John Gordon
John Gordon grew up on a council estate in Ipswich and attended grammar school. He likes to claim that his higher education was provided by the National Assistance Board, Hammersmith, where he started work aged 18, at the beginning of a career in the Civil Service that lasted 35 years. He went on to work as a journalist, broadcaster and benefits advisor. He started writing poetry for children to utilise the spare time he acquired when he became afflicted with a crippling spinal condition.