’Len started his career as an electrical engineer and was awarded a BTEC Higher National Certificate in Engineering (Electrical/ Electronic) at Norwich City College of Further Education in July 1991. However, his main love was working in wood and earlier, in 1987, he had gained a City and Guilds in Boat Building and Ship Joinery Craft Studies at Lowestoft College.

He returned to woodwork in 1992 after taking a teaching job at a home for emotionally disturbed children where violence was quite commonplace. Despite the emotionally charged environment he found that most youngsters were gaining some sense of purpose from actually making something of worth, therefore that they in turn felt a sense of value.

He carried on teaching until the home was closed in 1996 when he decided to work on his own making reproduction furniture and eventually more contemporary furniture of his own design. To enable him to do this he attended futher City and Guilds courses where he gained Certificates in Furniture Advanced Studies in 1997 which covered: