About Me!

Hi, I'm Gary!

In the past, I have worked over many years as a zookeeper with numerous spectacular animals and within conservation projects, both in the UK and overseas. Along with serving within Christian ministry as a Parish Worker, a street Evangelist for a City Mission, and as an Ordained Minister. 

I also have Dyslexia and Aspergers Syndrome.

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As a young boy and throughout my adult life I have found academia a constant struggle and I have had to work really hard to feel as if I 'fit in with my peers and colleagues. As a boy, this led to me acting as the class clown, as that was the one way that I had discovered that I could hide my failings academically and whereby my peers would be convinced that I was just a joker and not that I was actually struggling to understand what I was supposed to be doing! 

My behavior often led to me being punished by the teachers and in time being caned. So to avoid the pressure of school I would frequently play truant until I was eventually excluded from school altogether! 

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As a young adult, my struggles developed into me being regularly misunderstood to being called a maverick! At times when things became too much for me, I would retreat to be alone or on occasion have emotional meltdowns and run as far away from any problem as I could! 

In 2013 whilst studying theology in preparation for ordination into the Church I was diagnosed with Dyslexia and only recently (2021) I was also formally diagnosed with Autism - Asperger's Syndrome. Having gone undiagnosed for the best part of my life so far has led to me making some very poor life choices along the way!

Now, however, since having my full diagnosis, I am for the first time ever beginning to understand why certain things in my life have been so difficult for me! 

My desire now is to use my personal experiences and lifetime love of animals along with my Christian faith as a way to offer help, comfort, and reassurance to others who may find that they can relate to similar difficulties in their own lives.

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My hope is to help to play a positive part in Autism Awareness within all aspects of society including within the Church! There is much work to be done, but with so many fantastic people campaigning for change, we can all play our part in adapting aspects of life so that people with autism or those who have learning differences and disabilities can find a more even path to tread and whereby their unique gifts and qualities can be put to best use to the benefit of us all!

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Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,
it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid!
(Albert Einstein - Autism spectrum disorder & Dyslexic)

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I am currently assisting the NHS as a participant on the user panel for the Brain in Hand study for people with autism. Brain in Hand is a mobile health technology that has been developed to support the phycological wellbeing and quality of life of people with autism.

It is my hope that this technology will not only help me personally but also that the data gathered will go some way toward helping other people with autism as well.

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For further information about Brain in Hand please click the link below.

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