Hello, I'm Kevin O'Reilly from the Potteries area of Staffordshire in England, an area famous for its pottery, both practical and decorative. Indeed, I grew up about 50 metres from the Beswick Ware factory that has made and marketed some of the finest examples of Equine figures ever produced. Much of their product is export only. Of course, other famous names like Wedgewood and Doulton are close to my home (not forgetting the myriad of lesser known producers that contribute to the Potteries tradition).
N.B. Beswick announced the closure of the factory in 2002 - due in June 2003. Closed in fact at Christmas 2002 and demolished in August/ September 2003.
Doulton had owned Beswick Ware for some time and have closed most of their Potteries factories, preferring to open Far Eastern factories.
Many people have heard of the Staffordshire Potteries yet most do not realise that the area is enveloped within the City of Stoke-on-Trent which is situated on the Northern borders of the Midlands and the southern edge of the North West of England. North Wales is less than a hours drive away to the west and The Peak District National Park in Derbyshire is less than thirty minutess drive to the east.
Living where I do offers another benefit. In the 1970's a community project began to convert an old sand and gravel quarry into a Country Park. A volunteer scheme saw mass tree and shrub planting and as the land bordered countryside, wildlife quickly moved in. Sadly, from a personal viewpoint, no British deciduous trees were planted, mainly Scots Pine. Nonetheless, the area is well established and offers a day of quality relaxation on the doorstep. There is also a visitor centre and a modern toilet block.
My favourite football team (soccer) is West Ham United. Given the geographical distance between my home and theirs, the Boleyn Ground in Upton Park East London, I don't travel to see them. The 500 mile round trip and the inflated cost of admittance and travel is a put off. I have to settle for close by away games or depend on TV coverage.
West Ham can break your heart. Mainly this is because of the very reason they attract so many fans from afar. The gospel at the Hammers is to entertain. They play to please and on form are unstoppable. However, they do fall foul to teams with more mercenary tendencies. Also, they have their bad moments. Nevertheless the Hammers have been my team for over thirty years now and may they ever be. Visit my West Ham page by clicking here.
I work in Industrial Electronics. Electronics used to be a hobby as I always worked in mechanical engineering since leaving High School at 16. At first I worked in the field of diesel engine repair, later I went on to work underground in mechanical engineering in the Coal Industry. The job was, well, not good but it paid well to a man with a young family. The industry was still thriving then but with hind site it was in the autumn of its life and very little is left of this British industry and it is entirely extinct in Staffordshire. Now I work on a variety of repair jobs as a bench engineer. I had come to specialize in the repair of microprocessor control boards and digital/ analogue circuit repair but there is less of this dedicated work around. I maintain the Automatic Test Equipment (ATE), the PC's (sometimes) and program tests for our main ATE equipment, Pinpoint.
I have lived my life to date here in North Staffordshire and I see no draw to change that but life is odd as it twists and turns so who knows. However, I don't intend to move away, I'm too long in the tooth for that now! Besides, I have my home just the way I like it so why start again?
Well, that's me in a nutshell. Thanks for dropping in. I hope you enjoy visiting my site, there is ample opportunity for feedback if you have any comments and why not sign the Guestbook?
