Celebrating the Future 

The Shipwreck Museum welcomed Financial & Community Development Manager, George Chapman, funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.   

George Chapman has a background in the voluntary, public and private sectors with a successful track record of developing provisions and services.  His role will include securing funding for the museum’s proposed new Education Wing as well as supporting the links and growth with the wider community.   George said “It is an exciting time to join the team here at the Shipwreck Museum and I look forward to working with colleagues old and new to form sustainable partnerships”.

Chair of the Museum Trustees Jacqui Stanford said, “This is the Shipwreck Museum’s 25^th anniversary and we have ambitious plans for the Museum, in line with the development already taking place at The Stade in Hastings, by building an Education Wing at the Museum.   The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation is generously supporting our plans for this and our community development by funding George’s roll.   We were inundated with high level CVs from local people which meant that because of the wealth of talent in Hastings we had a difficult decision to make.  We are delighted to be working with George and feel his appointment really strengthens the future of the Museum.    We are also attracting donations and loans of many wonderful artefacts to the Museum  and building on the success of Dr. Peter Marsden in setting up the Museum 25^th years ago with the artefacts from the Amsterdam shipwreck at Bulverhythe.  Our Museum celebrates the amazing coastline of Hastings and visitors from here and abroad are coming in their thousands.  Throughout the year there will be exciting events unveiling our new artefacts and I have to thank all our wonderful volunteers for their hard work and Hastings Borough Council for their support in helping us secure the future of the Museum.”