Paul Brown
Royston First BID Manager
Paul Brown is the owner of a fashion company he started in 2009. His experience with business improvement districts dates back to 2018, when he joined the board of directors at Our Bury St Edmunds BID.
In 2019, he became the manager of Love Newmarket BID and led the organisation through a successful renewal.
Paul is looking forward to working closely with the board and members to build a better town to live, work and visit.
David Smyth
Chairman
David was a long-standing member of the Royston Chamber of Commerce when the idea of a BID was first mooted. David has been involved in the BID since the start in 2009, before being elected to the Board in November 2012 and appointed chairman in September 2019.
David is a Roystonian and worked in Royston as a Chartered Accountant in private practice for nearly 50 years. This enables him to bring financial knowledge to the Board on a variety of matters.
David is passionate about Royston and works towards helping the town centre and industrial areas to succeed and supports the many projects carried out to make this happen.
Cath Boughton
Director
Cath joined Royston First’s predecessor, Royston Town Centre Forum in 2007 and became a member of the Royston First Advisory Council in 2009 before being elected to the Board of Directors in 2020.
She brings with her an immense knowledge of the town and businesses, gained from her experience of setting up and running The Listing magazine, which started life back in 2005. Her motivation on the Board of Directors is to add value and make a difference to both the wider community and the business environment, and as such is keen to champion projects which add to the vibrancy of our town and the growth of our local economy.
Nigel Reader
Director
Nigel is the owner of Borders and Bows on Green Drift.
He has been involved with Royston First since its inception in 2009, initially as a member of the Advisory Council and from 2019 as a Director.
Nigel has lived in Royston since 1981 and is passionate about all things to do with Royston, particularly interested in business and local grass-roots sport; being a long-time sponsor and season ticket holder with Royston Town FC and a long-standing member of Royston Cricket Club committee.
Peter Heppelthwaite
Director
Peter is a professional actor with a career in TV and West End theatre spanning almost 30 years. He trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Performing Arts and went on to enjoy a successful career straight out of Drama School, appearing in BBC1’s “Two Point Four Children”. He is probably best known for playing the role of Jed in the BBC1 spin-off of Only Fools and Horses, “The Green Green Grass”.
Peter brought his love of performing to Royston by opening the Limitless Academy of Performing Arts School on Melbourn Street in 2016. He has remained passionate about bringing the arts to Royston and providing a platform for both adults and children alike to learn to become actors and get involved in Musical Theatre productions and film projects as a result of their training.
Peter is also a BID payer and has been instrumental in providing entertainment from the talent within Limitless for community events in Royston. He is passionate about the success of the town itself and believes that creating and supporting cultural and creative events makes Royston a more vibrant and attractive place to live and visit.
Steve Jackson
Director
Steve has been a member of the Royston Advisory Council since its creation in 2009 and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2020. He moved to Royston in 1987 and shortly after opened a branch of his electrical business in the Town Centre but soon outgrew the premises and relocated to Orchard Road Industrial Estate in 1999.
He is also chairman of Royston Town Football Club, a position he has held since 2008. During his tenure, he has strived to make the club an integral part of the town and is very proud of the progress made by the club’s community programme, which continues to work with most of the schools in the area.
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