A PERFECT POSTING FOR ARMY VETERAN

Matt Cooper’s route into fencing has been a far from conventional one despite a very outdoors focused life in his younger days.

An Army veteran, Matt grew up in Herefordshire and now runs East Kent Yard & Paddock Maintenance based near Faversham.

“At 16 I decided that my career path was to be in the forces so I left school to go through Army Sixth Form College and University before commissioning at Sandhurst. I left the Army in 2013 as a Captain. I completed an operational tour at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan in 2011 but at that time I had no idea that I’d become a fencing contractor!

“My Army role covered HR, finance and business management. On leaving the Army, I worked for construction giant, Laing O’Rouke, where I moved from HR into IT with a particular focus on project management software.

“My IT knowledge combined with my military experience of managing projects and teams led to me joining Corporate Project Solutions (CPS), a Microsoft software consultancy, and it was here that I really honed my project management skills and experience by delivering large IT Projects for various organisations. I also gained invaluable sales and marketing experience, useful skills for running my own business.

“In 2019 I started my side hustle as East Kent Yard and Paddock Maintenance. I had been making craft items in my spare time but it was growing in to more stable, yard related works and hence a rebrand and launch came about.

“I initially ran things just on the weekends but within a few months I needed more time. CPS was very supportive and over the coming year I went from working five days a week down to just two. As my business grew, I was starting to take more and more unpaid leave to fit in larger projects.

“In 2021 I had the opportunity to leave my corporate world behind and go full-time with my own business. East Kent Yard and Paddock Maintenance really started off as harrowing, topping and stable repairs with occasional fencing work. I delivered some pretty shocking fencing in those early years but started to improve with help from the wider community of fencers on Facebook.

“Facebook is a funny place for the newbies and those very keen to learn. It can be difficult to know who to listen to and often the fun had by well-known fencers in responding to questions with silly answers can make it even harder to navigate.

“Luckily, I started to chat to the right people and things quickly improved. Now, the AFI Best Practice days are a great place for learners wanting to progress and develop. Another factor that helped to hone my fencing skills has been competing. It must be a mid-life crisis thing but it is oddly addictive!

“Having teamed up with Louis Davis (of Davis Fencing Ltd) two years ago it has been game on and we were both over the moon to be the first team to complete their fence at the APF last year. Finishing in 4th place was amazing. We are both very much looking forward to the next round of competitions.

“East Kent Yard and Paddock Maintenance covers mostly Kent and some parts of Sussex but I’ll head anywhere for the right job! I focus on equestrian and agricultural fencing but will pick up domestic fencing normally associated with our main clients.

“Although I’m a one-man band I have two excellent and well-respected subcontractors that I work closely with. Mike, for fencing and stable repairs and Stuart, for groundworks and general building. We are all horsey which makes us very welcome contractors for our equestrian clients. I also recently reached out to my competition partner for help with a mulching job and helped them recently on a fencing job. Collaborating together is a great way of getting all bases covered.

“McVeigh Parker is my main materials supplier and they have looked after me since I started out. I am also a Jacksons Fencing Approved Installer and use their materials for specific projects. I have a fair bit of kit from Bushpig equipment and recently bought the Breast/Strut Block Extension bar to fit my RG30. That, combined with my new Perret post plate, has helped to ‘pimp’ up my RG30 and drive productivity on the fence line. I also run a Weidemann 1380 wheeled loader, which really is a great bit of kit.

“The diary is running away with itself for 2025 with some exciting jobs in the pipeline. I think my biggest challenge is trying to fit everything in and I’ve certainly learnt to manage my diary very differently to a big formal project schedule. I feel very fortunate to be so busy.

“I genuinely enjoy fencing and being able to deliver the client vision of what they want. For some clients it’s a very long discussion to get the right sort of fencing worked out and so it’s great to see them excited with the end results.

“In September my wife Dee finished being a primary school headteacher and it’s nice that now we have more time together and we can enjoy riding our horses,” concluded Matt who is also a keen BBQ chef!

Matt has clearly struck on the perfect recipe when it comes to growing his business thanks to a truly fascinating background!

Mob 07921148507

matt@eastkentfencing.co.uk