Beck Isle volunteer Gordon up for award

A long-standing volunteer at the Beck Isle Museum in Pickering has been shortlisted for the national Museums and Heritage Volunteer of the Year Award.
Beck Isle Museum volunteer Gordon Clitheroe.Beck Isle Museum volunteer Gordon Clitheroe.
Beck Isle Museum volunteer Gordon Clitheroe.

Gordon Clitheroe has been a volunteer with the museum since its foundation in 1967, serving on the original management committee in roles from chairman to honorary curator.

Gordon is one of five people to be shortlisted for this award and the only one from the Yorkshire region.

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The founders took over a Georgian house, which had been divided into flats and began by using the ground floor and exterior for exhibitions and events.

Gordon brought his skills as a qualified plumber and associated building skills, enabling him to play a key role in the team of volunteers who converted the Grade II Georgian house into the Museum as it is today.

Over recent years, Gordon has continued to be an anchor at the museum, with his vast knowledge of the history of the venue and of Pickering and the surrounding district, providing a unique source of information for people.

A museum spokesman said: “Gordon still comes into the museum most days and continues to use his skills to maintain the building.

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“He continues to play a formal role by serving as a trustee of the charity, but it is his outgoing nature, his generosity of spirit, and his utter dedication to the museum over the last 52 years that is an inspiration to everyone.”