Andy was born and raised in rural Oxfordshire. After leaving school he attended Cardiff University and graduated with a BSc in Geology; a few years later he completed a Masters in Sedimentology. It was at university that Andy met his wife Sara. The couple married in 1984 and settled in South Wales; they are blessed with two children, Beth and David.
On March 2 this year, after five days of whirlwind preparations Andy was able to proudly walk his daughter down the aisle. Family and friends all enjoyed the celebrations which included an entrance to the sound of bagpipes in true Scottish style.
Before joining trading standards Andy worked as a Hospital Porter, a Geologist, a RAC Travel Clerk Breakdown Dispatcher, a Clerical Officer, a Facilities Media Assistant/Manager and an Agency Sales consultant for Red Dragon Radio. He joined Mid Glamorgan Trading Standards as a Fair Trading Officer in 1992 and transferred to Caerphilly County Borough Council on local government reorganisation. Andy studied for the Diploma in Trading Standards and qualified as a Trading Standards Officer in 1997. Other than working for the Food Standards Agency for a 12-month secondment Andy spent the rest of his working life with Caerphilly Trading Standards Service.
Andy loved his job. Whenever asked how he was, the reply was always; ‘happy as a pig in clover’. Andy specialised in Food Standards. He served as Secretary, Chair and Lead Officer on the WHoTS (Welsh Heads of Trading Standards) Food Standards Labelling Group. Andy also chaired the Greater Gwent Food Group and in 2012 was elected Chair of the National Food Labelling Forum.
Andy was honoured and privileged to lead the groups and very passionate about his work. He felt strongly that the interests of the consumer should come first and loved nothing more than debating the intricacies of food standards law and issues such as Brexit, Regulating Our Future and allergens to name but a few.
Andy was a warm, upbeat individual with a dry, quirky sense of humour. A film buff and a fan of the Goons, Black Adder and the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He enjoyed an eclectic range of music and was a self-taught guitarist. Andy appreciated art; he enjoyed woodwork was an accomplished visual artist and poet.
The son of a Scotsman, he loved a good whisky and when watching rugby, he always supported Scotland and Wales. Andy loved walking his dog, nature and exploring the great outdoors. Andy and Sara were both keen travellers, which in recent years took them to the Galapagos Islands; Scandinavia; New Zealand and the Everglades.
Andy was a long serving, valued public servant. He was a true gentleman and a scholar who will be remembered with great affection by his friends and colleagues for his sense of fun, good humour, his unique approach and dedication to Food Standards and the Trading Standards Service. To us all a great loss indeed.
‘Adios Amigo’
‘So Long Andy and Thanks for all the Fish’
