I have been married to a gem of a wife, Lynn, since 1972 and we have two trendy daughters, Rebecca and Laura. I originate from Birmingham and still have family living there, but in 1974 we decided to explore other parts of the UK.

Initially, we headed north for the hills, or more precisely, the Highland Region of Scotland and spent two and a half years working in spectacular countryside and living close to the town of Inverness.

Following a series of work related moves. in which we lived and worked in 'Archers' county (Worcestershire) and the steel city of Sheffield (South Yorkshire). We finally took root in the village of Grateley, which is situated between Andover and Salisbury in the county of Hampshire in 1983 and have remained there since.

I have worked in the telecommunications industry for nearly 40 years in various technical and managerial capacities. Some 24 years were spent in the public sector but following a trade sale acquisition in 1994 I was employed with NTL Broadcast (now Arqiva since January 2005) who provide a diversity of services including broadcast, cable and satellite.

At the end of 2002 I took early retirement, which has enabled me to pursue other interests, as well as having no excuse to service the list of household jobs which Lynn has been saving for me!