A new charity – Norwegian Church Cardiff Bay (Registered Charity 1195926) – was registered in September 2021 to take over the lease and running of the church from Cardiff Council.
Its formal aims are:
1) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC BY PROMOTING THE PERMANENT PRESERVATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE NORWEGIAN CHURCH CARDIFF BAY AS A HERITAGE CENTRE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CELEBRATING THE SOCIAL, HISTORICAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC LINKS BETWEEN WALES AND NORWAY; 2) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY, ITS PEOPLE, CULTURE, HISTORY, LANGUAGE, ARTISTIC, SCIENTIFIC AND ECONOMIC LIFE AND IN PARTICULAR ITS IMPACT ON THE LIFE OF PEOPLE IN SOUTH WALES AND THE WIDER UNITED KINGDOM. 3) THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES FOR RECREATION AND OTHER LEISURE TIME OCCUPATION AND COMMUNITY USE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE INHABITANTS OF CARDIFF IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF LIFE OF THE SAID INHABITANTS.
The charity is fortunate to have the support of a number of highly experienced individuals:
Dr Martin Price, Chair & Trustee
Martin Price has been working as a consultant to charities and social enterprises in Wales since 1996. He has had a number of senior management and leadership roles in the third sector in Wales, and in education.
He was Chair of the Institute of Fundraising Cymru for some years and was a UK Trustee of the Institute. He is a Fellow of the Institute and a Board member of the UK Fundraising Regulator, the National Academy for Educational Leadership, and the Development Trusts Association Wales. He is also Chair of Social Firms Wales.
For further info: www.consultancy.coop www.martinprice.com
Mike Parkinson, Trustee
My first involvement in the Church was through my father, Ewart Parkinson, who was a driving force behind the preservation of the Church and who many of you may remember. His vision of the Church as a community asset is one I grew up with as a child. In 2004 he received the St Olav’s medal for his contribution to strengthening ties between Wales and Norway. As you can see, I have very strong emotional ties to the Church and all that it represents. On the more practical side I spent most of the last twenty years of my working life as a company secretary employed by Oxfam where I specialised in issues of charity governance, compliance and regulatory work: skills that I hope I can put to good use for the Norwegian Church.
Cato Syversen, Trustee
CEO of Creditsafe; the Wales based, Norwegian owned Business Intelligence provider. Cato joined Creditsafe in 1999 and made the move to Cardiff from Norway in 2001. Creditsafe’s Global HQ is at Caspian Point in Cardiff Bay, a short walk from the iconic Norwegian Church and the fastest growing business in our industry and most used provider of business credit reports in the world. It has 170 employees in Cardiff Bay and a further 250 in Caerphilly. Creditsafe is proud to support the Norwegian Church.
Terje Inderhaug
Terje was an employee (now retired) of Hordaland county council since the 1980s. He has worked across education, culture, economic development and international work. In 1986 Terje was a MSc student in Cardiff (UWIST). Whilst he was in Cardiff, the Norwegian Church was due for demolition. He was involved in setting up a support committee in Norway to help fund the restoration of the church. Terje became the member of the first Trust, The Norwegian Church Preservation Trust chaired by Roald Dahl. Terje also helped develop the twinning county cooperation between Cardiff Council and Hordaland County in Norway (now Vestland).
Pauline Lomax
Pauline is originally from Belfast, but has made Cardiff her home for the past 26 years. Previously, she worked in London for Visnews and Reuters Television in sales and marketing roles. In a change of work life, Pauline has gone on to make freshwater pearl jewellery and is one of the artisans who has showcased in the Gallery Gift Shop at the Norwegian Church. She has spent lots of time there, absorbing the history and the ambiance. Pauline wants to do all that she can to ensure that this important heritage is saved for future generations to cherish.
ANNA HENNIUS
Anna is Swedish and has lived in the UK over 25 years. She moved to Cardiff 2000 with her family and love it here. Her main background is Sales, Marketing, Events and Travel. She has a broad experience coordinating events both within the corporate world and also privately. One of her local events was the Scandinavian Christmas Market in the Old Church Rooms in Radyr 2017, that connected many Scandinavian people living here in Wales. The event offered a unique blend of Scandinavian crafts, arts, food and live Nyckelharpa music.
Tim Corrigan
Tim is the owner of milk&sugar collection, an independent cafe chain in Cardiff. An experienced multi-unit Operations/Area Manager with 30 years of considerable and diverse experience within the Hospitality and Leisure management sector. A highly creative, people person, who thrives in challenging environments including marketing and operational procedures, brand creation, concept and business development”.
Dr Tyra Oseng-Rees
Tyra is originally from Norway and came to Wales to study. She is now running her own business Oseng-Rees Reflection making artisan sustainable fused recycled glass for architectural and interior installation. She has a PhD in sustainable material development, and has experience in social enterprise, business start-ups and working as a inspirational speaker for young entrepreneurs. Tyra has been the Chair of Welsh Norwegian Society since 2017. She is passionate about sustainability and future generations. Tyra would like to see the Norwegian Church open to all and to celebrate its Norwegian heritage.
Welsh Norwegian Society 