Craig Briggs was born in Huddersfield, an industrial town in West Yorkshire, England, and he says he is extremely proud of his working class background. Craig was the second child, and only son, of Donald and Glenys Briggs. It is interesting to note that his parents, who are no longer with us, emigrated to the US in the late fifties where his older sister was born. Things didn’t work out for them and they returned to the UK. The birth of their daughter had been a joy. The arrival of Craig would make the family complete. Unfortunately, as Craig noted, he was not a 'normal' lad; he'd been born with two clubbed feet.
Some children consider their greatest childhood gift a bike, for our son, Max, it was one of those Flintstone cars where your feet powered the vehicle - the most environmentally friendly method of travel. Remember that one, Gil? For Craig, things were different. His first birthday brought a gift that would change his life forever. A marvel of modern engineering, manufactured by J.E. Hanger and Co. of London for and on behalf of the National Health Service. This bespoke footwear gave him what the Vespa had given the youth of the fifties: freedom and independence. They weren't quite as stylish as an Italian built scooter but he didn't care. From then on, Master Briggs was on the move and no one could hold him back.
Over the next five years a series of surgical procedures changed the way he moved. When the time came, his mum walked him to school like any other proud parent and his dad gave him his first and only piece of worldly adv… Read More

Melanie Briggs Kidd was also born and raised in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. She and Craig were born in the same hospital 4 years apart. Destiny … At the age of 16 she studied catering at Huddersfield Technical College.
Her first job was with a government pilot program for the unemployed, where she worked in several industrial kitchens. It was a way of keeping young people off benefits in a time when unemployment was very high. At the end of the year-long placement, she was employed in one of the kitchens. She also worked in a snooker club [for Americans, Snooker is similar to pool], at a riding school, in exchange for free riding lessons and a pub and a restaurant in the evenings to make ends meet. Her last job was in a farm shop. She has not worked since she was 31, although she now helps Craig with his social media book marketing and winemaking.
Melanie enjoys reading and cooking, and she is Craig's biggest backgammon and scrabble opponent.