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
Tiffany Kearton
Director
Tiffany has been a friend to the farm for many years and in 2001 started bringing her children to the farm for holidays. She lived in London for 20 years and was a Director of a London based Housing Association for 10 years.
Tiffany moved to Glastonbury in 2006 and in 2007 became the Director of Paddington Farm. She is responsible for overseeing the running of the farm including finances, managing staff and volunteers, reporting to the Management Committee and project manages the refurbishment program.
Verity Thompson
Co-Director
Verity joined the team in 2021, with a focus on fundraising, strategy development and marketing. She has a background in fundraising, charity management and land-based community projects, and has completed training as a Forest School leader and nature connection facilitator.
Outside of work, Verity is a qualified yoga teacher and also a keen illustrator who has created designs for many environmentally-focused organisations.
Christine Angel
Administrator
Christine joined our team in 2023 and is responsible for administration and housekeeping. She manages the bookings and ensures our accommodation is clean, comfortable and well maintained. Christine has a background in Hospitality Management and retail and lives locally with her children.
If you’d like to discuss a booking please get in touch – Christine will be more than happy to help.
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 our expanded vegetable gardens, oversees the garden volunteers and runs the organic produce stall at Glastonbury’s weekly market.
Rob lives on the farm with his partner Leela and their children Eden and Emrys.
Jim Ryan
Caretaker
Jim joined the farm in 2017 as a residential volunteer, and since September 2024 has been a paid member of the team.
He looks after our land and buildings, including electrics, carpentry, plumbing, building maintenance, track repairs and tree work. He’s also an ace digger driver, tractor driver and all round good egg!
Julia Bedford
Volunteering Support Officer
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, making sure that our hard working volunteers are well-fed.
Julia is also a herbalist running community nature events through Herbal Brue, as well as a talented artist who has created work for the Glastonbury Mural Trail.
Elisa Briscioli
Activities Officer (seasonal)
As co-Founder of environmental education charity Nature Vibezzz, Elisa has been bringing groups to Paddington Farm for over 10 years. In summer 2025 she joined us as seasonal Activities Officer, working with young people on our residential programme.
Elisa is a great advocate of traditional crafts and has led spinning and natural cordage workshops at the farm. She’s also a T’ai Chi practitioner and teacher.
Dan Rowen (and Poppy)
Animals Volunteer
Dan and Poppy joined the team in August 2025, looking after our ponies, goats, alpacas and rabbits.
Dan has a background in animal care, alongside hospitality and catering, although he tells us he likes animals more than people!
Trustees
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.
Steve Shaw
Vice Chair
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 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 residential each summer. 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. Oliver brings a wealth of experience from senior roles within the public sector, complemented by technical knowledge having completed his first degree in Agriculture. Oliver also has broad experience of the charity sector having served on numerous boards including Chair of Trustees at Freightliners City Farm in Central London.
Andrea Farrell
Andrea brings many years experience of working in Westminster Council‘s Play Service.
Ben Perry
Ben has had a family connection to the farm for over two decades, and joined the board in 2021. 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 the chance to experience country life and enjoy much-needed respite from tough urban environments.
Carol Archibald
Programme Director at The Avenues Youth Project, Carol brings two decades of experience in youth work, including roles as a youth worker, senior youth worker and programme manager. She has worked with young people involved with gangs, youth violence and crime, and has experience of developing and delivering projects that support positive outcomes for young people. Carol is also a trustee of the Young Westminster Foundation
Carol first came to Paddington Farm as a child and has since brought her own children and grandchildren to the farm. , Carol is keen to help Paddington to continue making a difference in the lives of young people.
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 has worked with The Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) and participated in European collaborations for habitat management, for which he has collected several awards. He is also a core member of Reimagining the Levels, which takes practical action to promote climate resilience in Somerset. Dave brings a wealth of technical expertise and regularly advises the team on organic farming issues.
Jamie McCann
Jamie is an entrepreneur and social innovator with lived experience of growing up on a Westminster council estate and spending time within the pupil referral unit system. His early experiences shaped a strong commitment to early intervention and creating positive opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Jamie began his career in the music industry before moving into technology and social enterprise. He now runs LOXKIN, a sustainable materials brand, and is passionate about supporting Paddington Farm Trust’s work using nature, creativity, and vocational skills to empower young people and prevent disengagement.
Joe Kentish
Joe is President of Warner Records UK and Parlophone Label Group, and works with some of the UK’s biggest musical artists, such as Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Pink Pantheress, as well as up and coming artists like Griff and Ashnikko. Joe is keen to support Paddington Farm’s work with young people and to act as an ambassador for the charity.