A Day in the Life #6 – Gary’s story

There is an old expression – ‘If you want something doing, give it to someone who is busy.’ That being the case, then Gary Hughes is your man. Gary is someone who lives life to the max and gives everything he does 100% effort. Both in work and in his private life, he is a whirlwind of activity, and it has always been thus.

As a teenager, Gary was writing music, gaining vocational qualifications, and playing rugby for Sale R.U.F.C. (now called Sale Sharks in the modern professional rugby era) – all at the same time!

‘My main ambition was to make it in music,’ Gary explains. ‘I turned down Keele University, but did the sensible thing my parents suggested and studied as a draftsman for five years – which allowed me to continue playing rugby and pursue my ambition to be a musician.’

That ambition was to lead Gary to make some difficult choices, after his music took off. ‘I sent some of my music off to a publisher. They liked what they saw, lining up Smokey to play my songs, and asked to see more material. I sent a stack of songs over to them and they changed their mind. They said I had enough for a debut album, and I was signed up to Polygram. I recorded the first of my albums, ‘Strength of Heart’, in 1990.’

A second album soon followed, and Gary says, ‘They got me into the studio with some talented musicians to record a third, but in the studio we felt the music sounded like it was meant for a band, rather than a solo artist. That’s when Ten was formed.’

The band's first album (named X) was released in May 1996 and was warmly acclaimed by the fans and the press especially in the UK and Japan, where they were outselling huge rock bands – reaching sales of 100,000 records during the first week of release. The second album (The Name of the Rose) preformed equally as well, and it meant a year of touring for Gary and Ten to support the album – including filling large arenas in Japan. ‘That song, “Big in Japan”, is a truism when it came to Ten,’ Gary says. ‘We were!’

I ask Gary a lot more about the music, then it occurs to me I’ve not yet asked him about his role as Maintenance Manager at Bayswood Care Group. The obvious question is how he made the transition from rock star to working in the care sector?

‘For a while, while I was touring with the band, everything else in my life took a back seat. I was time-served as a draftsman and had packed in my job at Costaim, an engineering company. I did have my own home improvement business too and tinkered with that for fifteen years in between music projects. I loved the engineering side of maintenance and working on home renovation projects.’

In the summer of 2021, Gary was approached about the Maintenance Manager role and accepted the job following an interview with the owners. ‘I thought they might be put off by my music background,’ Gary says, ‘but they embraced the fact I have other strings to my bow.’

I ask Gary where the music and engineering side of his lives meet. ‘I both engineer music and building projects,’ he says. ‘I engineered albums and helped engineer sections of the Manchester Metro, for example. I am a bit OCD about creating things because I am a perfectionist. I’ve been known to ask for work to be ripped down and restarted. I won’t put up with poor work.’

In the care home environment that is an important trait. Gary must work to stringent guidelines on health and safety and the Bayswood Group’s care homes regularly have inspections from bodies such as the CQC, local authorities, insurers, and the fire service.

Gary believes being a time-served draftsman gives him a big advantage at work. ‘It helps me understand the fabric of the buildings and fill in the elements that keep residents safe and allow the staff to work smart.’

Among the inevitable list of ongoing maintenance and improvements for the four Bayswood homes, he never loses sight of the importance of the residents. ‘We are in the residents’ homes – we are the visitors,’ he says, ‘and I always remind my team of that fact.’

I ask Gary how he copes with such a busy work schedule and private life. ‘I put the maximum energy into what I am doing at any moment but box off those activities and compartmentalize my life,’ he says. ‘I only get a buzz out of what I’m doing by doing it to the best of my ability.’

I consider Gary’s remark and ask him how fixing windows to meet CQC standards compares to performing live on stage. His answer is very honest. ‘Nothing can beat performing live in front of sold-out arenas. It’s addictive, although two and a quarter hour sets are getting harder as I get older. The shorter festival hour-long sets are easier,’ he jokes.

We continue to talk at length about his work in he four Bayswood homes and find his technical knowledge of maintenance impressive. Gary has created a structured maintenance department within the group and has just added another member of staff to his team working from the Dane View home. Maintenance is an important cog in the care home system, and it’s reassuring to see Bayswood entrusting its oversight to someone as conscientious and dynamic as Gary.

‘Operating the Group’s maintenance efficiently and effectively is massively important,’ Gary says. ‘It facilitates the fabric in which everything else can function safely and help improve the lives of our residents.’

I go away feeling energized and inspired; and wonder what other talent is hidden within the Bayswood team.

Interview by Kelly Farrington

PS – Gary’s next album is out in January 2023. Watch out on the Bayswood Group’s various Facebook pages for more news, nearer the time.