Cheshire Agricultural Chaplaincy

I was born in 1944 in Greenfield Saddleworth West Yorkshire and spent my early life up to leaving school working on a farm when not at school or spending an occasional day with the local gamekeeper.

After school I trained as an engineer before joining the Royal Navy. After 5 years I received a medical discharge for injuries sustained. I married Maureen in 1967 and we have two sons and three grandsons and a granddaughter.

After the RN I went back to engineering working in Hampshire and then in Shropshire.

I changed occupation and worked as a Project Manager in Northwest England, Greater Manchester, Bosnia during the conflict driving an ambulance although I only spent two weeks there, Botswana two years and Zimbabwe 4 ½ years as National Director for Habitat for Humanity International a US charity, not to be confused with the store of that name, and in my spare time Mentoring some farmers in Zimbabwe during Mugabe’s so called land reform . Finally, the Scottish Highlands for five years before returning to the north west to be with Family.

I was trained by the RN and other organisations as a Mentor and worked for five years after retirement as a volunteer with SAFFA, The Soldiers and Airforce families Association as a mentor working with young men who had received a medical discharge because of injuries sustained in either Iraqi or Afghanistan. The travelling and stresses involved became too much and I had to resign from SSAFA earlier this year in 2018.