bring these buildings back to life to take their rightful place in the future economic and cultural life of the city. The buildings of the past tell the story of a proud, innovative and prosperous city and are the foundations for its future – the soul of the city.
Fleur Sexton DL
Fleur Sexton DL is Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands, representing Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, Businesswoman of the Year 2017 and Managing Director and co-founder of multi-ward winning PET-Xi Training, whose relentlessly upbeat teams and innovative programmes deliver impact, inspiration, productivity and value across the UK. PET-Xi recently pioneered a UK wide “Upskilling the Nation” scheme for unemployed & homeless adults, helping them to return to the workplace and society and an apprenticeship scheme to help young people gain vital skills, experience and qualifications in the world of work while working with companies, helping employers to raise standards and close the skills gap.
Fleur is dedicated to breaking barriers and improving chances, investing much of her time and 10% of profits into these activities, campaigning to Government and employers to invest in skills, motivating women to fulfil their potential and running the PET-Xi Foundation which raises money for young people nationwide. She runs free childcare for staff children in order to provide role models for young people and make a family friendly working environment.
Also a board member of Coventry & Warwickshire Champions, Historic Coventry Trust, Chamber of Commerce and The NSPCC Business Group. PET-Xi are very hands-on, sponsoring and actively supporting at Birmingham Hippodrome, were active bid development sponsors of the successful Coventry City of Culture 2021 bid, The Wasps Netball team STEM project and Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey community foundation. Fleur is a married mother of 3, tweets as @FleurSexton and can be found at www.fleursexton.com