ABOUT US

Patrons

The Patrons of Lyme Regis Museum and the Friends of Lyme Regis Museum

Tracy ChevalierTracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier was born in Washington, DC she has a BA in English at Oberlin College, Ohio, and an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia.

She has written 9 novels including Girl with a Pearl Earring, which won the Barnes and Noble Discover Award and was made into a film starring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. Her sixth novel, Remarkable Creatures, tells the story of Mary Anning and her fellow Lyme-based fossil collector, Elizabeth Philpot.

Sir David Attenborough OM CH CVO CBE FRS FZS FSASir David Attenborough OM CH CVO CBE FRS FZS FSA

Sir David Attenborough is a broadcaster and naturalist. He is best known for writing and presenting the nine Life series, which form a comprehensive survey of all life on the planet.

He served as controller of BBC Two and director of programming for BBC Television in the 1960s and 1970s. He is the only person to have won BAFTAs for programmes in black and white, colour, HD, and 3D.

Professor Richard Lane OBEProfessor Richard Lane OBE

Richard Lane is a scientist with an interest in natural history and tropical diseases, and recently retired as the Director of Science at the Natural History Museum.

He chaired the OECD’s Global Science Forum initiative on Scientific Collections and was a co-founder of the Consortium for the DNA Barcode of Life.

Previously he was Director of International Programmes at the Wellcome Trust, where he funded research tackling major health problems. He has been a consultant to the World Health Organization and acts as an advisor to Governments, museums, scientific organisations and charities.

Professor Sir Ghillean Prance FRSProfessor Sir Ghillean Prance FRS

Professor Sir Ghillean Prance was Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In his 39 expeditions to Amazonia he collected over 350 new species of plants. He is the author of 23 books and over 600 scientific and general articles, holds 15 honorary doctorates and is a Fellow of the Royal Society. He received the International Cosmos Prize from Japan in 1993 and the Victoria Medal of Honour from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1999.

He was made a Commander of the Order of the Southern Cross by the President of Brazil and received the Order of the Rising Sun from the Emperor of Japan. He continues to be active in the conservation of the tropical rainforest. He is a board member of the US National Tropical Botanical Garden, and until recently of the Exbury Gardens Trust. He is President of the Wildflower Society, The Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest Trust, Nature in Art and the International Tree Foundation.

Max Hebditch, CBEMax Hebditch, CBE

Max Hebditch, an archaeologist by training, was Director of the Museum of London from 1977 to 1997. He is a former President of the Museums Association (1990-92) and Chairman of the United Kingdom Committee of the International Council of Museums (1981-87). As well as being a trustee of our Museum he was Honorary Curator from 2000 to 2008.

Mrs Minnie Churchill DLMrs Minnie Churchill DL

Minnie is the granddaughter-in-law of Sir Winston Churchill. Minnie was the Director of Churchill Heritage and the co-author of Sir Winston Churchill His Life and His Paintings. She traced Sir Winston’s 500 or so paintings and their stories across the world.

Minnie served on the Independent Monitoring Board for the UK Home Office to Portland Young Offenders Prison for 10 years. She has been involved with hospices and was a Trustee of the International Trust for Nature Conservancy which monitors and protects Tigers and Snow Leopards in Nepal and Northern India. Minnie is a Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset.