MANAGEMENT TEAM

LEADERSHIP TEAM AND KEY STAFF

Jonathan brewer

Director

The Museum Director reports to the Board of Trustees. Jonathan leads the Museum in bringing together our conservation, heritage and memorial aspects, with a vision for the long term – to ensure our offer to visitors is attractive to as wide audience as possible.

He has the responsibility for the museum be a safe place for staff, volunteers and visitors. He leads a management team of six, who have delegated responsibility for different areas of expertise, including working with all our volunteers who donate their time and passion for the site.

Previously, Jonathan worked with the National Trust as General Manager in West Yorkshire covering a variety of sites over his 14 years with the conservation charity, and is using his experience of the heritage industry to lead the museum to achieve its full potential.

Gary Hancock

Aviation Conservation Manager

Gary is responsible for the restoration, repair and conservation of our aircraft and vehicle collection, which ranges from a replica of the Wright Flyer to beasts such as the Victor and Nimrod. He manages a team of volunteer engineers who are dedicated to preserving these vital pieces of aviation history.

Gary has worked in aviation since 1980, when he started an apprenticeship with British Aerospace at Bittesewell in Leicestershire. He’s worked on Shackletons, Hawks, Harriers, Phantoms, Nimrods and many, many more, in both the UK and USA/Canada.

Gary is passionate about military history and, as a re-enactor, has appeared in many films and TV dramas and commercials, including a Sainsbury’s Christmas advert set in the trenches and the movie Journey’s End.

He joined YAM in 1985 as the organiser of a military vehicle rally, eventually taking up his current role in 2018.

Jerry Ibbotson

Marketing and Communications Manager

Jerry’s responsible for developing the Museum and growing our audience, as well as dealing with media and press, and managing our presence of the web and social media. He also creates content for the museum – including our current theme – ‘Elvington 44/45 The Fight For Liberty’, and deals with the Museum’s branding and design.

He was a BBC radio journalist for ten years, working for Radio One Newsbeat, Radio 4 and 5Live, along with local radio in Plymouth and York. He reported from around the UK and abroad, covering stories such as the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, and the death of Princess Diana.

He then ran his own business for another decade, working in the video games industry, for clients such as Disney and Sony.

Before joining the Yorkshire Air Museum in 2021, he had been in a similar role at the Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre in York. He has a Masters Degree in Creative Writing from York St John University and has published a number of short stories and two novels.

Jack Donaldson

Site and Facilities Manager

Jack is responsible for the maintenance of our
22-acre site, which includes original WW2
buildings, modern facilities, memorial
gardens and our conservation woodland.
He manages a small site maintenance and
cleaning team, as well as gardening and
maintenance volunteers.<br>

Jack served for 12 years in the police
service. He studied Policing at the
University of Cumbria before joining Cumbria Police. Jack transferred to North Yorkshire Police working in Whitby, before moving to the Rural Task Force. When an opportunity to work at YAM materialised, Jack decided it
was time for a career change, joining us in January 2025.

<br>
Outside of work, Jack enjoys helping on
the family farm, where he built his own
log cabin, which he now lives in with his
family. He has a collection of ex-military Land
Rovers and uses these to explore
the UK with his family. Jack enjoys visiting
other museums and historic sites, attending
heritage shows and going on camping
and caravanning holidays.

Ian Richardson

Memorial and Heritage Manager

Ian is our Head of Memorial & Heritage, bridging the gap between our Volunteer Collections Team and the Museum Management, to bring the collections more fully into the heart of our operations and to maintain the memorial aspect of the Museum.

He also looks after the organisation of our Commemoration, Heritage and Remembrance events, runs our Membership and organises Halifax Tours.

He came to YAM in June 1999 after graduating as a mature student with a BA (Hons) in Business Management from the University of York, following on from an HND In Business & Marketing. He had taken voluntary redundancy from his previous role with one of the UK leading grocers, where he was a Section Manager at the branch in Foss Islands Road, York.

Sarah Maultby

Collections Officer

Sarah is responsible for the management and care of the collections and archives, making sure that the museum maintains high standards of documentation, storage and access to over 30,000 objects in our care.

Sarah has worked in social history museums since the 1990s, after gaining a BA (Hons) Historical Studies degree from Middlesex University. While working as Assistant Curator of Social History at York Castle Museum she studied part-time for an MA in Museum Studies from University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and gained the AMA (Associateship of the Museum Association) in 2007.

Sarah spent the last five years as Museum and Collections Manager at Beck Isle Museum in Pickering.

Tricia Room

Front of House Supervisor

Tricia is responsible for the smooth running of Admissions and our front of house, also working with group bookings and coordinating volunteers.

In her spare time she enjoys walking in the Dales with her dog, the legendary Tuco, the black lab.

Helen Metcalfe

Schools Liaison Officer

Helen is responsible for our education programme and is the point of contact for our visiting schools. She liaises with our very knowledgeable team of volunteers, who run informative and engaging sessions on topics such as the History of Flight and WWII.

Helen is passionate about education, with 15 years’ experience as a Secondary English Teacher and School Leader. Prior to teaching, Helen was an award-winning newspaper journalist for a number of regional and national publications, including the Mirror, the Birmingham Post & Mail and the York Press.

Helen is a keen open water swimmer so when she’s not working with schools and volunteers, she can usually be found in a lake or river, even in the middle of winter. She is fanatical about fantasy football and enjoys walking in the Yorkshire Dales with her German Shepherd, Sasha.

EXPLORE THE MUSEUM

Yorkshire Air Museum has a lot to offer, take a look around and discover the museum and the surrounding areas. From squadrons to sandwiches and everything in-between!

FIND OUT MORE