Mark Berridge, castle and culture manager at The Castle in Bude was awarded the prestigious Leader of the Year award at the seventh annual Cornish Heritage Awards ceremony.
With 2025’s ceremony held at Liskeard Public Hall on March 17, Mark presented with award by Mark Trevethan, cultural lead for Cornwall Council.
The Cornwall Heritage Awards aim to celebrate the achievements of the heritage community in Cornwall. The awards bring together the very best projects, collaborations, initiatives and teams from organisations all over Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. There are more than 70 heritage organisations in Cornwall of great variety and individuality, including museums, art galleries, castles, mines, historic properties, industrial heritage sites, archives and community museums.
After being nominated by his colleagues for ‘Leader of the Year’, Mark said: “I am so touched and pleased that my team nominated me for the award. It shows that they appreciate everything I do for them and shows to me, not that I didn’t know already, what a great team I have.”
A spokesperson from The Castle said: “From the get go, Mark’s enthusiasm was infectious, and he had a clear vision for The Castle and what he wanted to achieve. His mantra is, ‘There’s always something going on at the Castle’, by creating a venue for local and visitors alike, where there is always something different to see and do all year round. Initially, he worked closely with the Heritage Curator to review exhibitions and displays, most of which hadn’t been updated since The Castle opened in 2007.
“As well as the museum, Mark was also instrumental in developing the café, The Castle as a wedding venue and encouraging local artists to exhibit in the art galleries. Over the years, what The Castle is able to offer its visitors has grown considerably. As a result, new roles have been introduced, such as a wedding and events officer, marketing and promotions officer, café manager, and most recently an outreach officer.
“The success of The Castle and the success and wellbeing of his staff is at the heart of everything he does. He is passionate about The Castle and its history.”
Reacting to his award win, Mark said: “I am so pleased with the award and feel honoured to be recognised for my leadership skills at these prestigious Cornish awards. I have been managing people for most of my working life and winning this award means so much. I also feel that this is another win for The Castle and will go along side all the other awards we have won over the past few years. It just shows, through the help of my team, my initial vision is being met and that The Castle is thriving.”