Roland Chesters was born in the north of England to an English father and French mother and has lived most of his life in London. He graduated from the Royal Holloway College with a degree in Modern Languages and after a variety of jobs joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a language-testing specialist. Following a diagnosis of HIV and AIDS in 2006, he became a campaigner for disability rights. He is now a self-employed Disability Development Consultant and has his own company, Luminate.

Roland lives with his partner, Richard, in London and enjoys opera, classical music, theatre and fashion (his favourite item of clothing being a bright red corduroy suit.) He fights boredom and normality with gusto, and says he is at his best when he's made a positive impact on someone else's life. Roland can be contacted at [email protected]

His book Ripples is available to buy online or in our Clapham shop for £8.00 Online sales will incur an additional £4 for postage and packing.