I followed my stepfather into the mountaineering trade as a youngster, having first spent a couple of years in the wine trade (which was interesting, but not that interesting) and for many years was totally absorbed in that, for me at the time, fascinating world. I met and occasionally climbed with some very well-known people, all too many of whom are now dead before their time, and saw a great deal of innovation in equipment and techniques.

Ultimately however, being in shops means not having weekends that other people have, so at the end of 1989 I was very much looking for something completely different to do which would also allow me the free time to pursue my own interests.

Purely by accident, I found chimney sweeping, joining Bil with Ablewight in March 1990. Little did I know then how much satisfaction I was to find in this job, there being far more to it that would at first appear. The opportunity to visit some wonderful ancient buildings in the course of my work rekindled my interest in history, and I was to find myself able to make a contribution with Bil and others to the founding of the Guild of Master Sweeps and its’ ethos of high standards, qualifications and training, which I’m really quite proud to be a part of.

Of course, with the passing of time one has developed knees (which one never particularly noticed before) and a considerably reduced sense of immortality, so I no longer climb as a hobby, but my interest in history has continued unabated and I’ve been able to help build a replica Anglo-Saxon ring ditched manor amongst other things, so the weekends still get used!

There’s no shortage of things of interest in my work too. The solid fuel heating industry is one of constant innovation and there are always new stoves and other appliances I’ve not come across before. Added to that is the other advantage of working around the Cambridge area, which is that it boasts a host of seriously interesting people, many of whom are involved in cutting edge innovation themselves.

Never a dull moment!