How come I didn't do this page sooner? I have made nearly 170 entries, yet I realised I had no "About Me" page. So now I am rectifying that.
I was born on 17th November 1976 in Redhill General Hospital to my parents David and Lesley. I already have a list of birthdays and events that happened on 17th November and I have now added some other events from 1976.
A few years later my Sister was born in the same hospital. Eventually my parents divorced and my Dad moved out of the area. My Mum re-married and after a few years and 2 more sisters they divorced.
For much of my childhood I lived on a Housing Estate in South London. For 3 years I went to Carshalton High School for Boys and although I had some good times there, I also had some times I would rather not have had.
After going into care on what was known as a Voluntary Care Order, I was moved to a Children's Home in Broadstairs, Kent area. I went to Thanet Technical College (later renamed Thanet College) in Broadstairs instead of returning to school at 15. I was one of the youngest in the college but felt I got more out of my education going there than back to main stream school. I studied English, Maths and Photography at GCSE level. I was also actively used the Student Union room and attending some of the events they organised.
In the second year I studied and passed a GNVQ Intermediate in Health and Social Care and also met and went out with a wonderful girl (actually she asked me out). During the time in Kent, I also attended St. John Ambulance in Ramsgate. Though-out the time with them, I attended about 1000hrs of duties including Thanet Wanderers Rugby Club, Ramgate (Dumpton Park) Greyhound Track and Ramsgate Beach front hut.
For 14 years I didn't know where my Dad was and someone gave me details of the Salvation Army Family Tracing Service. A few weeks before my 18th birthday I was brought some mail. One of the letters was from the Salvation Army saying that they had enclosed a letter from my Dad. I soon phoned and a few weeks later I met my Dad for the first time since I was 4(ish).
I soon left Ramsgate as decided I did not want to go on with the Advanced GNVQ in Health and Social Care. I moved back to London and by then my family had moved off of the housing estate and into a semi. For a while I attended NESCOT college (North East Surrey College Of Technology) on a Digital Imaging course. But got bored as they were teaching me again Photography and the computer stuff they were teaching I knew as I had owned a Mac with Photoshop for a while.
It was around this time I moved to live with my Dad in Shanklin, Isle of Wight. It was actually a Hotel site where I stayed at which my Dad worked as the Site Handyman. Outside of the Summer Season I rented one of the flats in the complex, and during the Summer season I stayed with my Dad in his caravan one year and my own caravan another.
My Dads caravan is always an eye-opener. When people first see that he lives in a caravan they think will be dank and dirty inside, but once inside they can't believe it. In the years he has lived in the caravan he has virtually gutted and rebuilt most areas inside and out. The part I like is when the Fire is lit. (Damn I wish I had a photo of it).
2 1/2 wonderful years later, but unemployed I thought I had to find work and felt only way was a move back to London. I have been back from the Island for 5+ years now, and the timing was also good as was there in London when my nephew was born. A month later I got a job as a Civil Servant which is where I have worked since.