People

sociology course leader, Solent University

Dr Brian McDonough is Course Leader of Sociology BA at Solent University and has written a number of articles and books, including Social Problems in the UK (2015) and Universal Basic Income (2020). He is a leading sociologist and active researcher in the UK, specialising in the area of work, technology and social inequalities.

head of corporate and community affairs, NATS

Jane is responsible for NATS’ UK political and industry relationships; corporate media relations; and engagement with local communities and the general public. Originally a newspaper journalist, she has worked across a range of internal, media and political communications roles both in-house and in consultancy.  She has a wide-ranging knowledge of the aviation, transport and infrastructure sectors and is an expert in crisis communications. She has worked on policy issues as diverse as aviation policy, immigration controls, pensions, infrastructure, environmental issues, taxation and business reorganisation. She has managed major public consultations on airspace change and is currently leading NATS’ engagement on modernising UK airspace. Her aviation experience includes more than 15 years at both British Airways and NATS.  She chaired the Aviation Club of the UK from 2015-18, a networking forum for the industry – rebranding it, overhauling its finances and boosting membership to more than 500 industry professionals.

author and freelance writer

Adrian was a special education tutor from 1992 to 1999, then director of Coyote Films until 2007. He is the author of The Myth of Racist Kids (2009) Leave the Kids Alone (2011) and is now writing a follow up to his latest book That’s Racist! (2014). He writes for spiked and campaigns in Brighton on housing matters and for independent (ie. non-party) politics at local level. He stood as an independent candidate in the May 2019 local elections and blogs at www.adrianhart.com.

welding student, Brighton Salon

Sean Bell is a former journalist who, for many years, ran The Brighton Salon, an independent discussion and debating group that was free to attend. He is now a welding student.

author; former director, the Royal Collection

Jonathan Marsden worked for the National Trust in North Wales and Oxfordshire before joining the Royal Household in 1996 as Deputy Surveyor of The Queen’s Works of Art.  He served as Director of the Royal Collection from 2010-17, with overall responsibility for the care and public presentation of the Collection and for public access to the Royal Palaces.  He is currently working on a complete catalogue of sculpture in the Royal Collection.

journalist and author

Annabel Venning is a journalist and author. Formerly on the staff of the Daily Mail, she left in 2003 to write her first book, Following the Drum: the Lives of Army Wives and Daughters. In September she published her second book, The War With the Walkers: Three Soldiers, the War Bride, the Nurse and a Doctor, One Family’s Extraordinary Story of the Second World War – about her own family’s wartime experiences, from the Blitz to the battlefields of Burma and Italy, and prisoner of war camps of World War Two. It was named as one of the Books of the year in The Telegraph, The Times, the Mail and Mail on Sunday. She is currently working on a third book as well as writing features and ghost-writing for newspapers. She lives in Wiltshire with her family. She is a Sherborne Old Girl.

United Reformed Church & Methodist Minister, Cheap Street Church

After working as a design engineer for GEC High Voltage Switchgear, Duncan trained at Westminster College Cambridge to become a United Reformed Church Minister, and was ordained in 1992. Duncan has served as minister in pastorates in Crawley, The Forest of Dean, South Cambridgeshire and North Herts, before coming to Sherborne in 2018, were he serves as the URC / Methodist minister for four churches. His interests include, sport, dog showing and music, currently playing in the Sherborne Town Band, and regularly attending the Bayreuth Wagner Festival.

minister, Somerset Mendip Circuit, Methodist Church of Great Britain

Rev. Manley served in the Royal Air Force for 16 years as a police officer and as a counterintelligence officer. On discharge he became a police officer in the Avon and Somerset Constabulary, working within a variety of specialist roles. As a detective, he worked on security matters within the United Kingdom and overseas. After retiring, he was recruited back into the service as a civilian investigative officer, specialising in the field of financial intelligence and investigation. Following this, he attended University seeking to become a minister of religion within the Methodist Church.  After a long period of academic and practical study of Theology, he achieved a BA Honours degree in Theology. Ordained at Coventry Cathedral he is currently stationed within the Somerset Mendip circuit serving seven churches and communities.

freelance writer and journalist

Louise Carpenter is a British writer, working primarily for the Saturday Times Magazine. She is the co-author of Let Her Fly: A Father’s Journey and the Fight for Equality, with Ziauddin Yousafzai, father of the Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai. Her journalism has been published in many publications including Granta, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and Vogue and has been syndicated worldwide. She is the author of two other non-fiction books, An Unlikely Countess: Lily Budge and the 13th Earl of Galloway and Ida and Louise. She lives in Somerset with her family.

presenter, BBC Radio Solent

Steve Harris is the presenter of BBC Radio Solent’s Dorset breakfast show.Based in Dorchester, his show covers stories from right around the county. Last year he presented his show live from Sherborne Girls’ new arts centre. He lives in Poole in Dorset with his wife, 9 month old son and cats Aristotle and Moses.