Early Life

I was born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1957, being the only child of Peter and Carol Boardman. I attended the local primary school until the age of eight, after which the decision was made to transfer my place of learning further afield. This was the first of several wrong decisions made for me, continuing until I was old enough to make wrong decisions for myself, an art at which I proved very adept.

My parents ran the newsagency kiosks on the bus station in Bolton (where I am pictured at the age of 26!!) I spent many hours helping out in the kiosks, as well as proof reading comics and testing the confectionery.

My Mum sadly died in 1973 as a result of having Multiple Sclerosis. I continued my (with hindsight, pointless) education, interspersed with running the newsagency business with my father until 2000. During that time, I indulged my passion for racing sailboats, being fortunate to compete at national and international level in a variety of boats, most enjoyably the International 470 dinghy.

Later Life

In 2000, I moved to West Yorkshire, marrying Judith and settling in Halifax. After spending several years teaching adults, I worked for a few years for a local charity for the blind. I currently volunteer for the local branches of the RSPCA and MS Society.

Family

After graduating from Liverpool University, Judith was a journalist with the Wakefield Express newspaper before leaving to start a family, raising daughter Amy and son John in Bradford. She re-started working life as a tutor in ESOL to adults and now runs classes in writing for well-being.

We enjoy the local countryside, particularly enjoying cycling on our tandem (see Gallery), as well as going to various musical and theatrical performances. Recently, we have attended ballroom dancing classes.

In her spare moments, Judith is quite creative, literary examples of which are her tandem bike poem and her modern age poem.

My stepson, John (see Gallery), lives o'er t'hill near Lancaster, with his partner Nichola and their son Otis. He works as a store manager for Matalan stores in Kendal and Barrow. My stepdaughter Amy, married to Eliezer, lives in Baildon (north Bradford) and has four children; Isabella, Seth, Ineza (usually called Naya) and Noah (see Gallery). Judith and I enjoy helping out with the families.