John left school aged 15 and followed his forbears into the North Eastern steel industry. Having served an apprenticeship he then left the North East for Northern Ireland in pursuit of a love interest he had met whilst on a fruit picking holiday. In Belfast he opened and ran two live music venues and played an active role in the civil rights movement before a fall out with the I.R.A. had him decamping for the anonymity of London.

Describing John's life to date after that as colourful would be an understatement, as the following career path attests.

On returning from Ireland, he took a series of factory labouring jobs in and around the London area, followed by a stint as a grave digger. He then graduated from busker to pro-musician and singer with a traditional folk band. In need of supplementary finance, he took a two week labouring assignment in a factory which became extended, culminating five years later in him leading the organisation as Managing Director. After participating in the sale of this company for the owners he then embarked on a new career in property development being principally responsible for the renovation and construction of several landmark buildings.

John has held several main board positions and also chaired charities for brain injured children and the homeless.

He has both written and featured in many major magazine articles, but declares that one of his favourite pieces include having his photograph taken along side one of Lord Lucan in the Plymouth Evening Herald, an uncanny likeness - or is it? Another was in Devon Life magazine where the writer described his likeness to that of a raffish Alan Rickman in Sheriff of Nottingham pose from the movie 'Robin Hood Prince of Thieves'.

John has two children and now lives in Cornwall with his partner, the Lady Deborah Merryweather Trewin.