Peter Holmes:  was born on the 3^rd December 1947 in Bourton-on-the-water Gloucester England. He moved to Scotland in 1958 so his schooling was in both countries. Whilst at school in 1962 he helped the village blacksmith where he lived as a Saturday job. The blacksmith used to repair and sharpen the tools of a well-known glassmaker called Paul Ysart. It was Paul who persuaded him to take up an apprentice in glassmaking at Caithness Glass in Wick, where he was the training officer.

On January 21^st 1963 he started his apprenticeship. Later on during his training Paul asked him to work with him in a private capacity which meant working in the evenings and weekends when the factory was empty, this was the beginning of a second apprenticeship which included paperweight making. This he did until Paul left Caithness Glass. In 1972. Peter intended to leave Caithness and join Paul but through a series of mishaps with Paul’s financial backers it was not to be.