I was born in 1959 in a suburban household in Stockport (now in Greater Manchester), the third of four children. Our home life was a traditional and loving one, but completely secular; I grew up with little knowledge of the Christian faith. By God’s grace, I accepted Christ at the age of 18 when a friend invited me to a service at a local Pentecostal church which resulted in my confession of the lordship of Christ.

I studied Maths at the University of Durham, and I met my future wife, Rosemary, in 1980, when we were volunteers for the London City Mission. At that time, I was living in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, having dropped out of a teacher training course (PGCE), but eventually I secured a job in London as an Operational Analyst, a job involving analysing the effectiveness of the possible ways of defending the UK and its allies against armed aggression; this became my career until my retirement last year. We married in 1984 and have two adult children, David and Elizabeth.

Rosemary and I are long-standing members of MLBC, and my involvement in FYC goes back for more than a decade, as volunteer, supporter and, from 2015, trustee. I also volunteer for Wandsworth Foodbank and several other local charities. My hobbies include singing in choirs, walking, military history and puzzle-solving.