I had always been very keen to work with my hands and so after leaving Bishop & Wordsworth's School in 1971 I spent a year at Salisbury college studying the 4 main Building Trades

Painting & Decorating, Carpentry, Plumbing and Bricklaying

I chose to become a Painter & Decorator and started my Apprenticeship with

H.C. Truckle  & sons of Salisbury.

Most of the work I did in those early years was in private housing and I built up a sound knowledge of working in older and character properties.

When my apprenticeship finished I spent the next few years working for a Specialist painting firm.

I became self employed in 1981 and further developed my skills in the other building trades while refurbishing a number of run down properties.