I began my career as an apprentice toolmaker at Cummins Diesel Engines before joining the British Army in 1989 as an aircraft technician. My service took me across Germany, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and even Guatemala, where I supported the local army in the fight against drug cartels. My final seven years were spent stationed in Northern Ireland. Alongside my military career, I pursued my love for the outdoors — first as a winter mountaineer and later as a canoe and kayak instructor. In 2003, after sustaining a serious spinal injury, I was medically retired. The road to recovery was long, but I eventually learned to walk again. That resilience and determination shaped the next chapter of my life.