15 Jul 2026
We ask a different figure from the local community to choose 10 questions to answer from a list of 50. This week: Mark Fordham, business advisor at STANTA, where he provides consultancy service to start-ups and growing businesses, having previously run his own accountancy practice, TaxAssist Accountants.
What TV did you watch as a child?
Not a lot as we didn’t have a TV so I was always reliant on being invited to friends or my grandparents. My parents finally bought a TV when I left home.
If you could travel back in time and offer your younger self some advice, what would it be?
Always think ahead and believe in yourself. When you are young you tend to live for the moment and underestimate your skills and ability. Later in life you realise what you could have done.
What was your first job?
Pea picking as a student which was very hard work. I did it with my then girlfriend and we got paid for each bag picked. I picked most of hers! The reward at the end of the day didn’t seem worth it for the effort we put in, then working for a bank after graduation
Which three people, living or dead, would be your ideal dinner party guests?
Alastair Cook, Ian Botham, Ben Stokes. As a passionate cricketer who is heavily involved at Harpenden Cricket Club having a dinner party and chatting with these three, who I have spent hours watching, would be a great insight into how they got to the top and how they stayed there (as well as, hopefully) hearing a few of the stories that didn’t make the press!)…
Who is your favourite St Albans musician or band?
The Slaves. Great music to keep you dancing all night
Where do you buy your coffee in Harpenden?
Brad & Dills, fabulous coffee in a great location with a wonderful atmosphere and a chance to bump into friends and catch up.
What’s your favourite Harpenden pub?
The Amble Inn in summer for its large garden and The
Engineer in winter for its warm and cosy atmosphere.
What was your best subject at school?
Geography – I loved learning how the world around us
works and why it looks the way it does.
What’s your favourite meal? Roast beef with all the trimmings. Nothing beats my wife’s roast. Sunday dinner is an occasion to look forward to.
Who was your favourite cartoon character when you were a kid?
Scooby Doo – he always saved the kids and became the hero despite doing it by accident.
