YORK singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich and chef and cookery book writer Sam Stern have been appointed the TakeOver Festival's first ever patrons.

Both are associated with this summer's July 12 to 17 event, with Sam bringing audiences a menu of fresh, local produce designed especially for York Theatre Royal.

“It’s fantastic to be a patron and the theatre couldn’t have been more welcoming," he says. "They put up no resistance to ideas and changes to menus and I'll be excited to see how our food goes down."

Welcoming his involvement, Sam adds: "TakeOver is a fantastic experience for all those involved and brings fresh faces and enthusiasm into the theatre.”

Benjamin now lives in London but still considers York to be his home, popping into the theatre to meet up with the TakeOver team and Theatre Royal artistic director Damian Cruden before setting off to America for a series of live shows to preview his August 19 second album, After The Rain.

“Despite being lucky enough to travel around the world with my songs, I'm constantly inspired by and enjoy working with artists from York as well as artists from the rest of the world,” says 26-year-old Ben (who will turn 27 on September 4, taking him beyond the TakeOver age limit!).

Reflecting on his role in TakeOver, he continues: "Showing respect to everyone in the city and realising the value in creativity is very important. Many people are involved in this patronage in York: Berwick Kaler, Damian Cruden, Chris Helme, the TakeOver festival, and art is needed to inspire people. What's good about TakeOver is it involves people who wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to create or experience creativity.

"There's so much to tell in music and theatre, about romance, sexuality, creativity in general, how you view society, and if you have something to say and you mean it, there's an intrinsic value in that. If you're proud of what you have to say, getting it on a world stage is crucial."