I was born in London in 1957 and have lived in West Yorkshire since 1999.  Apart from early violin lessons, music has barely featured in my formal education and career.  At school and university in the 1970s I sang and played mandolin in early music groups and played flute in jazz groups.  Then music-making took a back seat for over two decades.  I resumed only in 2003, as a hobby, with an emphasis on composing.  CoMA (Contemporary Music-making for Amateurs) Summer Schools have given me the encouragement and access to expert tuition I have needed to keep going, and I am now active in CoMA as a Board member and occasional member of CoMA Voices.  I am also on the Board of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.  My day job is Northern England Regional Director for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.