Hi there. My name's Andy Bell. and I am the owner of AnDel Models. I would like to tell you a bit about myself and my background.

A few years ago, I moved in to my new house, which had a beautiful garden. It didn't take long to create a garden railway, and I took full advantage of the garden's sloping terrain to make it an interesting one.

I spent my weekends playing with my trains in the garden, and I enjoyed making models to go with my trains.

A couple of years ago, I fell ill. I was admitted to hospital with severe headaches and slurring speech. Tests at the time confirmed I was not suffering a stroke, but no-one could say what was wrong. Over the next few months I worsened. I needed a walking stick to get around at first, before finally admitting, 6 months later, that I needed a wheelchair. I had to rely on that wheelchair more and more as the months passed.

Despite exhaustive tests, and several consultants and hospital trips, no-one could say what was wrong. Furthermore, I received no treatment. I was constantly in pain, I could not go anywhere without a chaperone, and I struggled to communicate. Things were getting desperate.

This Summer, against the advice of my long-suffering wife, I decided enough was enough. I stopped taking all my medication and felt I would rather die than continue suffering without treatment.

Fortunately, this was the best thing I could have done. It felt like I had put my head in a bucket of cold water. After a few weeks, I was walking with the stick - without use of the wheelchair. I am confident with my speech and, whilst I still suffer some pain, I am beginning to get back to a full and active life. The consultants cannot explain why I have recovered as much as I have. I still have a long way to go before I could work full-time again, but I feel I have made the first few steps towards that.

I had always enjoyed my garden railway, but whilst I was ill I could not get involved in using my models. I continued to make model coaches and wagons, albeit very slowly, but I was not out in the garden enjoying them. Modelling became my sanctuary during the worst times of my illness.

In 2007 I entered some models into the 16mm Association's Modeller of the Year Award at Stoneleigh. Whilst I did not win, I received a commendation for 2 of my locomotives and 1 of my wagons. This was an achievement, and a morale boost, for me. I had spent time building a loco from parts I had in the garage, and had created an open-topped remote-controlled loco. I had also redesigned my Lady Anne loco, reducing the overall length from the frames up, to create a loco similar to The Countess (Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway). It was my Colliery Hutch Carrier that was commended for it's design and craftsmanship, although I lost out to a more unusual design of rolling stock on the day.

This acknowledgement of my efforts, whilst I was ill, was a blessing for me as my health started to return. As no doctor can assure me that my illness will not return or that I will make a complete recovery, I cannot be sure whether I will ever work in a normal job again.

In the meantime, I have turned my hobby - garden railways - into something else. To try and get off benefits, and with the support of the JobCentre, I am embarking on a business venture - AnDel Models. I hope that, by looking towards a business, I might be able to classify myself as employed again and, should the business succeed, come off benefits completely.

Thank you for taking an interest in my stock and my models. Please view www.andelmodels.co.uk for a full list of stock available