Images North East Historical Prints and Image Restoration Service

"I graduated with an Honours degree in education and history from the University of Nottingham in 1977

Always keen to travel abroad and to learn from other cultures, my career has included working as a TEFL teacher with the military forces in Oman, a short spell as a private tutor in Switzerland, a two year stint as a soccer coach in North America and back home as a presenter and freelance interviewer for the BBC.

Inspired to set up in business, for fifteen years I ran my own successful picture company, Memory Lane Enterprises.

In addition, I pursued a very successful career in teaching rose to the role of Deputy Headteacher in one of the new City Academies before recently taking early retirement. This allows me more time for my writing, photography and painting.

My work in writing and in education brought frequent appearances on radio and the BBC. Following on from my first successful commission to write about my home town of Billingham, I have added another six titles to my list of books written about the North East and have been commissioned to write another three books up to 2013. I was historical consultant to an episode of Granada Television’s ‘In Suspicious Circumstances’, as well as to the exhibition ‘ICI – 75 Years on Teesside’. I also had a similar role in helping Dr Peter Meadows of Cambridge University on his two volumes recording the Lost Houses of Durham and North Yorkshire.

I have also worked with a number of other authors as both a source of information and adviser on the general task of writing. A testimony to my work is my inclusion in the Northern Echo’s ‘Who’s Who in the North East’ for over fifteen years. In the last two years I have made many appearances on BBC Radio as a studio guest as well as being involved in three series looking at aspects of the history of the region.’"