Sidney Cooper Arts Trust and its supporters
Setting up a new Arts Centre for Canterbury.
The Sidney Cooper Arts Trust was formed in November 2025 (Charity Commission Number 0000000). The Trust was set up by the Sidney Cooper Research Group which originally formed in 2023 with a view to saving the gallery and reopening it as an Arts Centre for the people of Canterbury.
The Trust’s proposal is to secure the building from Canterbury City Council under the Community Asset Transfer scheme and create an Arts Centre and cultural beacon for the city of Canterbury.
Who we are
The Trust founding members are Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE, Chair, Robyn Griffith-Jones, Alison Coles and Carole Wells.
This group will be supported by additional Trustees drawn from Canterbury’s business and art community. Our retained professional advisors are Girlings, Burgess Hodgson and Pillory Barn.
We are supported by many people in the city and from afar including Cooper’s descendants, financial supporters and Rosie Duffield MP.
The Trust is supported by an Advisory Group of experts and community stakeholders.
Our Trustees
Sandra has had a 35-year career in the public and private sector specialising in the visitor economy, destination management, heritage and creating and developing public/private sector partnerships. She began her career in local government, then for Tourism South East and then went on to lead the team at Leeds Castle. After Leeds Castle she led the award-winning destination management organisation Visit Kent; a partnership spanning 200 large businesses and 3000 SMES. She served as a Trustee of The Historic Dockyard Chatham for 10 years, leading on safeguarding, Arts Council projects, tourism and marketing.
She was awarded the MBE in 2015 and an Honorary PhD from Canterbury Christchurch University in 2017. She has experience in oversight and budget build for budgets between £2m and £8m in not for profit and Charity settings, contracting consultancies for marketing, PR, legal, arts, finance (accounting and audit) small scale capital projects. Sandra lives in Canterbury.
Robyn has a 35-year career at a senior level in tourism and leisure communications, marketing management and policy development. She began her career as a journalist with Reed International and The Economist Group before moving into senior marketing roles with British Airways, Cunard Line, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the English Tourist Board. Establishing her own consultancy in destination marketing and leisure planning, she delivered contracts and campaigns for clients such as the Environment Agency and the London Development Agency, and developing particular expertise in accessible tourism with clients such as Visit England and Visit Scotland.
She also worked as a Senior Lecturer in Tourism Marketing at London South Bank University Business School and, following her recent move to Canterbury, was lecturing part time at Canterbury Christ Church University Business School. Robyn is a Trustee of the national charity Tourism for All working to improve accessibility in the tourism and travel industry.
Alison has had a 30-year career in information management and development. She began her career in children’s libraries, before moving into the private sector to run an information department for a pharmaceutical company and to manage a marketing and PR department for General Electric Capital.
Following the birth of her children she moved out of London to become the Director of St Albans Museums & Galleries where she managed the Verulamium Museum Trust, developed the exhibition strategy and oversaw over 1,000 school visits a year across all 4 sites. She moved on to work in Higher Education as Director of Development first for the University of Hertfordshire and finally for the University of Kent as a senior manager leading on fundraising for the Colyer-Fergusson Concert Hall and organising external events and graduation ceremonies in Kent and world-wide.
She has been responsible for departments of over 30 people, expenditure budgets of £1m and £2m, multi-million fundraising campaigns, and is experienced with data systems and the deployment of market intelligence. Alison lives in Canterbury.
Carole has worked in the public and private sectors and brings skills in social enterprise and marketing. She has experience of setting up and running small businesses involved in hospitality, recruitment, training and careers guidance. Prior to moving to Canterbury, she set up the first Community Interest Company (CIC) in the London Borough of Bromley and for over 15 years has been actively involved in the volunteering, community and social enterprise sectors, including four years as a Trustee with Community Links Bromley.
She is a Trustee of the Canterbury Society, works at the Canterbury Volunteer Centre and takes a strong interest in green issues.
The Trust is supported by an Advisory Group of experts and community stakeholders.
Steve Allen, Owner/MD One Pound Lane; Norman Evans, Chair Canterbury Society of Arts; Katie McGown, Head of Arts and Culture and Senior Lecturer in Curatorial Practices CCCU; Kim Plowright, Arts consultant and digital producer; David Sefton, Director, Institute of Cultural & Creative Industries, Manager of Gulbenkian Arts Centre, University of Kent; Susannah Stevenson, Director, Canterbury Festival; Cordelia Uys, direct descendant of Thomas Sidney Cooper.
Our Mission
To regenerate the city gallery that bears Sidney Cooper’s name as a state-of-the-art creative arts centre for the community of Canterbury and catalysing arts projects across the city, to support educational projects that match his values of helping aspiring young artists, and to celebrate his philanthropic legacy to Canterbury’s rich artistic heritage.
Five founding aims
To work with partners locally, nationally and internationally including Canterbury City Council, national funding bodies, education and private sector partners to raise funds to regenerate the gallery as a new Arts Centre, offering flexible art spaces for a mix of artistic activity, underpinned by a professional Board and Management team.
To use the building and its activities to catalyse a new arts dividend for Canterbury, a city with a rich arts heritage in part spurred by Thomas Sidney Cooper himself, broadening the city’s cultural offer, helping create an innovative visitor attraction, boosting economic growth and enriching the community.
To fund educational projects such as bursaries, scholarships and awards to support young aspiring artists, echoing the aims of the original art school established in the gallery in 1868.
To support ventures that help celebrate the legacy of Sidney Cooper to Canterbury and landscape painting.
To use the story of Sidney Cooper and his support of underprivileged artists to drive a mixed-use programme of the creative arts with a strong focus on inspiring young artists and supporting those who would not have otherwise have access to the arts.
Get in touch
Contact us to find out more or tell us what you’d like to see in the new Arts Centre.