From the age of 5 years I attended South Farnborough County Infant School, and from there, South Farnborough County Junior School. In May 1967 the family moved to Holbeach in Lincolnshire where I attended Holbeach Junior School for 6 weeks beofre moving to the George Farmer Secondary Modern School.

On leaving school in June 1972, I started a 3 year farm aprenticeship with T H Charlton and Son at Moulton, working on the farm four and a half  days a week, and attending a day release course at Holbeach Agricultural College one day a week. At the end of the 3 years, I left Charltons and spent a brief period working for Reg Chapman and Son in their potato and carrot pre pack factory in Holbeach before getting a job as a dragline driver with South Holland Internal Drainage Board.

In September 1977 I started work at Robinson Bros farmers at Whaplode for my future Father in Law, getting married on July 14th 1979, and moving into the house I still live in opposite the farm. My Father in Law retired in the mid 90's leaving me running the farm until in 2000 we made the decision to sell the business as there was not the money being generated to sustain 2 families. Ironically, the farmer who now rents the farm is T H Charlton from Moulton.

On leaving the farm, I had to try to make a new career for myslf at the age of 45, and was lucky to be offered a job by an ex Round Table colleauge who was setting up an internet based business selling cut flowers. This job lasted for 18 months until he too decided to quit farming at which point I was again fortunate to be offered a job by yet another Round Table colleauge, helping to set up a mail order business within his existing wholesale flowerbulb importing business.

The horticulture sector was going through a tough time, much the same as agriculture, and I found myself redundant in May 2003.

Through my brother in law, I was able to secure a position with the Food and Drink Forum based in Nottingham where I worked as a project manager until September 2006 when I started in my current post as an Economic Development Officer for South Holland District Souncil based in Spalding.

Following divorce in February 2005, Gill and I were married at the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa in May 2007.