PADDINGTON FARM TRUST
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  • About Us
    • Meet The Team
    • Gallery
  • Our work
    • Young People
    • Supported Volunteering
    • Scrap Store Recycling
  • Stay With Us
  • Get Involved
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet The Team
    • Gallery
  • Our work
    • Young People
    • Supported Volunteering
    • Scrap Store Recycling
  • Stay With Us
  • Get Involved
  • Contact Us

Meet the Team


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The day-to-day running of the charity is managed by our on-site farm team, with our Board of Trustees taking overall responsibility for governance and strategy.

Farm Team

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Tiffany Kearton
Director

Tiffany has been a friend to the farm since the late eighties and bought her own children to the farm when she lived in London.
​She joined our team in 2007 and is responsible for overseeing the running of the farm including finances, managing staff and volunteers, publicity and fundraising and reporting to the Management Committee.
She also project manages the refurbishment program.

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Tanya Dawson and Michael Lowe
Farm Managers

Our Farm Managers, Tanya and Michael, manage and maintain our 43-acre farm, help groups and visitors get involved in farm life, and lead activities on our weekly volunteer days.  They both have a background in local authority work and community development, and worked together on an ecological arts project, Green Angels, before moving to Glastonbury to manage Bridie’s Yard organic food store. ​Tanya and Michael joined the Paddington Farm team in 2008. In 2021 Tanya was invited to join the board of Directors of Glastonbury's Red Brick Building and is also involved in the planning of Glastonbury’s Town Deal Fund. Tanya and Michael are also both keen musicians and play in a local  band. 

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Holly Isaacs
Administrator
Holly joined our team in 2009 and is responsible for the administration of the trust including the bookings for all the accommodation, camping and our classroom.  ​She also manages the accommodation and ensures it is clean, comfortable and well maintained.
​If you would like to discuss a booking please contact Holly for a chat and she will be more than happy to help.
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Rob Macbeth
Head Gardener
​Rob joined our team as a volunteer in 2008, working in the organic vegetable garden.
​In 2013 he became the Head Gardener and now manages the expanded vegetable gardens, the farm shop, the garden volunteers and the weekly market stall.
​Rob lives on the farm with his partner Leela and their children Eden and Emerys. 
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Julia Bedford
Volunteering Support Officer

The newest member of the team, Julia joined us in April 2022 as Volunteering Support Officer.
​An experienced vegan chef, Julia creates tasty and nutritious lunches for our weekly volunteer days.

Trustees

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Jane Buttigieg
Chair of Trustees
Jane has been involved with the farm for over 25 years, and has brokered many training and development activities for young people and groups to visit the farm. Previously a senior manager in Westminster Play Services, Jane is highly experienced in setting up projects for diverse and different age groups and leading training in play. Jane is a community activist and campaigner, and has been a catalyst in projects such as family centres for the homeless, family learning programmes and inter-generational art and play schemes. She is also president of SouthWestFest, a community festival in south west London that attracts over 6,000 people annually. 

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Steve Shaw
Vice Chair
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Steve trained as a documentary cameraman and filmmaker. In 1981 he was invited to take a group of kids on a summer camping trip to a farm in Cornwall, and the following year to a farm in Glastonbury which later became Paddington Farm. This inspired the Children's ITV series "Running Loose”, and the establishment of youth organisation Paddington Arts, which Steve still runs. Paddington Arts maintains a close connection with Paddington Farm and brings young people for a summer residential each year. Steve is actively involved in the local community and has served as a school governor and on the board of many local charities.

​Oliver Shaw
Treasurer
Oliver Shaw has served on the Management Board of Paddington Farm Trust since 1995. A Detective  Superintendent with the City of London Police, former head of the Force's Economic Crime Directorate and a member of the government's Fraud Review Team, Oliver brings a wealth of management experience, complemented by technical expertise through completing a first degree in Agriculture. He also has wide experience of the charity sector, including being a trustee of The Fraud Advisory Panel and the former Chair of Freightliners' City Farm in Islington. 
Barrie Taylor
Secretary

Former CEO of SW Herts Community Health Council, and former Westminster City Councillor, Barrie Taylor is a dedicated community activist and is committed to helping young people thrive through developing business and life skills. He has been involved with Paddington Farm for a number of years and is also Secretary of Paddington Youth Enterprises.
Andrea Farrell
Andrea brings many years experience of working in Westminster Council's Play Service.
Ben Perry
A new addition to the board of trustees, having joined in 2021, Ben has had a family connection to the farm for over two decades.  Ben is an operational and project manager with over 20 years' experience and brings a wealth of commercial knowledge to support the farm's aspirations for the future.  
Brenda Gravelle
Brenda has served on the committee of Paddington Farm Trust since its inception in 1982. She was one of the original pioneers of the farm raising the first tranche of vital funding which laid the blueprint for the farm’s current facilities. She was involved in the farm’s first camping trip and Paddington Farm Club which she subsequently supervised.
Brenda had a teaching career in inner city primary schools.  Now retired, she remains involved with community groups. She is a passionate believer in the restorative powers and spirit of aspiration the farm environment cultivates in young people and community groups, offering them to experience country life and enjoy often much needed respite from their tough urban environments. 
David Banwell
Somerset farmer Dave Banwell has 50 years’ experience in the field - quite literally! He left school at 16 and has been faming ever since. Dave has a keen interest in conservation and environmental issues and has studied sustainable farming techniques across Europe, including research trips to Poland, France and Holland. He brings a wealth of technical expertise and regularly advises the team on organic farming issues.
Doreen Davis MBE
Doreen has been a trustee of Paddington Farm Trust since 2004.  She brings with her a passion for giving young people positive outdoor experiences. Doreen set up Pimento, a London charity that supports over 150 children and young people to access a range of experiences to support them develop positive attitudes and improved wellbeing.  Pimento also works with volunteers from Mental Health charity MIND.
Doreen has been a trustee of many charities including West London Families Service Unit, Westway Development trust and The Consortium of Supplementary Schools.  Doreen runs Summer Play Schemes and has taken many groups of children to Paddington Farm.  
Hamza Taouzzale
Labour Councillor and Shadow Cabinet Member, Hamza joined the Paddington Farm board in 2018. A former Youth MP, Hamza brings a wealth of experience of youth engagement and representation. He is also a Trustee of Paddington Arts, the Young Westminster Foundation, the John Lyons Charity and the Goldsmith Students' Union.
Tom Fitch
Tom became a trustee of Paddington Farm in 2007, bringing his financial experience as Director of Community Accountancy Self Help (CASH), an organisation he has expanded across 14 London borough providing advice and training for 400 charities on a range of managerial and accountancy issues. 
Tom has been a trustee of many charities for over 30 years.  He is currently treasurer of Kensington & Chelsea Social Council and treasurer of Westminster Carers Service and previously worked for Tyneside Housing Association, with responsibility for the renovation of 30 derelict properties a year. Tom has used his considerable experience of management and marketing to assist the management and treasury operations of charities, particularly in supporting children’s and special needs groups, and local community housing projects.
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