Gary Fildes

Growing up in Grindon, a council estate on the outskirts of Sunderland, he left school at the age of sixteen to work as a bricklayer.

[1] Not formally trained in astronomy or academia, in 2012 Fildes was given an honorary master's degree from Durham University.

[3] While running star camps and other astronomy events, Fildes was the lead contributor and driving force in the effort to build an observatory.

An open competition ran through the Royal Institute of British Architects, eventually raising £450,000 to construct the observatory.

Kielder Observatory was officially opened on 25 April 2008 by Sir Arnold Wolfendale, 14th Astronomer Royal.