His addiction started at Rose Lane Secondary School, Biggleswade. He then taught at Grahamstown, South Africa, and Sherborne, Dorset, before moving to his present job, Head of English at Cranbrook School, Kent. His previous collections are 'Down by a Bicycle (Hippopotamus Press 1980), 'Namesakes' and 'Rolling Stock' (Enitharmon 1988 and 1991)