Former National Trust manager appointed to rejuvenate Peterborough’s Flag Fen

Posted on: 06/10/2021

A former National Trust manager has joined the team at City Culture Peterborough’s Flag Fen with plans to raise the profile of the pre-historic attraction.

Jacqueline Mooney, who has extensive experience in the heritage sector, is excited to begin rejuvenating the 3,000-year-old landscape at Flag Fen, highlighting the amazing discoveries that have been made to encourage people to discover its unique place in England’s history.

Before being appointed as general manager at Flag Fen, Jacqui worked for the National Trust for 10 years in various roles, including overseeing the operations of Dunstable Downs in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Prior to this she was head of visitor operations at English Heritage, looking after a vast portfolio of attractions in East Anglia, Kent and Dover Castle, Yorkshire, Cheshire, North Lincolnshire and Durham.

Jacqui’s short-term goals for Flag Fen involve re-building the lost round house, a re-fresh of the visitor facilities, café, children’s play area and launching an annual pass that will grow support and benefit repeat visitors. The longer-term vision will be to create a 10-year investment programme that will connect the people of Peterborough with their history and showcase the international importance of this unique site and collection.

“I want to change people’s perceptions of Flag Fen. Flag Fen is just a stone’s throw from Peterborough town centre, as soon as you arrive a sense of peace and calm descends, the beautiful mere and fenland landscape refreshes your soul. It’s the perfect antidote to the stress of modern life.

My vision is to re-launch Flag Fen onto the national stage, attract more visitors and create more opportunities for local communities to get involved with this special place. I want to work with culture and heritage partners in Peterborough to attract more visitors to the region, creating income and benefit for the city as a whole.

Flag Fen is rich in nature as well as history and is home for many red list species, birds, mammals and reptiles. I am keen to work with partners such as the City College to enhance the landscape for the benefit of nature and create learning opportunities for the people of Peterborough.”

- Jacqueline Mooney

“We’re delighted to welcome Jacqui to take over the helm at Flag Fen. With her vast knowledge and experience managing some well-known heritage sites in England, Jacqui is well placed to help give Flag Fen the recognition it deserves both locally and nationally. There are some exciting plans ahead that will really thrust the site into the limelight.”

- Pat Carrington, CEO at City Culture Peterborough

Additional Information

Media contact

Kelly Jackson, Marketing Communications Officer
City Culture Peterborough
Telephone: 01733 761361 ext. 107
Email: kjackson@cityculturepeterborough.org.uk

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Note to editors

Flag Fen is famous for being the site of an ancient Bronze Age causeway, discovered by Time Team’s Francis Pryor. At Flag Fen, you can discover what life was like for our prehistoric ancestors in a reconstructed Bronze Age village. You can see an uncovered section of the ancient causeway, which once led Bronze Age people to their place of worship. You can view some exceptionally rare objects, including one of the earliest examples of a man-made wheel, as well as swords, jewellery and personal items which were buried as part of ritual offerings to the watery ‘fen’.

About Flag Fen

This kilometre-long wooden causeway and platform is perfectly preserved in the wetland.
More than 60,000 upright timbers and 250,000 horizontal planks are buried under the ground along with many swords and personal items given as offerings to the watery fen.
The site is also home to an abundance of wildlife owing to the variety of habitats, which includes extensive grassland, traditionally managed hedgerows and woodland and a freshwater mere (lake). Flag Fen is located on the outskirts of Peterborough, towards Whittlesey. For more information, telephone: 01733 864468 or visit www.cityculturepeterborough.org.uk

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About City Culture Peterborough Ltd.

Created in 2020, City Culture Peterborough’s mission is to make Peterborough’s rich arts, culture, heritage, library and archives services accessible, engaging and enjoyable for the Peterborough community.
Through a year-round programme of events across a diverse portfolio of venues, City Culture Peterborough is committed to working with partners and local organisations to make sure Peterborough’s proud cultural fabric continues to thrive in the city.
City Culture Peterborough Limited is part of City College Peterborough, who provide education and training services for the city.

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