Alex de Capell Brooke joined the Board in December 2016. Alex is CEO of the Great Oakley Estate which has been owned by the de Capell Brooke family since 1575. The Estate is circa 5000 acres situated in 3 parcels around the town of Corby, near Uppingham & just South of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire. The Estate is mixed, the majority farmed in hand, and a dairy where milk is produced for Stilton Cheese.
In 1987 planning permission was sought by Alex’s father, a former teacher, for the construction of a school on part of the farm, just behind Great Oakley Village. In 1991 The Brooke City Technology College opened its doors to 1300 students, at a time when educational attainment in Corby was very low with only 6 people in the whole borough of Corby going to University.
Since 1991, what is today known as The Brooke Weston Academy, has gone on to become one of the leading state funded schools in The United Kingdom, and is the lead school within The Brooke Weston Trust which now operates 9 other schools, with over 7000 young children to educate and over 1000 members of staff.
The Brooke Weston Trust, set up and created by the de Capell Brooke & Weston families is a non- profit making educational charity.