Michael Attenborough CBE joins Culture Shift as our Patron

In September 2025, we were delighted to announce that Michael Attenborough one of the UK’s most respected theatre directors and cultural leaders, accepted the role of being our Patron.  

With a career spanning over five decades at the heart of British theatre and cultural life, Michael brings unparalleled insight and passion to this new role. His decision was influenced by his son who came to our Every Sort of People event in Newhaven in July and inspired by our mission to tackle cultural exclusion and celebrate human creativity. 

Michael also has a personal connection to Sussex, having graduated from the University of Sussex in 1972. 

“Having worked at the centre of our culture for the past 50 years, I know only too well the vital areas of our world that our culture fails to reach,” said Michael. “So when I was approached by an organisation that had, at the centre of its mission, a commitment to shift culture, I was immediately excited. I met them and watched them at work. Their skill, their commitment, their joy, were irresistible. I didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation to become their Patron.” 

“To celebrate and investigate, through art, the human condition is a human right.Yet whole sections of our society are denied this basic right. Art is not the exclusive property of a privileged elite; it belongs to us all. In a deeply fractured world, we desperately need that which brings us together. We urgently need to shift culture.” 

Michael is determined to be a directly involved in Culture Shift activity and has started as he means to go on, attending a board meeting in September and spending a whole day with our team, recording a voiceover for a new film to celebrate our Being Our Best Selves in Sussex project and making plans with us for future activity. 

“For our work to be endorsed and supported by Michael in this way marks a significant moment in our story, reinforcing our commitment to cultural equity and diversity. We are immensely proud and very much look forward to working with Michael to make exciting things happen in Sussex” Julia Roberts, Culture Shift CEO