I grew up in Upminster in Essex and attended Hall Mead School.  I left school in 1984 and was fortunate to gain an apprenticeship in carpentry for a small London builder and developed my carpentry skills in residential refurbishment projects.  When I completed my 3.5 year apprenticeship I continued to study part time for a further 4 years gaining construction related technical qualifications.  In 1994 I graduated with BSc in building management at the Ruskin University in Chelmsford (formally know as Anglia Polytechnic University).