Originally from southern England, I left school with just one CSE, but I'm more of a practical learner and got a job putting the baize fabric onto snooker tables. Then 10 years in Catering, during which I relocated with my wife to make our home in the North East, before another career change in which I spent 16 years caring for Adults with Learning Difficulties. At 51, I had an opportunity for another change, I took redundancy and invested in starting my own furniture Upcycling business, 'AndyMan UpCycling. Skills learnt from my first job gave me basic upholstery and wood-working abilities, which I have improved through master classes, and adding my own take on art and adventure. I liked that I could give new life to a tired, dull or ripped chair, but then with a lick of chalk paint and some funky fabric I could turn an unloved item into a one-off piece of furniture, something that others like too, a functional work of art {that you can park your bum on} !