John has spent 30 years in the media, as a reporter on weekly, regional and specialist media and as a press officer for the government. He has lived on the Corbett estate since moving south with his wife Jane in 1985. This year he took early retirement from the Civil Service and now combines editing SENine with being secretary of the Friends of Well Hall Pleasaunce, trustee of the Outside In Youth Project. His hobbies are allotment keeping, sailing and supporting Charlton Athletic.