Philip was born and raised in Haddenham, son of one of the village’s longest-serving parish councillors. After Robert Arkenstall, Witchford and Hills Road, he attended university in both Leeds and Aberystwyth, and has since spent 26 years working in the education sector, in settings ranging from tough high schools to colleges of Further and Higher Education.

Philip worked in Devon and Essex, and then spent the last 20 years in Lancashire (completing qualifications in careers advice along the way), the last six of which he has spent teaching English, maths and ICT to apprentices of all ages. He has recently returned to the village to care for his parents, and to give something back to the local education system.

He holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Leeds and an MSc in Information and Library Studies from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.