Hobbies & Interests

I have enjoyed playing football since a young age. I still play regularly once a week for a six-a-side team in a local league. I used to play on the left but I now play as a goal keeper, a position where you can't get away with making mistakes!

I also like to watch football and support Liverpool. I have been to Anfield many times. I have also been to Wembley several times to watch England play.

I first went skiing with my school and enjoyed it. I have now really got the "bug" and have been skiing at least once a year for the last 12 years.

I'm a skier not a boarder! And I have skied in France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.

I'm also a big Formula 1 fan and tend to watch every race on TV. I'm a fan of Lewis Hamilton and have been to watch several races live.

I have been to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and I have also travelled abroad to watch races in Abu Dhabi, Malaysia, South Korea and Belgium.

Having worked as a Scuba Diving Instructor for 2 years another passion of mine is the underwater world.

I did lose the bug for a bit following the repetition of teaching beginners but now really enjoy it again. I have only dived in warm sea's and have dived in the Caribbean and Thailand.

My best experience would be seeing a Whale Shark. It was the size of a Double Decker bus and swam right underneath me, just a couple of metres away, before swimming off into the deep blue.

Like most people I enjoy saving up and going on Holiday. Whether its winter fun on the slopes or summer fun on the beach, it's nice to get out and see the world and experience different cultures.

I am more of a book a flight and hotel myself type of person, than go on a package tour, as I like the sense of adventure and freedom. I have done some pretty exciting things this way such as driving from Bangkok to Phuket, being on small planes landing on airstrips which are nothing more than dirt tracks and being on local buses travelling from the Caribbean coast to the Pacific ocean.

Ever since playing games like Pac-Man and Sabre Wolf on my ZX Spectrum 48K (when the game would load via tape), I have enjoyed playing computer games.

I have had several consoles over the years and now have a PS4. I like a lot of First Person Shooter games like Call of Duty and Ghost Recon, but also other games such as FIFA, Tiger Woods and Formula 1.

I used to play a lot of online games on my Playstation but haven't been online for a while. I do have a racing seat with steering wheel and foot pedals in my living room though!

I first got into technology, programming my ZX Spectrum 48K to make different patterns on screen and even a diary program.

I keep abreast of current technology and gadgets, and when they become affordable (and useful) like to start to use them.

Current examples in my own flat would be lighting I can control from anywhere in the world via an app on my phone, SKY Remote Record (a copy of my Uni project - see projects) and use of smart remote controls, to be able to need only one remote, for several devices or even use my phone to change TV channel.

I have completed two home renovation projects. The first was a house in Reading, Berkshire which was bought at auction and required completely gutting the house, including a full re-wire, re-plaster and new kitchens and bathrooms. This was sold on for a profit.

The second was a four storey, six bedroom, three bathroom grade two listed property in Clifton, Bristol. Again this was bought at auction and required completely gutting the house. I only had fourteen weeks to completely finish the renovation including six bedrooms of IKEA flat-pack furniture!