Despite finding myself as President of the Old Colstonian’s Society I must confess to being a bit of a fraud as I was never a pupil.

I moved to Bristol when I was twenty having spent my first two decades in Devon and Somerset. I attended a splendid, but now defunct, state grammar school in Street. It provided a great academic education and looked to develop pupils with extra-curricular events, much as the Collegiate School does today. I wasted the great start that the school gave me and did not go on to further education.

I have had two very different full careers. I was a police officer in Bristol for 28 years. During that time I met lots of individuals from all different layers of society, often in difficult or distressing situations, and I learned a lot about people. After that I started a business operating care homes for the elderly. I meet residents and their families in similar upsetting situations. Experience from my earlier days made it easier to understand how they felt. Helping those people has been very satisfying. My philosophy is always set your bar high; you will be surprised how often you reach it when you strive for it. 

I have always enjoyed all sports and have tried my hand at most. I completed the Marathon des Sables footrace in 2014 and last year I cycled across Europe from The Black Sea in Romania to the Atlantic in France. I joined the OCRFC in 1986. I have loved the ethos of the club, echoing that of the school, as does the OC Society. I have remained involved in the club and was chairman for 10 years until I stood down in 2021 to become Vice President of the OC Society and then President in 2022.