SIMON HEATH THE CRAFTSMAN'S JOURNEY - PART 9

Simon Heath Star of The Crafty Countryman series opens up about his life, and explains what a massive impact art had for him growing up.

In these mini articles we will start from the beginning, and over the following months we will follow his journey from a boy to a master craftsman.

This has not been an overnight success this has been years of hard graft

A fascinating story of a wonderfully talented man

Simon Heath - The Craftsman's Journey in His Words Part 9

MEETING BRAD

I found myself as a single parent looking after my children, I had to give up my full time job and work part time which was ideal for my small stick business. I went on tax credits and worked part time concentrating on my sticks, supplying them to gun shops in London. Holland and Holland and William and sons were ordering quite a lot of sticks at that time which was great for me as I really needed it at that time, I was really grateful to them.

Around that time, I had to downsize my house, and I moved around the corner so the kids could remain at their school. Living there I put up a workshop in the small garden attached to the garages and set to work. I remember one order was for 30 hare sticks for Holland and Holland the gun maker, this was fantastic.

Then I met Brad, I remember him and his family moved in opposite me, I remember this massive bloke getting out of his car covered in tattoos and muscles and me thinking oh my god who’s moving in over there, but I couldn’t have been more wrong in my judgement of him. We got to know each other helping each other out and I have to say what a nice gentle bloke he is, every now and then I would meet Sam and the same went for him.

After I moved away, we hadn’t seen each other for a while, but something brought us all back together again 10 years later. Which brings us too today….