An industrial artist and metal worker from the Black Country
- His greatest passion is Britain's industrial heritage. He wants to honour the working men and women who have never been acknowledged.
- From a family of chain makers, which began with his great grandfather
- His family's chain company is over 100 years old, and is one of the last remaining factories that makes bespoke chain the size that would have been used on the Titanic
- Proudly born and bred in the Black Country - and maintains that 'The Black Country is integral to world history'
Background:
- By trade he is an industrial artist and traditional metal worker, but is infatuated with industrial history and has been a tour guide at the Black Country Museum
- Two years ago set up his own company, 'Industrial Heritage Stronghold', to champion the region
- Has a huge passion for local industrial past - he loves getting people to connect with local history
- He loves teaching teenagers about industrial history - they go from covering it with graffiti to wanting to protect it
Projects:
- Created a £45,000 public art project, a monument with moving parts comprised of locally sourced steel and concrete
- His largest project was 'Steel Manifesto' commissioned for Centenary Square in Birmingham, a two-tonne steel tablet with an inscription about local industry
- Worked for Bolton Council on the Fred Dibnah Memorial Monument
- When Tesco started putting up a large branch on an old industrial site near his home, he got £15,000 from Tesco to create a monument to the industry that was once on that spot
Titanic:
- Has a keen practical knowledge of modern construction and industry techniques, which he's learnt from the family business and his working life
- Loves things that were built 100 years ago because they have such structural integrity
- But the experiences of those working in these industries 100 years ago would have been appalling, he says - no one would have wanted their kid to be working on those conditions, but they still had great pride in what they did
