On the closure of the long-running Zibby Garnett Travel Fellowship (ZGTF) earlier
this year, its trustees agreed to ask the Anna Plowden Trust (APT) to administer
its residual funds. After discussions between the two charities, a series of Anna
Plowden / Zibby Garnett grants is now being offered within the APT’s well-
established CPD programme.
The APT was founded in memory of Anna Plowden CBE, who worked for many years
to raise the standards of conservation in the UK and was particularly committed to
maintaining and developing the skills of conservators and conservation students. Since
the APT was established in 1998, it has awarded over 450 Plowden Scholarships and
more than 470 grants for professional development, totalling over £1.2 million.
The ZGTF commemorated Zibby Garnett, who was responsible for the Historic
Decorative Crafts course at what is now the University of Lincoln. Her interests and
achievements shaped the ethos of the ZGTF, which aimed to further the careers of
promising conservation students in all disciplines by funding study trips abroad. Over its
25 years, the ZGTF made grants totalling £240,000 to 186 students to enable them to
travel to over 40 countries to develop and refine their skills in the conservation.
Following the closure of the Zibby Garnett Travel Fellowship (ZGTF) programme, these
new Anna Plowden/Zibby Garnett CPD grants continue the ethos of that scheme, by
offering support to conservators and conservation students who wish to take advantage
of training and development activities with a travel component, particularly those where
the applicant’s horizons would be enlarged, for example by learning about other
cultures.
David Saunders, chair of the APT, commented: “The trustees are pleased to be able to
continue making grants in the name of Zibby Garnett as part of our longstanding CPD
programme. We hope that these will retain the spirit of the ZGTF by allowing
conservators and conservation students to broaden their horizons, study new techniques
and practices, and experience different cultures. I am delighted to report that the first two
Anna Plowden/Zibby Garnett grants were made by the trustees in June.”
Paul Tear, past chair of ZGTF, commented; “I am confident that the transfer of our
residue funds to the Anna Plowden Trust will help continue to support a wide range of
conservators and conservation students through this new award. It will, I am sure,
broaden their horizons by experiencing different techniques and cultures abroad. I look
forward to reading the reports of their experiences, which I am sure, will be life
enhancing and sometimes life changing”.
Details of how to apply for an Anna Plowden / Zibby Garnett grant and other APT CPD
grants can be found here.