Spotlight Ep.3

Next up for our 'Spotlight' is Billy Reilly

Billy is a founding member of the team.?He is our Maintenance Operative at Scotway House and started with the company in July 2019.?Billy is THE most talkative member of our team and it is no surprise that the feedback he receives from residents is always top class.

There is definitely more to Billy than meets the eye, from Niwaki’ to Nick Cave...read on.

My main interest is gardening, namely Japanese style gardening. I developed this interest from helping a friend with a disability to maintain and care for his garden. I have a large collection of Japanese maple trees, which comes in many varieties and colours.?Also, I like to do ‘Niwaki’, which is the art of Japanese cloud pruning trees. Through my passion of all things Japanese, my wife and I are hoping to go on our 30th Wedding Anniversary in 2023 to Japan and Alaska. In particular, we would love to witness the cherry blossom, known in Japanese as ‘Sakura’. Which blooms the full length of the country and is a massive tourist attraction.

One of my other main interests dates back to the early 80s, where I started to become a major fan of Nick Cave, who is the lead singer in the band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and I now have a large collection of vinyl, CDs and memorabilia of the band. I have been to many of the gigs they have performed in the UK and Ireland and am I always found at the front of the stage.

I have an unusual obsession collecting niche brand colognes. I probably have around 100 bottles, ranging from Creed, Tom Ford and Bodicea the victorious to Thierry Mugler. To which, many of these are no longer available and discontinued, so are hard to find!

I love spending time with my 3-year-old grandson. I’m looking forward to teaching him the survival skills I have picked up over the years of wild camping and hill climbing.

How has any of this helped me in my day job you may ask? Well it means I have a LOT to talk about and I love to share my experiences with my colleagues and residents alike.