Central Hall Venues Appoints Two New Team Members for St Saviourgate York

Christopher Williams (right) Head of Venue and Ian Atherton (left) Caretaker at St Saviourgate York.

Venue Management organisation, Central Hall Venues, today announces two new appointments for its newest UK-wide conference and events venue, St Saviourgate York. Christopher Williams has been appointed Head of Venue and Ian Atherton is Caretaker.

Central Hall Venues, which also runs Central Hall Westminster and Nicolson Square Edinburgh, launched the historic venue within the city walls of York in October last year. SSY is a Grade II* listed building, designed by architect James Simpson as a meeting and community space and dates back to 1840 when it was built to mark the centenary of Methodism. Like CHV’s other venues, it is the home of an established Methodist church.

Christopher Williams, who joins the events team at SSY as Head of Venue, previously worked at Clements Hall, a community asset that provides space to a wide range of the York community. He moved to York in 2007 for university and fell in love with the city as one of the country’s major cultural centres along with its warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Reporting to Paul Southern, Managing Director of Central Hall Venues, Chris is responsible for a small team at SSY, managing all aspects of conference and events hosting from the admin through to market research and sales.

Chris comments: “I am very excited about working as Head of Venue for SSY as confidence builds again for events. We are so looking forward to welcoming people back to a safe and secure venue as we move into a post-covid world. The size and flexibility of spaces at SSY really help us to achieve this for both our local and national clients.”

Ian Atherton, who takes the role of Caretaker for SSY, brings experience from the National Railway and the Ministry of Defence as well as youth work in Gateshead and front of house in a busy restaurant. Born and bred in York, Ian brings invaluable expertise to the historic Grade II* listed building as well as assisting with the hospitality at events. 

Ian comments: “It’s an honour to work in this historic building which is at the centre of the York community. There are many challenges to looking after a building of this age and type, but the variety will mean no two days will be the same. My favourite part of the venue is the Great Hall with its original church organ, and I love all the history behind it.”