Those three months taught me more than I could have learned in three years at college. I was seeing the master sculptors at work. I even made a few pieces myself. Lucchesi was an inspiration. When I moved to Kent I needed to find a way to make a living and began making one-off figurines in a small kiln in a shed. I took photos of some of them and was delighted when I was offered trial commissions when I took my pictures to a trade exhibition in Birmingham. Royal Worcester asked me to create a maid from a collection of figures called "Upstairs, Downstairs", after a tv series. I made seven figures for them, five of which went into production. This led to a commission from Compton and Woodhouse for a mother with a baby. It was called "Sweet Dreams". I am pleased to say that they loved it and it led to many more commissions from them. All of Compton and Woodhouse figurines are manufactured by the top British ceramic houses, such as Royal Doulton, Coalport, Wedgewood and Royal Worcester