From the age of about 8, I, along with my mum, dad and little brother began to attend St Clement with St Mark's Church, Notting Dale. It was the church that myself and my brother were baptised at, and, my mum used to teach Sunday School at the old St Mark's church that joined with St Clement.
We began as just regular members of the congregation. We eventually moved on to a more active role within the church. I began, with my dad and eventually my brother, serving at the altar during Sunday and special services. My mum took up helping with the Sunday School. The church then joined with another local church, St James Norland. It became a united parish. St Clements was known as the "working class" end of the parish with St James being "the posh lot!" Both my parents joined the PCC (Parochial Church Council) for many, many years. It was eventually, something that I would do as well.

My dad also became Churchwarden, I job I would also do for a number of years.

The church also had attached to it a Community Project, this enabled the church to reach out to people in the local community. The main part of the Project was a bar, which served cheap drinks and was open 5 nights a week and Sunday afternoons. It relied on volunteers to run it and my mum and dad did so.

Many parties and disco's were organised on a regular basis, some with themes, and some just for the fun of it. Occasionally we raised money for charities like CARA, an AIDS charity set-up by our priest Fr. David Randall.

The project had many good things going for it. An annual Christmas pensioners party which mum helped to run for the first couple of years before taking complete control, every year we catered for anywhere between 75 and 250 pensioners and made fools of ourselves doing cabaret.

The carnival project was another way of linking the church and community......every year a band of over 100 people in costume took to the streets of Notting Hill to take part in the annual carnival.

The church also had an annual pilgrimage to Walsingham, England's Nazareth...........more can be found out here. A great time was had by all during the week long stay and we made great friends from other churches around the world.

Various visitors from the West Indies came over, most of whom were trainee priests.

Fr. David moved on to work more with his charity, and eventually he passed away from the very disease he was trying to help combat.

The life of the parish moved on with Fr. Ted Burton, and then on to the current incumbent Rev. Hugh Rayment-Pickard.

St. Clements has changed a lot over the years....sometimes I look back longing for the old days, hoping to see old faces lost in the mists of time, but then I look ahead. The parish has come a long, long way in the 26 years since I started going there....its doing some great work, click here to see, but I have fallen by the wayside............I hope to get back on track.............someday.

Luckily, I have lots of people who say they are my friends. Some I have known for years, some from this country and some from others. (I won't mention those who are not of this planet!) Apart from my friends at work, I mainly "Hang Out" with a guy called Mark Hutchison, who is a Radio DJ on EasyRadio 1035 and goes by the name of Mark Anthony, he thinks he's a Roman! Then there is Robin, who is an artist of sorts as well as all the folks who I have met through school whom I have known for years. Plus you'll see some photos from the past...old faces who I would like to contact again.

I also have good friends in the USA, mainly in Roanoke, Virginia. Ben Martin and his family have looked after me on my visits to the US for the past 10 years and are like family to me.

Plus, many others, too many to list but you know who you are...........pictures below of some friends and our many adventures! (most of which I can't talk about or I'd have to kill you!!! (joke))
 

I'm fairly animal friendly but two animals I really like are dolphins and seals.

I have adopted the Ileach Dolphin Pod through the World Wildlife Fund, and I have also adopted a grey harbour seal through the Winterton Seal Rescue Centre near Great Yarmouth. Her name is California and she was rescued in December 2007.

Photos below.

Visit

Winterton Seal Hospital

or

World Wildlife Fund

for more information.

I've worked in various places since the age of 16. Starting with WH Smiths as a Sales Assistant, my local church as a cleaner, Debenhams Oxford Street as a weekend maintenance man. I also worked for a while at Monarch Airlines Gatwick Airport Engineering Division.

When I was in Secondary School (Burlington Danes) it was required for all pupils aged 15 years old to carry out two weeks work experience. I carried out mine at St. Clement & St. James Primary School (above left), hearing readers, working with small groups etc.

When I left college the Headteacher, Judith Roberts, offered me a job working with a small group. I have been there ever since, working in different year groups but mainly Years 5 & 6. I am also a meals supervisor.

My job throughout the years has expanded, I completed (along with several others) an Open University Specialist Teaching Assistants Course, plus have continued taking courses where necessary. I have also completed an Educational Visits Coordinator course, which gives me responsibility for the safety of school visits.

At the same time I began working at the school I also began working at the after-school Play Centre as a trainee. As with my school job I have been on many courses including the NVQ Level 2 & 3 in Playwork, and, for the past 8 years have been the Senior Worker in charge of the Play Centre.

I also run a series of residential trips to Parkwood Hall School during the summer. These trips help children to learn to work together and give them an outdoor experience of the kind they may not get in London.

Through the school I completed a course run by the International Space School Educational Trust in conjunction with NASA, to learn how to run and customise week long Space Camps to help children to learn more about science and the universe, space travel and teamwork. I have carried out four successful camps so far!