Old Princethorpians

I left Princethorpe in 82 to start a three-year Apprenticeship with British Telecom and stayed with BT for six years. I then left to do an Engineering Degree, followed by an MSc. After the MSc I stayed on at university to do research and some undergraduate teaching.

I left university and became a Software Consultant for an international company and then worked as an independent consultant  at J P Morgan, then Fidelity Investments.

In 2001 I took a year out and went backpacking around the world and on my return went to work for KPMG International in Amsterdam, Netherlands as a Technical Architect where I ended up as a Senior Manager and owned two of KPMG’s technology standards.

During my time at KPMG I travelled extensively, mostly to the US, but was seconded to KPMG Australia for three months and worked in their Melbourne office. I left KPMG and Amsterdam and returned to the UK in 2008 and have since been working as a consultant to KPMG, initially for KPMG International and now for KPMG Europe.

In my spare time I ski, dive and fly.

I am currently unmarried and have no kids and am looking to buy a house in Warwickshire.

A potted professional history of my life since leaving Princethorpe in 1988 is as follows:

• 88-9 Equity & Law, Coventry. (Now Axa) The world's dullest gap year job.
• 89 - 92 Trinity & All Saints College, University of Leeds: Communications & Cultural Studies Degree (2:1)
• 92 - 94 BBC Radio Leeds, Production Assistant
• 94 - 95 BBC Radio 4, Presentation Department Producer
• 95 - 2002 BBC Radio Entertainment Producer (Making comedy & entertainment programmes for Radio 4 & Radio 2) Credits include: Counterpoint, Parliamentary Questions, The News Huddlines, Like They've Never Been Gone, All The Young Dudes, The News Quiz among many others 2002 - 2005 TV Comedy Producer Credits: Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Channel 4 Political Awards
• 2007 - 2010 Head of Comedy & Entertainment, Boomerang TV, Cardiff Credits: Meet David Sedaris, Radio 4; A Child's Christmases in Wales (BBC2)
• 2010 - present Income Generation Manager, St David's Hospice.

So - lots of media, till a fork in the road made me leave it all behind and turn to a job in the community. I now live in and love in North Wales.

It's not ALL behind me, though - as we launch The Giddy Goat Festival this month: a festival of comedy to raise money for the hospice. Along the way I have got married to my frankly extraordinary wife, Vanessa (she must be to have put up with me this long!), and we have two wonderful children: Roisin (8) and Quinn (7).

Life in Llandudno is very different to working in Soho - but it suits us down to the ground! I am still in touch with a few of the fellows from late 80s Princethorpe. There's a Facebook Group largely pre-occupied with remembering teachers' nicknames! And exchanging Christmas cards with Mr Darkes keeps me in the loop! I've made a few return visits to "the house on the hill" - SO much has changed .. and yet SO much remains the same.

I left Princethorpe in 1996 at 16 years old after attaining my GCSEs, I then moved north to Nottinghamshire and after completing my A – levels at Southwell Minster I went on to do a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture at Reading University.

After graduating with a Second Class Honours Degree, I travelled across South America and New Zealand for a year or so and on my return worked in agriculture for several years.

A change in direction in 2008 brought me back to Warwickshire and I now work as a Commercial Estates Manager for a property investment and development company where I am currently in the process of working towards achieving membership to The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Away from work I am happily married to an ex Kingsley pupil, Sarah, and we are expecting an addition to our family in March 2012. I play rugby for Rugby Welsh RFC and try to play golf as and when time allows.

Congratulations to Josephine Brayshaw and Samuel Partridge, both Princethorpe leavers of 2007, who graduated from York University in July.

Jo graduated with a 2:1 BSc in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management and Samuel with a 2:1 Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy.

Sam is now doing an MA in publishing at UCL in London and Jo is now working as a Communications Intern at Sustainability West Midlands for three months. She is applying for graduate schemes for September 2012 and hoping to travel as soon as she gets snapped up as she did not have a Gap Year!

We wish them both well! If you have any graduation news to share with us please email, oldprincethorpians@princethorpe.co.uk.