My fascination for pottery began as a child. From the age of five I was a ditch dweller and den builder and I collected hundreds of shards, most were blue and white but some were slipware. These shards of fired clay were the colour of pomegranates and on their cold surfaces were fragments of rich patterns that reminded me of iced marble cake, I knew they were old and I loved them. This collection of chards grew and satisfied my need for many years.

I trained in ceramics at Chichester and West Sussex My first ceramic commission in 1979 was to make a commemorative plate for a 17th Century educational museum in Wakefield called Clarke Hall. This was to be in keeping with the era of the hall. I chose to make a piece in the style of Thomas Toft. It was my first attempt at slipware and it still hangs in Clark Hall although I haven't seen it since. This really was a lightening bolt moment for me. I was back in the ditches, it was like picking up a dropped thread that lead me back to my first love that I knew would last for the rest of my life.