The next generation
"As you may probably know if you have been a client over the last 35 years or so , that Caroline and I have been lucky enough to work from home, even if that required sharing that home with forty staff, four children and a dog! This meant that our four children were all born into a working environment and I am sure that rather unusual upbringing combined with the reality that the sports industry is a 7 day week business, has shaped their own work ethics. Here is an update on what they are all up to now."
Annie
Annie has followed Stephen into the law and is now a Pupil Barrister in No5 Chambers where she does business and property work. Check her out here and use her where you can. As well as having learnt Sports law literally sitting on her father's knee, Annie has worked for Sport England in the legal department where she kept quiet her family relations in the sector and it was several months before anyone twigged the connection. In reviewing a contract for us last year, Annie had the foresight to add "pandemics" explicitly to our force majeur clause - a very helpful and valuable bit of advice as it has turned out!
Edward (Eddie)
Like his father, Eddie was keen to get out into the real world as soon as he could. He left school at 16 and did a Civil Engineering apprenticeship with Arup specialising in Geotechnics. His love of the outdoors has now led him to sustainable woodland management where he splits his time working for one of the pioneers in this sector, while working weekends on his new personal wood products business (check out Castan Woodworks) and also studying for an OU degree in Philosophy & Psychology.
Francesca and Jake
Our two eldest now work together, along with their spouses, in a pioneering food and hospitality business, Wild by Nature, based in the Black Mountains on the border between Wales and Herefordshire. It is a relief to Caroline and myself that watching their parents work together has not put them off working with their spouses nor with each other! Francesca (now Dr Dickson with a Phd in a political/legal topic) has been involved in running a tourism operation while undertaking her studies. Jake, who also left school at 16, is an acclaimed chef and a strong advocate for the slow food movement. Together, the four of them working pretty much 7 days a week, run a farm, wedding venue, restaurant, holiday accommodation and soon a remote rural pub and also deliver nationwide delicious rare breed meat boxes. Last year they were runners up in the BBC Food and Farming awards and Jake's sausages and salami have also won awards. Do check out their website www.wildbynaturellp.com if you like good food, have a wedding to organise or fancy a large family weekend gathering or holiday in the Black Mountains.