Biography
Introduction
I grew up in the South-East of England in a small town in Kent. I went to the local nursary, primary and secondary schools. I took up the clarinet some time during primary school but gave it up, roughly at grade 4 level, as I got tired of practicing - I'm not a quitter and this is possibly the only thing I have not completed in my life so far! At the beginning of junior school I also joined a Christian Youth Group called The Boys' Brigade as part of the 6th West Kent Company.
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The Boys' Brigade
The Boys' Brigade has been a big aspect in my life with some of my best friends and memories being formed. I played any sport which came my way from football and cricket to handball, volleyball, chess, team games and many more! I was also involved with the marching band, playing the side (or snare) drum. With the band, we won numerous competitions and showband pieces; as well as having great fun. A highlight with the BB, for me, was the annual camps which took us to Wales, Brighton, The Isle of Man and I've temporarily forgotten the others :P. We camp in canvas tents and participate in a whole range of activities and tournaments - including the dreaded cross country! *sigh*! I have now reached the age where I can no longer be a boy and I have undergone my training to be an officer.
As you may have guessed I do quite a lot with the BB and could talk for quite a while about it! But alas, I shall not bore you with the details!
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Schooling
Mentioned in the introduction I attended Joydens Wood Infant & Junior schools.
After this I moved on to secondary school where I attended Saint Olave's Grammar School for the next seven years. This has been the best decision of my life to date. I have made so many great friends whom I know I shall keep for life. I also acheived 9½ GCSEs, 2 AS-levels, and 4 A-levels. I was also school captain for the year 2007/8, taking on more responsibility and speaking at public functions. I had a fantastic seven years here and would recommend my school to everyone as 'the best there is'!
I gained my first choice university - Bristol University - where I will be studying Civil Engineering (definition). I have always been interested in building things, taking things apart, and re-building them again! Much of my childhood was spent waist deep in lego - spread across a whole floor sometimes! - demonstrating my love for engineering related problems. Some photos of me playing with the beloved plastic can be found in my Gallery section soon. Come along and check it out!
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Sport
In general, I am an extremely sporty person and I love playing pretty much anything which gets thrown at me! As I have already mentioned, I play football. I only started playing football at the age of 9...quite late some would say for a boy! I don't think he will mind me saying this but this was probably down to the fact that my Dad is not very co-ordinated on the footy pitch (which is wierd considering his talents with feet and hands). Anyway, a teacher persuaded me to play and so... I did! I now love football and play with a team called the Highfield Rangers. We are pretty good and win our fair share.
Football however, is not my most popular sport. Rugby! I love it and I feel it is truely a mans game. Crunching tackles, elegant trys, and beer in the stands - how gentlemanly! I started at secondary school in Year 7 where I was picked by Mr Archer because I could run fast, alas I have now lost that pace due to my love of food! I started this career at fullback, destroying anything that broke our back line - quite a lot I must say! I then flicked between this position, scrum half and centres, my favourite of which was the first. In Year 11 I ventured on the school rugby tour to Los Angeles, New Zealand & Fiji. This was amazing. It was while on this trip I made my flanker debut due to injurys within the team...I played there for the next two years and I had finally found the position I loved! I'm not sure if it is due to the feeling I get when a 8 man maul gets going or just the pure *thud* which resonates across the pitch but I truely adore playing in the forwards. I think it is fair to say I love rugby! Oh and you may be able to tell from the picture...I support the Mighty Quins!
For a few years I also undertook trampolining lessons and achieved the highest grade I could get without becoming dedicated and having to take part in competitions - I didn't want this commitment.
Also with my school I played a fast and exhilerating game called Eton Fives. I played this for my 7 school years playing at the nations four or five times.
I have dabbled in other sports such as squash, table tennis, tennis, hockey plus many more; none at competing level.
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Music
As mentioned previously, I did play the clarinet for a few years but ended up getting bored with the 30 minute practice a week...yes I know mum, I should have kept it going and 30 minutes a week isn't a lot, yes mum knows best!
My second instrument was the snare (or side) drum in a marching band - through The Boys' Brigade (see above). I found this extremely satisfying and achieved a reasonable standard entering druming competitions and also as part of the band performing parades, marches and show band pieces. The show band was a competition where the normal up and down marching was old school and creativity and originality were key - while still playing to a high standard! It was good fun...while it lasted.
Currently, I have a drum kit at home and enjoy making up stuff and creating a huge amount of noise!
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Duke of Edinburgh
This award (find info here), is brilliant and requires effort and time. There are four main sections.
- Expedition - the hiking/camping part, great fun!
- Physical - some sort of sport
- Service - helping the community in some way
- Skill - what it says on the tin
There are three levels: bronze, silver and gold. I have currently completed bronze and silver and am working towards my gold. An example of my choices are:
- Expedition - in the Peak District
- Physical - Rugby
- Service - Fire Safety (went to call center as well as fire station)
- Skill - Young Enterprise
It is great fun and I encourage you to seek out somewhere which runs it.
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Summary
I hope this gives a brief overview of the main points! Check back soon for further updates and feel free to get in touch. Thanks for reading.
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