FOR some choosing and developing a clear career path is simple.

But others can find their lives shaped by destiny or a cruel twist of fortune.

Take Peter Emmerson who initially followed his dreams by embarking on a four year course studying music and teaching at St. Martin’s College in Lancaster.

His life was thrown into chaos when his mother Beverley was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer at just 44, only a year into his studies.

However, this shock news would eventually prove to be a catalyst for Peter’s move into a totally different sector.

Now working as a maintenance manager for Stonehouse Property the 31-year-old talks about how his life changed forever.

“My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years before I started university, but the doctors thought she was clear of it,” he said

“It was a real shock but my family has a history of the aggressive cancer gene which my aunt succumbed to when she was only 28.

“My mum went for one of her regular screenings when I had not long started University, when they found it had come back hidden in her pleural cavity.

“I remember going with her to the hospital when they told her she only had six months to live. It was hard to grasp what was going on.

“My parents shortly moved to Cumbria where my mum was given a course of chemotherapy that they hoped would extend her life by up to a year, but it could also work against her.

“Her body reacted badly to it and she was told she would only have about three months left.

“It was at this point I decided to postpone my studies for a year to spend time with my mum.

“So the diagnosis went from being three months to literally a matter of weeks before she passed away.”

During his short spell at University, Peter, who now lives on Mackie Place in Elrick, carried out some plumbing and electrical work to earn some extra cash.

But it would soon develop into a career choice and he was in a way able to find solace from such a sad situation.

He added: “My piano tutor at the time was in the middle of a huge refurbishment project at his house and asked me to help.

“After the project was finished the plumber joked about me working with him as we got on well.

“He was a bit surprised when I agreed to do it and that’s how it all started.”

Peter went on to gain a HNC qualification in electronic electrical engineering at RGU in 1996 but gained most of his experience elsewhere.

“I took an unconventional route to gather experience by going down the oil and gas route,” he said.

“I became an oil technician so I could gain industry experience which I would later combine with my earlier gas experience and added electrical qualifications to complement my qualifications.”

Peter, continued to work as a plumber for a short time before starting his own plumbing and heating business in Cumbria.

After five years of working for himself Peter headed north firstly to take up posts in Edinburgh and Aberdeen before joining Stonehouse Property in June.

He heads up the maintenance division which was established to primarily support Stonehouse Property Management and Leasing in order to ensure a consistent, cost-effective maintenance service for its landlords and tenants.

So does Peter ever look back on his former career path and wonder what might have been?

“There are no regrets at all, I really enjoy what I do and I’m excited with what the future holds for me at Stonehouse.

photography: Graham Dargie