Aonghus Gordon

Chair of Trustees

Aonghus Gordon OBE, Hon DUniv, MEd (Founder and Co-CEO Ruskin Mill Trust) is the founder of Ruskin Mill Trust. Aonghus initiated the work of the Trust in 1983, galvanising colleagues to develop the teams and leadership to evolve and progress from one small centre to twelve provisions across England, Scotland and Wales. He has also achieved several international collaborations. He is passionate about the need for people to break out of dependency and marginalisation, believing that everyone has the potential to shape their own future.

Aonghus has pioneered the Trust’s unique method of Practical Skills Therapeutic Education (PSTE), inspired by Rudolf Steiner, John Ruskin and William Morris’s ideas about social renewal, healthy human development and the importance of art, crafts and land work. Thousands of young people have benefitted from this integrative educational method.

Over the last ten years, Aonghus has worked to significantly increase the training and research opportunities for staff working in the Trust, including developing a Master’s degree in Practical Skills Therapeutic Education, in collaboration with Huddersfield University. He is a charismatic speaker and has frequently been asked to lecture and run workshops in Europe, the USA and Far East.

In 2005, Aonghus was awarded Social Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young. In 2022, he was awarded an OBE for services to cultural heritage and education. In 2023, Aonghus was recognised for his work in special educational needs with the presentation of an honorary doctorate from Huddersfield University. Following a request from Trustees, Aonghus has also recently co-authored a book, Place, Craft and Neurodiversity – Re-imagining Potential through Education at Ruskin Mill.