A successful businessman will help lead Macclesfield's Silk Museum into a new era.

Simon Spurrell has been appointed as the new chair of the board at the Silk Museum.

A lifelong Maxonian, Simon brings 40 years of design, IT, technology, and communications expertise to the table.

He said: "I have long been fascinated by our local history, and my first job was in the former Frosts Silk Mill.

"It feels fitting that at the end of my career I am involved in preserving our town's silk heritage.

"I aim to continue the great success achieved by my predecessors and to raise awareness of the museum and our objectives to a much wider audience while creating long-term, self-sustaining revenue streams."

ALSO READ: Your chance to help shape the future of Macclesfield's Silk Museum and Paradise Mill

Click the link above to find out how you can help shape the future of the Silk Museum (Credit: Nub News)

Simon grew up in Tytherington, attending Marlborough Primary and later Broken Cross.

He now lives in the local village of Rushton Spencer with his wife Becky and Otto, the sausage dog.

A serial entrepreneur, Simon has founded several successful businesses in various sectors, including technology, cheese, distilleries, and classic cars.

He began his career as a graphic designer, embracing the first Apple Mac technology in 1986.

This experience led him to establish ITG Technologies, a local IT firm, in 1998, operating in both the UK and India, where he continues to serve as chair.

Since 2010, Simon has launched a series of ventures, including the Cheshire Cheese Company, which he sold for a six-figure sum in 2022. At its peak, this company was the largest online cheese seller in Europe.

His other projects include a passion for car restoration through his Hungarian workshop, The Classic Mechanic, and investments in artisan producers like Hartington Creamery and The Church Farm Craft Company.

The Silk Museum is looking to get residents to share their ideas for the museum (Credit: Silk Museum)

Simon's appointment comes as the museum's education co-ordinator, Natalie Lane, leads an initiative aimed generating locally-sourced ideas.

Funded by the Heritage Lottery, Macclesfield residents can take part in focus groups, complete a survey, or even enter a competition to design a new exhibition.

The ideas and feedback from this process will feed into short term actions, the 2026 events programme and the museum's five-year strategy.

"It will all have real impact on our work," Natalie said. 

"The start of 2026 will see the development of a five-year plan for the museum. 

"All the feedback from this process is going to shape what this plan looks like."