New blood is welcomed into Eden Court Theatre

New directors have been appointed to the board of Eden Court Theatre in Inverness, with longstanding supporter Don Robertson being made chairman.

Duncan Hendry, chief executive of Capital Theatres, Edinburgh, and Heidi Hall, director of the Central School of Ballet in London, have been appointed to the board.

Inverness-based artist Lou Brodie has been coopted to the Eden Court education committee.

Eden Court chief executive James Mackenzie-Blackman said: “I’m really pleased we are starting Eden Court on a new journey of refreshed governance with the appointment of some exceptional colleagues to steer the strategic direction of Eden Court and help us deliver our ambitious plans.

“Don, Duncan, Heidi and Lou will no doubt provide exceptional contributions.

“Now, more than ever, charities need to work harder to prove to their stakeholders and funders that what we are doing

“I’m really pleased we are starting on a new journey”

works and deserves investment. We also need to work harder to diversify our boards to ensure they represent the communities we serve.

“Our new appointments help to balance age demographic and gender representation, but there is so much more to do.

“I look forward to doing just that with all of these new colleagues.”

New chairman Mr Robertson grew up near Beauly and attended Inverness Royal Academy.

Following graduation from Glasgow University he embarked on a 30-year career in the oil and gas industry.

Following retirement, Don returned to live in Inverness when he and his wife became regular visitors to Eden Court. He became a patron in 2013 and joined the board of Eden Court in 2018