Biography

I was born on the 19 June 1969 in Darlington, County Durham and moved at the age of 2 years old to live in Sutton Bonington. Sport has always been part of my life and one of my earliest memories was doing ‘speed walking’ round the garden with my grandfather and best friend Christopher Scott.

My grandfather (Alan Todd) who died when I was only five was a great sportsman representing Scotland in Athletics and later playing goalkeeper for Nottingham Forest Football Club.

Throughout my childhood I played lots of sports – squash, tennis, football, badminton – but it was one evening when I was still at primary school that I went for a run with my father and discovered my talent was in running.

Throughout my school years I regularly ran 3 or 4 miles a night and in my first year at secondary school won my first major title becoming South Nottinghamshire Cross Country Champion.

In 1988 a close friend of the family Dr Bill Hall saw me running and put me in touch with the International Athletics Coach Mr. George Gandy. During the summer of 1988 I began training with Gandy’s elite squad based at Loughborough University before moving in the autumn to Liverpool to commence my studies at the University.

During my 3 years at Liverpool I competed nationally and gained full colours from the University for athletics. In 1991 I graduated from Liverpool University with an honours degree in Sports Science and Physical Education and returned to Loughborough Univeristy to continue my career in athletics with George Gandy.

While training at Loughborough with this elite group of runners I competed in a number of International races, went to America with some of the 1992 British Olympic Squad and was a member of the British Milers’ Club.

During this period I also worked part time for Ragdale Hall Health Hydro and in 1995 completed a P.G.C.E. from Loughborough University. Having qualified as a teacher I then began to teach part time in Leicester and did some consultancy work for Stanford Hall Cooperative College where I submitted a proposal to develop sports facilities there.

In December 1996 having just completed a month course teaching English Abroad, at Banbury, I applied for a sports position at the Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham. There had never been sports staff at Sutton Bonington Campus and the position offered an opportunity to develop the facilities - a challenge I was excited to accept.

I began the job at Sutton Bonington in January 1997 and during the past 13 years have developed the sport facilities including securing funding for a number of projects:

£100k for an artificial football pitch
£40k for equipment for a dance studio and gym
£20k for a bouldering wall
£4k for a sports centre foyer.

My biggest success to date was in January 2008 opening a new 2.4 million pound sports centre at Sutton Bonington which I currently manage for the University of Nottingham.

During my time at Sutton Bonington I have continued to run and although I no longer compete I regularly train early in the morning with students, staff and the local community.

In 2002 I married Claire who is from the Wirral and in April 2005 Matthew was born followed in March 2009 by Cameron.

I continue to love sport very much and it is wonderful that I can now share my passion with a family who I love very much.