Norcliffe House

An office overlooking Wilmslow railway station, now empty.

32 years ago I started my career in IT there as a 21 year old for Sema Group, now part of Atos Origin.

I lasted 3 years, but made some great friends, one who I will see again this bank holiday. He taught me to snowboard, and I was one of his best men (he had 2).

Another we had a shared passion for music and we played together in a band. We worked elsewhere after Sema, set up a business on the back of that, but eventually we went our separate ways. Fast forward to today, I've employed his son for 13 years, and he's back in our band playing fantastic lead guitar, and his business is now a customer of ours. He never really changed tbh. I did.

I used to run car school giving lifts into Manchester and out to Wilmslow with Kev, we charged 50p a trip. Paid for our petrol, the M60 didn't lap Manchester either. We still see each other at Cheltenham each year.

Which reminds me, a few of us including Kev owned a share in a horse, and when it retired the receptionist took it on as a hack at her stables. (This is Wilmslow). It was faster than she expected, and us to be fair.

The BNFL project was the biggest software project EVER at the time and we all worked and played hard on that. The Scottish ski weekends, of which there was a few, in the BNFL project hire cars were a good example...

Friday lunchtimes never ended in either the King Bill or The George and Dragon. Sausage, egg, chips and beans. Diet Bass. No one worked the afternoon. Management led.

Despite all the fun, I left to run summer camps for kids, which actually got me back to IT within 3 years knowing I could run my own business. Within a few years more, I did. 

2 weeks ago, a new customer revealed himself to be the brother of Edd who I worked with there, same surname and both scousers. Why hadn't I twigged I was asked?...cos scousers get everywhere!

This building somehow links back to many things, and still does 32 years on. If I stopped to think, I'd write 5 times more.

Blakey - Mr Bean. See, can't stop....