10 Jun 2026
We ask a different figure from the local community to choose 10 questions to answer from a list of 50. This week: Martin Ferguson, founder of Men of Fields, the Garden Fields Cricket Club, a group of local dads obsessed with charity fundraising (and the odd game of cricket!).
Where do you walk when you want to think?
When I was commuting into London, I’d often pause in St Peter’s Churchyard. In the middle of the city’s rush, it offered a rare moment of calm – a place to reflect, reset and focus on what really mattered.
Where do you most like to have a picnic in St Albans?
Verulamium Park, without question. Sitting by the lake with the Cathedral rising in the background is one of the best views in St Albans – especially on a sunny afternoon.
If you could have a conversation with someone who had died, who would it be?
My Mum. There are so many things I wish I’d asked her – family stories, life lessons, even the little details you only realise matter when it’s too late.
Have you ever had a nickname?
TPO – “The Platinum One” proud founder of Garden Fields Cricket Club, which proudly raises money for Youth Talk in St Albans. We’re currently fundraising again, walking 100kms of the Northumberland Coast path. Every donation makes a difference to a young person’s life: https://www.justgiving.com/page/mofwalk2026.
Do you speak any foreign languages?
I speak enough French, German and Spanish to hold a conversation – and usually enough to avoid embarrassing myself abroad!
What’s your favourite St Albans pub?
The Six Bells – a proper traditional pub and the spiritual home of Garden Fields Cricket Club.
What was your best subject at school?
Geology – I loved discovering how the world was formed and learning about the incredible variety of rock formations across the UK.
What was your first job?
I was a petrol pump attendant. At the end of the night, I’d cash up at 10pm and cycle 200 yards to the bank deposit box with the takings – a different era entirely.
What’s your favourite place to have breakfast in St Albans?
Street Café – mainly because their Hedonist Breakfast absolutely lives up to its name.
Odyssey or Netflix?
The Odyssey, every time. There’s something special about the atmosphere, the history and those beautifully restored Art Deco interiors that streaming at home can’t compete with.
