Life is like a box of chocolates

Forest Gump and his mama were right "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."After returning from Forest's home town, Savannah, Georgia, USA where I had been invited to present my award winning research work at the 5th International Trades Education Symposium (ITES) on 14-16 May 2015 at Savannah Technical College. I received great news that my PhD research proposal " Higher Level Heritage Skills Development" had been successful. This was on top of the research being well received at the seminarto such an extent that they have already invited me to return to the next event to be held in two years’ time.

Even more amazing was that Heriot Watt were not only covering the course fees but they had also awarded me an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grant to help financially. So now another chapter begins with my PhD at the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS), although the official date is September 2015.

Having encountered differing levels of skills, knowledge and technology for historic building repair across all professions, my MSc. research thesis and now my PhD is an exciting prospect to bring together a lifelong vocation in the built heritage.