Meet Jedburgh Community Arts
Dean Freeman
Chairperson
Dean runs Heron & Willow bookshop in Jedburgh, including multiple book groups, writing groups and monthly events.
Previously he created and led Long Division Festival (later CIC) in Wakefield, which presented an award winning festival for thirteen years, plus countless funded projects and an award winning music education programme. He has worked for social action charities, worked as a freelance artist and funding bid writer.
Dean enjoys writing and recording music and creative writing. He’s passionate about grassroots creativity and culture and the ways in which events and spaces can bring people together.
Antony Blackshaw
Secretary
Antony has worked for the last 35 years in the UK Charity sector. He was Chief Executive in three large UK charities over a twelve-year period before starting a consultancy providing interim CEO and other services to Charities. He has completed fifteen interim roles since 2010, and is currently the Transformation Director at LSE SU in London.
Antony has a passion for effective governance of charities and delivers training and advice for many charity boards and CEOs across the whole of the UK. He and his family have lived just outside Jedburgh for the last five years and his three children are all in schools in Jedburgh and Ancrum.
Dan Gibson
Dan Gibson is a chartered Architect with 25 years’ experience. He is passionate about community projects, and how creative environments can promote positive transformation and improve lives. He particularly enjoys working with community groups and end-users to help develop their vision, unlock funding streams, and navigate the construction process. Dan was previously a Trustee of Jedburgh Community Trust, where he gained extremely valuable experience, and a clear understanding of what is important to the people of Jedburgh. He believes that every project should be underpinned by a spirit of collaboration and openness and wants to see Jedburgh Community Arts become a driving force for creative and artistic expression. Outside of work, Dan is a busy dad of two and keen maker of things in his home workshop just outside Ancrum.
Alison Monteith
Alison has lived in Jedburgh for twenty five years and brought up her family in the community. She worked as Depute Headteacher in Parkside and then in Jedburgh Grammar Campus until she retired in 2024. Alison was involved in creating visions and developing strategic planning along with the day to day management of all that goes on in the busy life of schools. She knows the complexities of the community well and continues to have links with the campus.
Alison is now keen to see Jedburgh develop as a town where creativity is supported and thriving for the benefit and well-being of all. Alison has been, and is, involved in a number of creative groups outwith the town and is looking forward to being involved in helping to support and establish similar groups and activities locally.
James Spence
James Spence is a writer, storyteller and performer. Four years ago he returned to his native Jedburgh, as the culture and language are a great inspiration to him. He has ran the story club in the town for several years, as well writing story columns in Jethart Scots for the Jed Eye in that time.
He wrote Scottish Border Folks Tales, which has proved a best seller in the local bookshop. He is an award winning poet and has seven books of poems to his name. James’s poems have featured in The Scotsman, The Herald and The Southern Reporter. He’s translated Far From The Madding Crowd, by Thomas Hardy, into Scots. He provided the Scots text for the graphic novel of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
As a storyteller James has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, Border Book Festival, as well as many schools and care homes. He has been teaching storytelling and creative writing for many years. He is currently working on his first novel.
Our Next Director
Could it be you? Contact us if you are interested in support our work:
jedburghcommunityarts@gmail.com