• 1957 onwards – a wonderful mix of happiness; underachievement; being bullied mercilessly; trying to become a rockstar; surfer; climber; footballer; getting married and having children!

• 1986 – began a successful business career in finance, eventually building a strong reputation for people leadership, driving cultural change and motivational speaking

• 1993 – became youngest person ever appointed to Halifax Executive.  Various leadership roles in financial services.  Managing up to 3,000 people across the UK

• 2001 – appointed MD of UK’s biggest Chartered Surveying business, employing staff in more than 50 UK locations and with turnover in excess of £125m

• 2009 -‘encouraged out’ of bank for trying to prevent reckless lending plans!  Presented with 25 page ‘thank you’ dossier from  colleagues detailing their appreciation for my leadership

• 2010 -ran successful consultancy providing non-exec expertise and leadership coaching to some large businesses.  Advised Kosovo Gov’t. on developing their property market

• 2013 – Grandson born in February.  In August, I sustained life-changing injuries in an horrific cycling accident, spending weeks in a coma.  Then a whole year in hospital, during which time I was unable to help my daughter who developed breast cancer and I lost my mother, being too ill to even say goodbye or go to her funeral

• 2014 – after 50 long weeks in hospital, I was discharged and sent home (to a house I’d never even seen) and thrown, unprepared, into life as a full-time wheelchair user

• 2017 – wrote a silly story, just to entertain my Grandson.  Encouraged by others, I developed this into a book with a local amateur illustrator.  Despite considerable effort, I failed to get any interest from a publisher or literary agent for this masterpiece!

• 2019 – undeterred, I self-published this first book in the series ‘The Adventures of Grandad Wheels!’  Praised by Sir Quentin Blake who said, “It’s an impressive piece of work…”

• 2020 – began doing school visits, just before first lockdown!

• 2023 – through two separate but incredible coincidences, I was reunited with the two people who saved my life.  My story was featured on BBC 1’s The One Show and BBC Breakfast

• NOW – I’ve sold more than 10,000 books and I’m on course to self-publish my SIXTH children’s book.  I’ve raised £72,000 for charity from book sales.  More than 150 school visits completed, helping more than 30,000 students and teachers to better understand disability and the challenges disabled people face – and overcome. 

Available for talks and workshops:

RESILIANCE – OVERCOMING ADVERSITY – POSITIVITY – LEADERSHIP – CHANGE MANAGEMENT