I don't remember a time when I wasn't interested in the circus. As a young child I went to watch the circus in Porthmadog and I fell in love with the whole thing - with the people and the life. And then I pursued it as a career, it was my ambition as a child. Other children want to grow up and be a footballer or something, but the circus life was the only one for me. I remember thinking that the circus people were so different to the people I met every day.

A big part of the performance was the changing. I remember this one girl who wore plain clothes in the daytime, would wear no makeup and had her hair tied back, but at four thirty in the afternoon the caravan door would close and half an hour later she would reappear looking like the queen of Sheba. Everything had changed, and I remember thinking that was amazing.

How did it feel when you wore your costume?

Wearing the clothes was a key part of reaching the dream, and when you work under lights you also have to wear makeup, it was all part of the experience. But to someone who wasn't in the circus it was very hard to get your hands on the costumes. You can't nip out to a shop in Porthmadog to buy a jugglers outfit! You have to make it yourself. So, I had to learn how to sow all of these sequins on and I remember going to the market in Pwllheli and buying these sequins.

I started as a juggler and soon realized that I wasn't good enough to earn a decent wage, so I had to think of another act. I created a balancing act using old techniques but with a modern twist, and that was my piece until I retired.

Where you ever a ringmaster?

Yes, that was something I did very early on in my career. After I left college I was given a chance to tour with a large circus that was coming to Wales for the first time. The owner was very aware of the Welsh language and wanted someone to do the announcements in Welsh in some shows.

Was the ringmaster's outfit different to your jugglers outfit?

Yes, there is a tradition to the ringmaster's outfit, the red coat and the tall black hat. But, later on in my career I tried to bring the costume up to date by keeping the long jacket but wearing different colours and styles and not wear the top-hat.

Did you feel like a different person wearing your costume?

Yes. The circus life could be very exhausting. We would travel until the early hours, arrive somewhere really late and then have to get up early the next day to pitch the tent before performing two shows. Sometimes you would think that you just couldn't go on and perform for four hours, but after you wore your costume, you knew it was show time and time to entertain the audience.

What's the story behind this green costume?

This is one of my favorite outfits. A lot of work has gone into this one. I hand stitched every single one of these sequins on and it took me about six weeks of working every night to complete it. But unfortunately, I wore it once at the end of the season hoping to wear it the following season but when I got to the shoe the owner told me that I couldn't wear green in their show because they believed it was bad luck! So this outfit hasn't been worn much.

What about this blue costume?

I've had this one for many years and it's very comfortable. Sometimes if you're nervous in a new show and it's your first performance you don't want to worry about your costume. So, I'd wear this because it doesn't move and it was comfortable to work in. So this ones as old as time and has been mended more times than I can remember.

You have a big collection of waistcoats, did you make them all yourself?

Yes. I buy them at charity shops and the I decorate them. They all remind me of a place or time. I know that I was at home unemployed one winter and I made this purple and silver waistcoat. I had a contract over the Christmas period and I wanted something Christmassy to wear, so I made this. I remember when and where I was when I stitched all of these on.

What's the story behind this black jacket?

I made this when I was stuck in the south of France. I went there over Christmas to work and the lorry broke down, so I was there for longer then anticipated, there was nothing else to do while we waited to be rescued, so I made this. I think this is the only good thing to come out of the trip because it was a bit of a nightmare at the time.

Where did you get this purple velvet jacket?

This used to be a pair of curtains. I found them in a charity shop and thought that the material was fabulous and too good to leave, so I took it to a tailor. The tailor turned up his nose and said, "You expect me to do something out of this?" But he did it. Michael Jackson was very popular at the time and I think his influence inspired the big shoulders!

Did you make these jackets?

I decorated them. A tailor in Chester made both of these jackets, and these were the last too I had before retiring from the circus. I used these as a ringmaster. They're still very traditional because they're tailcoats, but their a little more up to date because they're not red, and I wore them with a waistcoat instead of a dickey-bow.

I do miss the show and the people, because you come across people in the circus that otherwise you would never meet. But I don't miss the mud, the wind and rain!