Where to start…

Trying to write a few sentences without sounding like a Tinder profile isn’t easy (for the benefit of my wife, I’ve no idea what it’s like writing a Tinder profile).

I'm a bit of a giant, and probably the calmest person you'll ever meet. My party tricks include the ability to sleep anywhere (it's had me booted out of many a nightclub), and scary mental arithmetic ability, which strangely improves with alcohol consumption.

I'm a qualified pilot (random I know), with an unwavering love for travel - I'll admit to being equally as excited to find out about your honeymoon plans as your wedding.

I'm also a huge foodie, to the point where the wife has to hide my stash of sweets. And crisps. And chocolate (basically anything with carbs). I'll always have Haribo to hand on a wedding day, and I've got more chance of remembering a venue by the canapés they serve than its actual name.

Volunteer work

I’ve been a lifelong supporter of Cats Protection, thanks to the incredible work they do.

A few years ago my local Cats Protection had posted a plea: they had a growing waiting list of cats to be taken in, an increase in cats being dumped on their doorstep, and a drop in adoptions. They were desperately after any help.

Being honest, their pictures were a bit crap - you can probably see where my involvement starts to come in. After a few weeks of re-photographing all of their cats (and having the scars to prove it), adoption enquiries rocketed.

My finest moment will always be Heidi: she’s fully blind, and the sweetest cat you’ve ever met. She’d been with the centre for 4 months, only for her to be homed 1 week after her new photographs going live.

The Team

I’m Ashley - the chief button presser at weddings, and generally the culprit of all mischief (both at home and at weddings).

To keep things in check, my much better half Nat assists with everything behind the scenes. She picks up on emails, and makes sure all of the admin is in tip top shape before weddings. She’s the sensible one of the team, and certainly runs a tight ship!

We also had our “junior editor” join the team on Christmas Day 2020 (no, I wasn’t allowed to name him Jesus). I’ve been advised that due to child labour laws, I need to mention I don’t actually have him working yet (but give it time).

Ginge the 1.5-eared cat also deserves an honourable mention - those of you who have had a Zoom call with me will know he likes to get involved! You won’t be surprised to know he was previously a Cats Protection resident.