Mr Richard Ayling, planner and benefactor of the MSc Sustainable Heritage, visits the Institute

Richard’s legacy will fully fund the costs of studying on this postgraduate course for selected UCL ISH students in the future, as well as supporting Masters programmes within the Bartlett School of Planning. Legacy gifts, such as Richard’s, are incredibly valuable to UCL ISH and have a transformational impact on recipients; enabling the brightest students to study at the institute, regardless of financial barriers.

On Wednesday 9^th May, UCL ISH were delighted to welcome Richard to the institute to discuss the MSc Sustainable Heritage and how its themes reflect Richard’s career and areas of interest.

Richard studied at The Bartlett School of Planning between 1964 and 1966 and has a keen interest in conservation, particularly of historic buildings and churchyards. Richard spent much of his career working in the coal mining areas of Britain on the reclamation and re-use of derelict land. His work in these areas means he is particularly concerned about the future of open spaces and communities affected by the demise of the National Coal Board and other nationalised industries and the reduced resources and staffing of local authorities to manage them.

The relationship between communities and heritage and the value of heritage landscapes, including industrial sites, are very important topics on the MSc Sustainable Heritage and we are glad that the talented students that will benefit from Richard’s support will have the opportunity to explore topics that are so important to him. We are looking forward to interesting discussions with Richard on these and other issues in the future.

Director of the UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, Professor May Cassar said:

“Mr Ayling’s generosity will mean that outstanding students will be able to achieve excellence at UCL free from the burden of financial constraints. Gifts like Richard’s are critical for students who would struggle to make the financial commitment to further study without additional support, helping to attract scholars who are passionate about heritage and committed to building a career in the industry. We are proud to have Richard’s support in developing and training the next generation of leading sustainable heritage professionals.”

For information on scholarships visit our Programmes page.
If you are interested in giving back to UCL visit the Campaign for UCL ‘It’s All Academic’ website