Our Trustees - Chris Sharp

Chris is the CIFA UK Trust's secretary.

Chris was born in London in 1946, the son of a GP and moved to Cornwall when he was 6. At the young age of 16 he joined the Royal Navy as an Artificer Apprentice and went on to complete 28 years before the mast. Although he thoroughly enjoyed the service he decided to resign in 1995 as he thought it was time to leave and move on.

In 1995 Chris started a 2 year stint with VSO training mechanics to maintain borehole equipment. He was then offered a job with another NGO to become the Water Engineering Specialist for the whole of northern Namibia, and held this post for 3 years before returning to the UK in 2001.

"I have always wanted to be a furniture maker" comments Chris "as it has been my hobby all my life". So in 2001 he elected to go to London Guildhall University (formally London College of Furniture) and complete a year's course in Cabinet Making. "It was a brilliant course in which I did very well and on return to the West Country I decided to set up my own business." He now has a workshop in Saltash in Cornwall and has been busy for 6 years! "My plan is to continue working until I feel I am unable to make good cabinets."

Chris has been married and has 2 sons - one lives in Suffolk and the other, who is an engineer in the merchant navy, lives in Ireland.

You can read about Chris' recent visit to Ethiopia here.