Hi! I’m Eddy Smythe.

I came to the UK in 1996 initially with aspirations to study music before returning to Sierra Leone. I quickly realised that this was not a viable option and after my A level’s was at a loss as to what to do. I decided I wanted to train as an accountant and very quickly realised this was not my destiny either. I ended up working in a property department for a large retail group by default, but in doing so had found my true destiny. I would work for this group for several years before setting up my own property development consultancy.

My fledgling company was retained by an international retail group for over 25 years and was heavily involved in the company’s expansion in the South West of the UK. I continue to work with them until the present day. I am also a director of a small development company which builds houses in the local vicinity.

My home country of Sierra Leone remains close to my heart and I am chair of the trustees of a charity based in the country. It provides micro loans to individuals to assist them in developing small businesses

In 2014 I bought a redundant dairy farm in South Oxfordshire where I built a house nestled at the foot of the Chiltern Hills and where I still live with my wife Jo. My hobbies include squash and racquetball, skiing, scuba diving and music.

My other love unsurprisingly is flying and I achieved my helicopter pilot’s licence 18 years ago and for 10 years used this form of travel for business purposes.

I continue to run my company and am frequently called on to give presentations, lectures and workshops to schools, colleges, the RAF and various community groups.

Together with my brother John, we are two members of the reggae band Dubwiser who recently produced the song Johnny, in tribute to our father. Johnny appears on the EP The Empire Windrush, available now on all good streaming services: