Laurence was born on Christmas Eve 1948 in Middlesbrough which was then part of North Yorkshire.

He was born Laurence David Adams but this was changed to his present name after studying Name Analysis.

He attended Middlesbrough Boys High School where at the age of twelve he joined the school’s army cadet force.

By the age of seventeen he was a sergeant in the army cadet force and enrolled in the parachute regiment for a career in the army.  However, this was not to be as whilst still on basic training he was given a medical discharge on the grounds of having two bouts of rheumatic fever.

A career in supermarket management followed where he was successful in a degree level 2 ½ year course in London.

He was headhunted in 1970 by a food distribution company and from there spent over fifteen years successfully selling a variety of retail industrial products ending as Northern Regional Sales Manager for Quest Vitamins.

In 1992 Laurence married Hazel and from her children from a previous marriage he now has seven grandchildren.