Tuesday 18 April 2023

A short history in work and study...

Jump to Shorter CV

Now:
I work Freelance and am currently commissioned by Local Government as an independent investigator. 

I also edit and manage the Student Guardian. The site was created to provide useful information and university news to students and encourage them to get involved in journalism and writing. I built the site in 2008 using the Joomla Open Source Content Management System.  

Alongside my freelance work, I have also written a 65,000 word comic novel which is available Free on Amazon Unlimited and available to buy as an Amazon e-book here: The Expensive Cravat | A half-life in ruins.

A few years ago:
I helped build business brands by writing for business on social media and blogging.  Links to a few of my published articles can be found on my blog.  If you think I could help your organisation please send me a direct message on Twitter or Facebook.
 
I studied Journalism, with a special interest in Alternative and Investigative Journalism at University College Falmouth. While working as a Freelance Writer, in 2010, I studied Professional Writing at University College Falmouth and specialised in writing history

In 2008, together with fellow journalist Chris Maynard and designer Katy Potter, I entered into a competition of The University of Plymouth's Business Enterprise Ideas Challenge (Rebranded the Tectona Business Challenge). Our business idea was to publish the West of England's first regional student newspaper. Unfortunately, although we reached the finals, we were to be pipped at the post by a novel idea to mechanically clean golfers’ balls.  I still believe, after all these years, that if the team had been more open to my idea to publish the newspaper in circular form, we could have clinched it...

Between 1995 and 2003, while working full-time as an Accountant, I studied Social Sciences at the Open University and specialised in Social Psychology, Economics & Philosophy.

Ancient history:
I left school in 1979, the year that the neo-liberals, led by Margaret Thatcher, simultaneously put an end to Welfare Socialism and Paternalistic Conservatism. It was also the year that the Sex Pistols bass guitarist Sid Vicious died of a drugs overdose, the Sony Walkman went on sale in the UK and the Village People reached No. 1 with YMCA.

After secodary school in Camborne, Cornwall I worked for 4 years as an apprentice Stone Mason.  A serious motorcycle crash cut short my training and, rather than risk rebreaking my wrist (now surgically screwed together) by shaping granite, I decided to go back to school. I left Cornwall in 1984 to study business, law and economics at  the Isle of Wight College of Arts & Technology which led to a long spell working as an Accountant in private practice and then as an Internal Auditor for the National Health Service.

Not had enough yet? Here's more in my Short CV