Trustees
paul brown
Paul Brown is a national newspaper journalist and author of a dozen books on the environment and history.
He has also written three books and edited more than 30 other publications about Leighton-Linslade’s past and was chairman of the Leighton Buzzard and District Archaeological and Historical Society for 11 years.
During a long career in journalism, Paul worked on two weekly, two evening and three morning papers. He has been a reporter, news editor and night news editor.
Paul joined The Guardian in 1980 and worked as an investigative reporter and then for 16 years as the paper’s pioneer environment correspondent. Since then he has contributed news stories for the paper from around the world and still writes three columns a month for them.
The Guardian Foundation, established after the fall of the Berlin Wall, employed Paul in more than 20 countries to teach journalism in former Soviet Republics in Eastern Europe and Asia. He has also taught journalism in China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
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Paul has written eight books on the environment including four for children. His specialist subject is climate change.
In latter years Paul has written local history books, and edited a number of others about Leighton-Linslade area, including The Secrets of Q Central, How Leighton Buzzard Shortened the Second World War. This was written while being chairman of the local history and archaeological society, an organisation he helped found in 2006. It now has nearly 200 members.
He stood down as chairman in order to work towards a much needed arts and heritage centre for Leighton Buzzard but remains a member of the history society’s committee and is in charge of publications.
Paul's latest book is a History of Leighton’s Market Cross and the woman who built it, Alice Chaucer.
Natasha seale
Natasha Seale's career spans over 20 years. Singer, actor, song writer, Natasha has amassed an impressive list of credits including as a leading lady in London’s West End (‘Les Miserables’, ‘Aspects of Love’, ‘Mamma Mia!) and as Despina in Glyndebourne's Hip H'Opera ' School4Lovers".
Her debut album, A Bigger Sky, (Timeless Torch songs, Luxurious Jazz-pop) is released on 33Jazz Records label.
Natasha is a Master's Music Graduate from Bath-Spa and with an honours degree from LIPA in performing Arts.
She is a recent awardee of Arts Council England for her one woman show with original music entitled Two Pigeons and A Pizza Box.
Natasha is also delighted to have been selected as a 'Future Songwriter' for Milton Keynes Living Archive project and hopes to create an equivalent in the heart of Leighton Buzzard.
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ben green
Ben is a pioneer of ground-breaking rights deals for the future, working internationally with many leading companies and start-ups across the Broadcasting, Creative Arts and Digital sectors.
Following a degree in Theatre Arts from Bretton Hall (Leeds University), his early career was in theatre; producing and performing with several companies around the UK before becoming an actors' agent in Manchester. He then spent over 20 years at the BBC, most recently as Head of Rights Business Development, playing a central role in leading the strategy and delivery of rights for the BBC's digital activity across all platforms: BBC iPlayer, the BAFTA-winning ‘Creative Archive’ pilot, and the commercial download service, BBC Store.
Ben was instrumental in many archive release partnerships with major cultural institutions, including the V&A ‘Bowie Is’ exhibition, the British Museum, and Imperial War Museum.
Launching his own consultancy in 2016, Ben has most recently acted as Rights Consultant to StoryFutures Academy (funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council), helping many Virtual and Augmented reality projects, and for the animation company, Toots Design, on their heartwarming tale ‘Mr. Bear’s Christmas’ for CBeebies.
Ben regularly trains and mentors students in Rights and Business Affairs and Copyright at the National Film & Television School, Screenskills, BBC Academy, and Leeds University.
His experience with film and TV archive led to an invitation to be a juror for the prestigious FOCAL INTERNATIONAL Archive Awards for the past four years, and he is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
Since 2019, Ben has also re-trained to return as a professional actor (under his Equity name, ’Stewart Rome’). Performing in several film and television projects, including a comedy pilot, a period drama, and a charity ad campaign, he is currently he is playing a leading role in the horror film, ‘DJ Kill’.
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roy howat
Roy Howat is a concert pianist and musical researcher, who holds Research Fellowships at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.
Besides a wide-ranging concert career, Roy has published books and important editions, and is particularly known for his expertise in French music.
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Born in Ayrshire, Roy studied first in Glasgow, then at King’s College Cambridge, before making a close study
of French music in Paris, taking lessons from the renowned pianist Vlado Perlemuter, who had worked closely with composers including Fauré and Ravel.
Roy’s career since has embraced a wide repertoire, with particular focus on French music. Among his writings are two major books, and important editions of music by Chopin, Debussy, Fauré and Chabrier.
Besides performing, broadcasting and lecturing worldwide, he has recorded numerous CDs, and held university lectureships and conservatoire teaching posts in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Asia, along with shorter visiting residences at major American institutions.
His current posts include: Keyboard Research Fellow at the Royal Academy of Music, Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Honorary Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge.
Roy and his wife, musician Emily Kilpatrick, have lived in Leighton Buzzard since 2011.
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Gabi Davison
Gabi Davison freelanced for the Arts Council England for over 3 years, whilst also volunteering at the MK Gallery. She is passionate about visual arts and has been campaigning to make arts accessible to everyone within our community.
Gabi believes that The Peppercorn Centre will transform the way we feel about Leighton Buzzard and give us a much needed sense of belonging. Peppercorn is here to celebrate our local history and give platform to all the talented artists that live here.