A few words
About Us
About the Cathedral Quarter Trust (CQT)
The Cathedral Quarter Trust (CQT) is a registered charity representing a cross-section of interest groups and stakeholders in the Cathedral Quarter area. Established in 2012, the Trust was developed from an earlier incarnation, the Cathedral Quarter Steering Group, set up in 2008 by the then Laganside Corporation.
From April 2023 onwards, the CQT Board of Trustees will be directly overseeing and managing the organisation. Current CQT Trustees include representatives from arts, culture and heritage, hospitality and business and CQ-based entities including Belfast Cathedral and Ulster University.
CQT’s Vision for the Cathedral Quarter is as:
‘…the beating heart of Belfast; a welcoming, inclusive and culturally-vibrant area, celebrating its distinctive heritage and animating its creative future.’
With a Mission:
‘…to champion the artistic, cultural and heritage-focused regeneration of a thriving Cathedral Quarter.’
CQT’s core aim is to represent the interests of the Quarter as one of the city’s most historic areas and to safeguard the place of arts, culture and heritage in CQ. Our activity includes advocacy, partnership and collaboration, and is aimed at ensuring arts, culture and heritage remains central in the Cathedral Quarter and the area’s reputation as the cultural ‘heart’ of the city is reinforced.
The Trust works with a wide range of city partners and stakeholders, including Belfast City Council, Department for Communities, Belfast Buildings Trust and the Destination CQ Business Improvement District (CQ BID).
Core Values
Inclusion
Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect; to express and develop their creativity; and participate in the artistic and cultural life of the City. We will celebrate diversity.
Courage
In achieving our ambitious mission, we are committed to showing determination, dynamism and leadership.
Mutuality
We are committed to working collaboratively with others, and providing mutual support as the best way of achieving our mission.
Creativity
We are passionate about the transformative power of creativity. We aim to continue to be a special place for inspiration and innovation.
Quality
We are committed to excellence in all aspects of our work. We will be open and transparent in all our activities. We will show integrity in our dealings with others.
Our Vision
Our Vision for the Cathedral Quarter:
We want to do our utmost to help to address the challenges that the Cathedral Quarter faces.
The current outlook for the Cathedral Quarter is challenging and complex – the area has been impacted by a combination of long-term, structural local factors that have been exacerbated by global events such as the pandemic, the economic crisis and the climate crisis.
We believe, however, that there is always an opportunity to effect positive change; even if on a small-scale basis. Drawing on the combined expertise and reputation of our Board members we will use a renewed focus on advocacy, collaboration and partnership to ensuring that the Cathedral Quarter continues to be a unique place with arts, culture and history at its heart.
Our Priorities for 2023 to 2025
Our priorities for the next three years will centre on the place, the culture, the people and the partnerships of the Cathedral Quarter, with a renewed focus on organisational resilience and stability.
Celebrating the distinctive character of the Cathedral Quarter.
Promote and safeguard the distinctive heritage, character and environs of the area, encouraging sensitive development in and around the Cathedral Quarter. We will:
- Provide leadership in advocating for the cultural heritage of the area and raising issues and concerns
- Engage effectively with decision-makers and influencers
- Campaign for development of appropriate balanced plans for the area
- Advocate for proposals in the creative use of vacant buildings and open spaces
- Promote and influence management of appropriate public spaces and streetscape and their successful use
- Work closely with relevant organisations and partners to protect the streetscape and buildings of historic or architectural interest
- Work in partnership with other CQ and city-centre stakeholders including DCQ BID, Belfast Chamber of Commerce, Belfast City Centre Management, Belfast Harbour Commissioners and Belfast Civic Trust
Sustaining and developing arts and culture in the Cathedral Quarter
Uphold and promote the place of arts, culture and heritage within the Quarter. We will:
- Work will BCC and other stakeholders to support CQ within 2024 Year of Culture
- Showcase the cultural assets of the Cathedral Quarter
- Work with appropriate stakeholders and partners to realise the potential of the heritage and cultural assets of the area
- Support the development of new kinds of arts, culture and heritage activities in the CQ
- Nurture and sustain a cohesive and thriving arts and culture sector and workforce in the area
Taking the Cultural Pulse: Sustaining Positive Relationships and Partnerships
Develop and maintain positive relationships with appropriate stakeholders, partners and collaborators e.g. The MAC, UU, St. Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast Harbour Commissioners, Circusful, Oh Yeah, Outburst LGBTQ+ Festival, Black Box, contributing to a smooth running, effective cultural infrastructure in the CQ. We will:
- Ensure ongoing and effective communication with stakeholders
- Respond effectively to relevant public consultations and conversations
- Engage effectively with relevant Government and Public Sector entities
- Promote the uniqueness of CQ (The Welcoming Quarter) – inclusive to all; Arts, residents, education, religion, business, heritage, LGBTQ+
Building Resilience and Sustainability
- Build an effective, resilient and environmentally sustainable organisation
- Ensure the Trust resources are effectively and efficiently planned and managed
- Work to optimise resources in pursuit of the Trust’s core aims
- Ensure the Trust advocates best practice in Environmental Sustainability across all areas of activity
- Ensure the governance of the Trust complies with the requirements of the law and good practice including management of risk, statutory and legal stipulations and effective Board oversight.
Our Board
Anne McReynolds
Prior to her current role as Chief Executive of the MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) Anne was the Director of the Old Museum Arts Centre. Anne was one of the co-founders of the Belfast Children’s Festival and and chaired the Board of Trustees of that organisation for the first five years of its life. She has also been a Trustee of the BBC Performing Arts Fund, Upstate Theatre, Drocheda, the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and The Theatres Trust, an Independent Advisory Body charged with protecting and preserving theatres throughout the UK. She is currently the Chairman of the Cathedral Quarter Trust and is an Honourary Member of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects. A graduate of Queen’s University Belfast where she studied English Language and Literature Anne also holds post-graduate qualifications in Law & Business and Cultural Management. She lives in Belfast with her husband, four children and two dogs.
Kelly-Anne Collins
Kelly-Anne joined Young at Art as General Manager in May 2018. Prior to that, she spent seven years as General Manager of Dance Resource Base, a support organisation for dance professionals across Northern Ireland. Her other roles in Northern Ireland have included a number of years as the Arts & Cultural Programming Officer at the Linen Hall Library, jointly founding and delivering the very first Belfast Book Festival in 2009. From Australia, her work prior to moving to Belfast was as an independent theatre producer, paralegal and policy researcher. She holds degrees in Politics and Law (University of Queensland) and Theatre (Queensland University of Technology) as well as a Post-Graduate Diploma in Executive Leadership from Ulster University. Kelly-Anne is passionate about the value of the arts to children, young people and their families and delivering on Young at Art’s mission to bring extraordinary arts experiences into their lives.
David Flinn
David Flinn LLB,BEM ,is from a business, legal and heritage background. He was previously Group Solicitor for Viridian Group PLC ( which included NIE) and a Legal Consultant to AL Goodbody and The Utility Regulator. He was a former Chair of the Belfast Solicitors Association and was previously on the Board of the National Trust in NI. He is currently Chair of the Belfast Hills Partnership and Belfast Civic Trust where he campaigns for new uses for the City’s heritage and improvement of its environmental assets. He is a strong advocate of the economic potential which the arts and heritage bring to the renaissance of Belfast.
Peter Richards
Peter Richards has over twenty years’ experience in the arts, both as a curator and as an artist. He has led the Golden Thread Gallery since 2001 and is the current Chair of the Belfast Visual Arts Forum. Peter has developed and managed projects across Northern Ireland, nationally and internationally, including the recent large-scale exhibition at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Art in Taiwan. Peter’s role includes engaging with key stakeholders, budgetary control, lobbying for the arts, curation, and strategic development. He is on the Board of IACA and the Cathedral Quarter Trust.
Sorcha Wolsey
After graduating from Queens University with a degree in psychology Sorcha went to work as a bar tender in the newly opened Café Ceol in Bangor. From there she progressed through the company and currently holding the position of group operations manager and company secretary for Beannchor. Sorcha has held a number of board positions on industry bodies and charities. She is currently a trustee of the Cathedral Quarter Trust.
Mark Hackett
Mark is an architect in practice working on the urban issues of Belfast. Mark was a founding director of the urban group Forum for Alternative Belfast, a research think tank examining better urban design solutions for the city. The Forum exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2012. Since 2015 this work continues focusing on Inner North Belfast where he works with Ashton Community Trust and with residents on the impacts of large scale urban development. As an architect he completed a number of national awarding winning buildings and he continues to work for a humane, connected and equitable development of the city respecting its built heritage and its communities.
Jenna Hall
Before moving to Northern Ireland to be the Chief Executive of Circusful, Premiere Circus and Festival of Fools, Jenna had worked for over 20 years to help improve outcomes for children, families and communities. With an MA in education and community learning, a coaching accreditation and being a champion of partnership working, she had previously led teams across the UK with the aim to increase children and young people’s access to arts and culture, improve families health outcomes and life chances. In addition to her role on the board of CQT, she is the Vice President of the International circus body Caravan, a Director of The Gymnastics and Trampoline Network and, until recently, was on the board of the Strand Arts Centre. She is also the co-Chair of Belfast Festivals Forum, an active member of the Arts Collaboration Network and plays a role in supporting the All Party Group for Arts.
Andrew McLean
Geraldine Duggan
Reverend Stephen Forde
Jenna Hall
Professor Duncan Morrow
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