Born in Glasgow and living in Ayrshire until aged 18, Andy moved to London for a brief time to work for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office before moving to Bristol to train as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He later joined the Bristol Old Vic Company and performed in a number of their productions. He was also engaged by regional repertory companies and has appeared in television dramas, commercials, radio and voice overs.

Seeking a more secure life style and a change of direction, he began working for London Weekend/Granada Television in administrative support roles within Programme Planning, Locations Management and VTR.

It was here that he began to study BSL under the auspices of the "old" CACDP examination system; Stage II with tutelage from Paul Redfern (Deafworks) and June Smith (City University); Stage III at Derby Communication Centre with Wendy Daunt and Jerry Hannaffin.

Andy holds the CACDP NVQ4 BSL Language Qualification and is currently undertaking a Masters Degree Programme in BSL/English Interpreting at the University of Leeds - Centre for Translation Studies, School of Modern Languages and Cultures. On completion he will be eligible for full MRSLI status.