How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? In the early Eighties, I was happily working as a bricklayer, when along came a major recession, which was largely caused by the policies of Mrs Thatcher. I found myself unemployed along with 350,000 other construction workers. Being out of work was…

You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence? Although I was born into relatively humble circumstances, I consider I was blessed to be born into a loving family, with loving parents and grandparents. Now as I approach my sixty-eighth birthday, I’m an old man with a number of chronic illnesses, but I still try to…

What are three objects you couldn’t live without? A camera, a computer and my photo collection.

What experiences in life helped you grow the most? If you look after a plant; nurture it, water it, feed it and give it light, it will likely grow and blossom. If you neglect it , it will likely wither and die. People are a bit like that. They need food and shelter, love and…

Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to. The first eight years of my life. It’s when my dad was alive, and he was a wonderful man. He treated me like I was one of the family. 😊 After he died, my mum took up with a fellow who was emotionally…

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why? I would love to be the best version of myself. Photo was taken in 2009 while on honeymoon in the north of France.

Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on. I’ve renovated several houses, so they’re the most ambitious projects. But my favourite project was building a solar powered garden shed.

Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received. 1964, when I was six years old, my dad bought me a working toy camera. It was called a Diana and I believe it came from Hong Kong. I had great fun taking photos with it, and my dad developed the negative and enlarged the prints.…