The North East Funerary Heritage Group (NEFHG) is led by a committee committed to fostering inclusive, cross-sector collaboration across Tyne and Wear, County Durham, and Northumberland. The committee plays a key role in shaping the group\u2019s direction and activities, ensuring that funerary heritage across the North East is recognised, preserved, and shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr\u202fMyra Giesen (Chair)<\/strong> Abby Hammond<\/strong> (Secretary) Ray Hayes<\/strong> (At-Large Member \u2013 Northumberland) Eve Jackson <\/strong>(Communications Officer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n OPEN POSITIONS<\/strong> – if interested in any of the opening, then please contact the Chair<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Communications Officer (second position)<\/strong> \u2013 To work alongside the Student Communications Officer in promoting the group, sharing updates, and engaging with members and partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At-Large Member \u2013 County Durham<\/strong> \u2013 To represent Durham in group discussions and ensure local perspectives, needs, and opportunities are reflected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At-Large Member \u2013 Northumberland<\/strong> \u2013 To represent Northumberland in group discussions and ensure local perspectives, needs, and opportunities are reflected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Associate\/Support Members<\/strong> \u2013 On ad-hoc basis, to help with projects, events, or working groups by bringing experience, knowledge, or fresh ideas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The North East Funerary Heritage Group (NEFHG) is led by a committee committed to fostering inclusive, cross-sector collaboration across Tyne and Wear, County Durham, and Northumberland. The committee plays a key role in shaping the group\u2019s direction and activities, ensuring that funerary heritage across the North East is recognised, preserved, and shared. Committee Members Dr\u202fMyra … Continue reading “Meet the Committee”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5556,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-56","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/nefhg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/nefhg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/nefhg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/nefhg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5556"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/nefhg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/nefhg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/nefhg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/56\/revisions\/84"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/nefhg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
LinkedIn<\/a> or Staff Profile<\/a>
Working at Newcastle University, Myra’s background is in mortuary archaeology, bioarchaeology, and cultural heritage policy. Myra has worked extensively in both the UK and the US, including over a decade supporting NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) compliance for the US government. She is co-editor of Curating Human Remains<\/em> and contributed to the definition of \u201cHuman Remains\u201d in the ICOM Dictionary of Museology<\/em>. Myra currently leads the Ballast Hills Burial Ground project and has a strong track record of community-engaged research, with a focus on ethical stewardship, stakeholder inclusion, and the cultural significance of funerary spaces. She brings deep experience in developing policy, guiding research, and facilitating collaborative heritage initiatives across sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LinkedIn<\/a>
PhD researcher at Northumbria University and Northern Bridge Consortium student, working in partnership with Newcastle Cathedral. Her project, \u201cThe Women in the Ledger Stones: New Histories at Newcastle Cathedral, 1640\u20131815,\u201d<\/em> investigates the business lives and commemoration of women named on the Cathedral\u2019s ledger stones. Abby brings a strong interest in funerary heritage, material culture, and public interpretation, and is committed to making hidden histories more visible through inclusive research and outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LinkedIn<\/a>
Co-founder of Friends of Jesmond Old Cemetery. Ray is a local historian and advocate for community-based cemetery conservation. He brings invaluable experience from grassroots initiatives and public outreach in funerary heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n