I started playing the cornet at the age of 13, being taught at school by a teacher, Ben Tillott who was also the Musical Director of the Margate Silver Band. This gave him the chance to bring musicians on through the school band to the MSB. Subsequently I played with the MSB for about 4 years making it to the solo stand.

At the age of 18 I gave playing up completely, devoting my time to work and an engineering apprenticeship, socialising and family but always vowed to get back into playing again at some stage.

A chance meeting with a local musician twenty years later in 1987 rekindled my musical fire and since then I have joined and still play with various local bands. I am proud to have been an inaugural member of the Kent Coastal Concert Band since 1990 and five years later I joined the Invicta Concert Band and soon made solo trumpet stand where I still thoroughly enjoy playing.

Currently I  am also enjoying my 6th year playing trumpet with this very accomplished Railway Swing Band consisting of some very keen amateurs like myself and a generous helping of top line ex-Royal Marine musicians.

Music has always been a big part of my life and now my girls have grown up and left home both my wife and I derive a lot of pleasure from the various concerts I play and it’s especially pleasing to know that local people are benefiting through the charity musical concerts given by the RSB.