The Droitwich Preservation Trust (DPT) is a registered charity formed in 1971:
Paul Karakashian
Chairman
Having sold the company he had started some twenty years earlier Paul retired early in 1996 and joined the Trust in 2004. He was asked to take the position of Chairman when his predecessor passed away in 2011. Since then Paul has been instrumental in inviting new volunteers with complementary skills to become Trustees.
Charles (Chas) Murray
Secretary
Chas moved south from his native Glasgow in 1982 to take up a teaching post at the Central Telecommunications Engineering College in Staffordshire. Having later moved to Droitwich he developed an interest in the future of the town and the preservation of its historic character. As a result he became a member of the Steering Group for the Neighbourhood Plan. There he met Paul Karakashian who invited him to join the Trust as Secretary, the position he has held since October 2020.
Anthony (Tony) Archer
Treasurer
Tony is a Partner in the local Accountancy firm Ormerod Rutter, which he joined nearly 30 years ago. He brings general financial advice and counsel to the board of Trustees along with specific professional expertise in the area of property tax. He joined the Trust as Treasurer in October 2020.
Lyn Blewitt
Trustee
Lyn had a long career as an HR professional working in both the private and public sectors and most recently running her own consultancy. In addition to her role with the Droitwich Preservation Trust she is also Secretary to the Droitwich Spa Civic Society, a Committee member of Droitwich History & Archaeology Society, and a school governor. Since the 1980s she has collected information about the town’s archaeology and history. Her knowledge and passion for the preservation of historic buildings and local heritage is a great asset to the town. She joined the Board in April 2017.
Mike Hayzelden RIBA & ALI (retired)
Trustee
Mike is a retired architect and landscape architect, as well as an urban design-planner.
He became an architect in the 1970s, a landscape architect, in the 1980s and added urban design in 1990s. He worked, as the former two, across London, the Midlands and South Wales and as an urban designer within the Midlands. He has worked for private architects, landscape architects and planners as well as a number of metropolitan, county and city councils in all three roles and has had consultant roles with a couple of national bodies.
Malcolm Linney
Trustee
Malcolm originally hales from Kent. Over thirty two years he occupied a key role within a family owned wholesale business developing it into a privately owned UK distribution business ultimately becoming Regional Director.
Alongside this he chaired a community group in Sussex which saved a special needs school and created a community café on the same site. On retirement he and his wife Roz moved to Worcestershire and brought an old timber frame house that required updating and restoration. Malcolm was appointed to the Board in July 2020.
Richard Nicol
Trustee
Richard’s background is in property finance and development. Having started his career in banking he has held a number of leadership roles in property development, leisure, hospitality and social enterprise.
Although originally from the south east corner of the country, four generations of his family now live in Droitwich Spa. As a result he is keen to contribute to the town fulfilling its economic potential by using its heritage as the platform to encourage inward investment. He became a Trustee in October 2021.
Richard Tesh
Trustee
Originally from Lincolnshire, Richard was awarded a BSc (Hons) degree from Birmingham University in 1968. His working life was spent within manufacturing industries, notably British Steel, across the Midlands and North of England, undertaking a variety of finance and general management roles. He moved to Worcestershire in 1981 and then close to Droitwich in 2018. He was President of Dudley Chamber of Commerce in the mid 1990s and has been a Parish Councillor for some 18 years, much of the time as Chairman. He is currently involved with a number of voluntary organisations across the County. Richard joined as a Trustee in June 2023.