Board of trustees
Fom March 17th 2021, there will be 11 trustees on the Civic Voice board.
Gill Battarbee
Gill is a Trustee of Addingham Civic Society. This is a thriving village society in West Yorkshire with over 400 members, representing just over 10% of the population. The Society focusses on the rich agricultural and industrial heritage of the village, on sustaining and enhancing its natural environment and on supporting and engaging with residents. Largely through its environmental projects the Society not only works with the village organisations but has also established close working relationships with a wide range of local, regional and national organisations. The Society received the Marsh Trust Award 2013 and the Yorkshire and Humberside Association of Civic Societies Peter Spawforth Award 2020.
Gill’s professional background is in education as a Primary Headteacher, Local Authority Advisor, Ofsted Inspector and Chair of Governors. She has lived and worked abroad, as well as in rural and urban areas of the UK and she and her husband are now retired and living in Addingham.
Linda Brown
Linda has two degrees: BA(Hons) The History of Art and Design and MA Reformation and Early Modern Studies. Her thesis for the BA was about Octavia Hill, the founder member of the National Trust, Open Spaces Movement and Housing Reformer.
Linda has been a member of Kidderminster Civic Society for many years and for the last two years, she has been the Secretary.
David Evans
Martin Gunson
Martin Gunson was appointed to the Civic Voice board of trustees at the AGM in Chester on 22nd October 2016.
Martin Hamiton
Martin was appointed to the Civic Voice board of trustees at Civic Voice's 2019 AGM. Martin is Director of Leeds Civic Trust.
Martin leads on the Levelling Up agenda for Civic Voice.
Margaret Hollins
Margaret was appointed to the Civic Voice board of trustees at the AGM in Birmingham on 20th October 2018. Margaret is a Trustee of Epsom Civic Society.
Martin leads on developing our manifesto for 2024 and wider policy thinking.
Joan Humble (chair)

Joan Humble is the current chair of Civic Voice.
She is also chair of Blackpool Civic Trust, a lively, active group that organises projects, social events, visits and regular monthly speaker meetings. She co-ordinates their Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner which celebrates achievement in design, new build, refurbishment and community enterprise. She is active in local voluntary groups; member of the Board of Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Volunteer Centre and the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army’s Bridge Project. A graduate of Lancaster University, she is a former Civil Servant in the DHSS, then the Inland Revenue and a Lancashire County Councillor (1985-97) and a Member of Parliament (1997-2010).
Helen Kidman
Helen was appointed to the Civic Voice board of trustees at the AGM in Birmingham on 20th October 2018. Helen is a Trustee of Ilkley Civic Society.
Helen was appointed as Deputy Chair of Civic Voice in April 2021 and is the Chair of the Civic Voice Regional Forum.
Jane Maggs
Robert Osborne

Robert is the Secretary of St Albans Civic Society and also responsible for their website and email communications. He first joined the Society as one of the team of volunteers who help to keep the historic Clock Tower in the city open for visitors. He then became more involved by joining the committee as minute secretary and his role gradually expanded as he took on other responsibilities.
He has worked for membership organisations for nearly 40 years and has experience managing regional networks, as membership director of a medium size trade association, and as acting chief executive for a year. He has been secretary to various Boards and committees over the years and at one point had 25 different committees or working groups to support. His role includes managing events ranging from seminars, conferences to awards presentations. He is currently the manager for two small trade associations.
Peter Karpinksi

Former civil servant responsible for architectural design policy at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and sponsor of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. At DCMS helped to set up the Farrell Review of architecture and the built environment.
Served on the board of the charity Beam; an architecture centre based in Wakefield, dedicated to the imaginative understanding and improvement of the public realm. Currently help the Place Alliance, a movement for place quality which believes that through collaboration a culture can be established whereby place quality becomes a universal priority.
An active member of the Kingston upon Thames Society, and have become one of the Society’s voluntary guides for the historic Coombe Conduit. Have also been campaigning for the establishment of an urban room for the borough of Kingston.
Peter leads on the Civic Voice Design Awards, which will be running from 2022-2025.