Sarah McLeod OBE announced as the new chair of South Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership

The South Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership is a collaboration between the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority SYMCA, Sheffield City Council, City of Doncaster Council, Rotherham MBC, and Barnsley MBC. Its purpose is to work collectively on shared priorities and targets to foster the growth of the local visitor economy.

As Chair, Sarah will establish and lead an Advisory Group made up of key stakeholders from Visitor Economy businesses across the region.

 

Sarah joined Wentworth Woodhouse in May 2017 as CEO to steer the regeneration of the site in what was described as “arguably the UK’s greatest heritage restoration of a generation.” Seven years later and the project continues to go from strength to strength with a turnover of £3.5 million a year and successfully raised funding for and delivered £30m of capital works. Earlier this year Sarah was also awarded and OBE for her services to the heritage sector.

 

Sarah McLeod said:  “I am delighted to be announced as the Chair of the South Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership, and I look forward to the next steps which will involve recruiting members to the advisory group in the coming months. I look forward to working closely with the destination partners and VisitEngland to take the partnership forward as well as celebrating and making the most of what this region has to offer both visitors and local people.“

Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire added:  “I’m South Yorkshire’s biggest champion. We’re the birthplace of football and the home of snooker, we powered the Industrial Revolution and have England’s oldest national park. We celebrate art, music, and literature like nowhere else. And now through the Local Visitor Economy Partnership we have the opportunity to share our beauty, our history, our culture and our talent with the rest of the world.”

“I know Sarah McCleod OBE will be a fantastic champion for South Yorkshire and will join me in shouting about how amazing South Yorkshire truly is.” 

VisitEngland Director Andrew Stokes said: “I am very pleased to welcome Sarah as the new Chair of the South Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP).”

“This announcement shines a timely spotlight on the industry’s economic importance and the fantastic work underway with stakeholders across the region to grow the visitor economy. We look forward to continuing to work with the South Yorkshire LVEP, building on the region’s success and ensuring it remains a top destination for both domestic and international visitors now and in the years ahead.” 

 

The South Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership was accredited by VisitEngland last year. It is being led by representatives from Marketing Sheffield and sector leads from the partner authorities to deliver a plan for growth. The partnership held its inaugural stakeholder event at Magna Science Adventure Centre earlier this year which also saw the launch of the South Yorkshire Destination Management Plan.