About Me

What to say; born in 1965, went to school, left school. Joined the territorial army (TAVR) Parachute Regiment in 1982, passed P Company and awarded my maroon beret, served on HQ Coy, 4 Para.

I joined the RAF as an RAF Regiment Gunner in 1984, and after passing out I served in various places around the world. Life was good. In late October '93 I was pillion on a motorcycle that was involved in a crash (on a British Sovereign Base in Cyprus, 110 yards from my room) - totally not my fault but I was, and am, left as a tetraplegic as a result of breaking my neck; 100% disabled (according to the Veterans Agency). Enough about that.

I fence (with swords, not wooden planks), enjoy reading, study with the OU and potter around on computers. I enjoy life - what more can I say? I could go on and on for hours about the things that I can't do, but why bother; I have to concentrate on the things that I can do.

Just be a good person, enjoy what you have got and if you do something, do it properly. The world does not owe you a living, it's up to you to get things done. Be good. Now that that episode of 'Grumpy Old Men' has finished, you can get back to reading this site. There's nothing special here - awkward, yes, special, no.

In September 2011 thanks to a Flying Scholarships for Disabled People scholarship, and in conjunction with Aerobility, I learnt to fly; I managed to fly solo too. My flying is not finished though, I will be continuing with it. Because of what the flying gave me I want to 'give back' and that is why my challenge is important to me - to give back to those who got me to where I am now.

Note: With the first 500 miles being completed on 17th March 2013,  I am embarking on a second 500 miles... because the charities still need supporting.