These days it seems like everyone’s twittering about Twitter, and in this new weekly column we delve behind the stories of some of our favourite Shropshire tweeters to find out more about them.

One of the joys of Twitter is the sheer diversity of people using the site, and this week we were intrigued to discover a Bridgnorth man who’s job involves removing the past to make way for the future.

John Woodward, who lives in Astbury and runs C&D Consultancy based in Wolverhampton and Tipton, has become one of the demolition industry’s most respected voices since he started out in the profession 10 years ago.

John was involved with the demolition of the first North Seal oil rig in the UK, as well as the explosive demolition of two former residential tower blocks in Glasgow – a project that was filmed by Sky’s Discovery Channel for a forthcoming series called The Detonators.

“While I was working as a civil engineer, I went out onto a demolition site on a three-week contract and ended up staying for two years!” says John.

“I found that I really liked what they were doing and decided I wanted to change my direction, so I stayed on and got the necessary training and experience.”

John says that demolition isn’t as perilous a job as most people would imagine, and the millions of pounds invested by the industry over the last 10 years have enabled significant developments in safety, technology, equipment and training.

“As with many other occupations, demolition is only dangerous when it’s attempted by unskilled people who think they can do the job of an expert – these are the people who tend to have accidents,” he explains.

“When carried out by trained, experienced demolition engineers, it’s not a dangerous profession at all.”

The 12-month demolition of the first North Sea oil rig, which took over five years to plan, was the first demolition of its kind in the UK and remains one of John’s most memorable projects.

“I was approached by the contractor in charge of the demolition, who needed some extra expertise on the site.

“We did a partial demolition in the sea to remove what we could from the structure, then lifted the main part with one crane and shipped it on a barge into Shetland, where it was gradually dismantled.”

The demolition of two tower blocks in Glasgow set further records as being not only the first electronic detonation in the UK but also the first explosive demolition in Scotland to take place at night.

“The tower blocks were each 22 stories high and just 15 metres from the main Glasgow to Edinburgh railway line, so there was a lot to take into consideration.

“We carried out the demolition at 2.30 in the morning and 3,500 people came out to watch!”

John’s interest and expertise in the industry has led him to become Vice President of the Institute of Demolition Engineers – the only organisation of its kind in the world.

He is soon to become President of the Institute, a role he says will allow him to continue promoting the art of demolition and engineering throughout the UK and into Europe and the rest of the world.

Using Twitter helps him to keep track of demolition news and industry developments, but John says he also likes to follow tweets about local food, pubs and restaurants.

“I’m a big fan of Twitter, a big fan of the county and a big fan of the Shropshire Star,” he says. “And I’m really interested in what’s happening in Bridgnorth – I think it’s a great way for rural towns and communities to quickly spread the word about local news and events.”

John is currently involved in the demolition of the St Regis Paper Mill in South Wales and you can follow his tweets at twitter.com/johnwoodard.

By Lara Page