about Geoff Dellow

Born 27th March 1935 in Enfield , North London: My parents came specially to London from Paris  in order that I would be born on British soil and not in in Paris ,France, where they were living at the time. My Mother, Yvonne, was French, born, in 1907 in Alsace: My Father, born 1895 in England We lived in  Montreuil, Paris  in a large rented house with my father working for Kalamazoo, the book binding  company I can still remember the house within a walled garden.It was a high wall accessed from the road by pulling a handle that set off achime in the house beyond. Here I remember travelling from room to room on my potty.I had a technique of scooting along pulling myeself along , legs first. We lived here from my birth to 1939 when when my mother and I fled from the threat of anadvancing German army,to stay with my mother's sister in Tarbes in the South of France leaving my father temporarily behind to continue working in Paris. I have fewmomories at the age of about three in the garden in the sun by a pond.As the Germans advanced into France  we fled again to Bordeaux to catch the last boat out of France for England. Rathville, private school, Woodland Road, Northfield, Birmingham at the age of 6 where I still remember "Music and Movement" which came in on the BBC radio1942 to 1945  Hunters Hill Open Air School 1945 to 1953 :King Edward 6th  Grammar School,KEGS, Five Ways , Birmingham to 18 (good at maths) then  1953 to1960 University (Chemical Engineering B.Sc then Ph.D) to 25 (1960) 1960 Took job with Glaxo (Research Chem Eng) at Ulverston, Cumbria to 1964 Here amongst other things I developed the use of continuous crystallisation to purify the salts of penicillin and developed the Dyed Vitamin A bead process- At home ,I ran Pathfinders at the Parish rooms, Church Walk. 1963 went to the USA and Toured from city to city for three months and eventually took  a job doing  Research for Shell Development Company, at Emeryville -San Francisco Bay Area, California- Here two patents were awarded for processes to recover pure straight chain Paraffins from Oil mixtures using Urea Adducts. Heard Peter Paul and Mary and Joan Baez I970 came back to England The Falls, Ulverston converted barns to self-catering Holiday cottages until1977where we launched our  Unique Food Service acclaimed in the National Press in 1974 1978 Angela and I sadly became divorced because I was unable to communicate wth her well. 1983 eventually managed to sell the Falls  at times when interest rates were 15%. I had to work incredibly hard during 1978 to 1983, running the business on my own 1984 ran a dried fruit , nuts and rice etc Market stall 1986 bought and converted Stables Carpet Store to the present Oxfam building in 1987 and ran as Community Centre with live music four nights a week:Thursday to Sunday nights. nothing worked and had to sell in 1988 Losing most of my money 1988 Qualified as teacher at age 53 ( (Goldsmiths- London) Taught Hainault Forest High (NE London) - Design Technology till 1998 Learnt Flash (web design software) - Thought "Children would love this" and they did. Taught 2000 kids Flash and 50 teachers in both primary and secondary schools till 2004 (BETT exhibitor in 2000)  Returned to Ulverston 2004 Resumed teaching Flash to teachers worldwide till using the Internet.  2008 spent a year having a go at becoming an  Ulverston County Councillor: failed July 2008 started this blog  2014 had a stroke and now coping.