Twerton and Whiteway Pride in Place Co-Chairs Announced

Two well-known community figures have been appointed to lead the next stage of the Twerton and Whiteway Pride in Place programme.

Joy Luxford and Ruby Sant have been named co-chairs of the Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board, which will help oversee plans for up to £20 million of Government investment in the area over the next decade.

Twerton and Whiteway is one of 284 neighbourhoods across the country selected for the Government’s Pride in Place programme, aimed at supporting community-led regeneration and long-term local improvements.

The co-chairs will work alongside a Neighbourhood Board and local residents to develop a vision and investment plan for the area, with projects chosen by people who live and work locally.

Joy Luxford is an award-winning director with experience supporting charities and organisations to create large-scale impact. She currently sits on the boards of Alliance Homes and the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, and was previously a director of Bath City Football Club.

Ruby Sant is co-director of Little Lost Robot CIC and heads the Inclusive Communities team at Bath Spa University. She founded Creative Twerton and is known for her work as a large-scale immersive artist and community advocate.

Speaking about the appointment, Joy Luxford said the programme offered “a unique, high-impact opportunity” to help shape the future of the area alongside local residents.

Ruby Sant added that the programme would focus on building on the “skills, passion and knowledge” already within the community to create “generational, ambitious change”.

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse described the appointments as “a major step forward” for the programme and said she looked forward to working with the board and wider community.

Councillor Paul Roper, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s cabinet member for Economic and Cultural Sustainable Development, said both co-chairs brought the experience and leadership needed to help develop the Pride in Place plan.

The Neighbourhood Board will now work with residents to create a long-term plan for Twerton and Whiteway, outlining how funding could be used to improve opportunities, public spaces and community life.

The completed plan is due to be submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government in November 2026.