Leaders

Andy Millar BEng. CEng. MIEE

It is now 30 years since Andy first started fiddling around with electronics. After completing an electronics and mechanical apprenticeship, Andy got his degree in electronics from UWIST, Cardiff, where he met Richard in 1979. He spent 11 years working in the music business, first of all in BBC radio, then designing very expensive mixing desks for top recording studios. He moved to the railway business in 1993 in order to move to Cornwall, and now manages a team of engineers designing fail-safe railway signalling equipment.

Apart from engineering, Andy is into cooking, playing bass guitar (badly) and sailing (very badly). He is Health and Safety and Design and Technology Governor at Stoke Climsland School.

Andy is qualified in Health & Safety assessment and Emergency First Aid. He has a postgraduate Certificate in Engineering Management, and in 2004 completed an A level in Educational and Organisational Psychology.

Richard Pearce BSc(Hons). CEng. MIEE

Richard qualified as an Electronics Engineer in 1984 gaining a degree in electronics from UWIST in Cardiff and gained his Engineering Charter in 1998. Having spent 4 years learning enough about electronics to gain a degree Richard has spent the last 20 years forgetting all of it.

Since leaving University Richard has pursued a career in software engineering. In this period he has worked in robotics, railway signalling and electronic design automation taking key roles in the design and development of many new products.

Richards other interests include sailing, bird watching, photography and cookery. He had to learn to cook or he would have starved while at university.

In between work, family and running the club Richard is also a parent governor at Callington Community College.

Richard is also qualified in Emergency First Aid.

Steve Leonard-Williams

Steve originally qualified as a silversmith having taken a degree in Industrial Design at Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montfort University!)

Having worked as a self-employed silversmith (and part-time barman, flautist and concrete block maker) Steve then took the logical step of launching a career in "composite plastics" specialising in injection moulding processes

Steve worked for eighteen years as general manager of a specialist company manufacturing equipment and tooling and then took the scary step of launching, with a partner, their own company. The company builds moulds and equipment for a diverse range of applications including marine, automotive military and aerospace products.

Steve has three children and his youngest son is a club member. He has his own workshop at home which is filled with various projects ranging from model aircraft (mostly at the repair stage!) to a motorised go-cart that should be completed by the time all his children are too big to fit in it.

Vivian Colwill

Vivian spent 13 years in banking before changing career to work with 'Early Years' children. Vivian has worked in primary school with special needs (behavioural) children and is currently working as nursery nurse at a private nursery. Vivan has obtained a NVQ level III in Early Years and Education and has attended many short courses in childcare including Child Protection and Take 10 for Play (out of school clubs).

Vivians hobbies include trying to get to grips with the computer, digital photography and computer art. She has recently gained a City and Guilds Certificate in IT networking and maintenance and is currently working towards the ECDL. After helping build the beam engine with the group Vivian found a new interest in local history.

Vivian is the clubs fund raiser in chief and has pretty much single-handedly kept the club afloat. The funds she has raised have allowed the club to to take on far more ambitious projects than we ever thought possible.