Pete Lawrence

I first became interested in astronomy when I was a small boy, at the time of the Apollo Moon landings.

My parents bought me a small 40mm refractor and after hunting down the planet Saturn with it, I was hooked!

I remember Patrick visiting my school and leaving such a strong lasting impression that I decided I just had to have a larger telescope. Being a schoolboy at the time, my funds were limited so my next telescope was completely homemade; I even ground the main 8.75" mirror myself! It took a long time but th…