Derek passed his NAFAS Area Demonstrators test in 1978 and his NAFAS National Test in 1998. This has lead Bloomsberry to cover events such as the NAFAS AGM at York Racecourse and the WAFA World Show in Glasgow 2002. He has since created designs in Canterbury, Durham and Carlisle Cathedrals, Burghley Horse Trails, Westminster Abbey and for BBC period dramas. He now receives wide-ranging commissions including Celebrity Weddings.

Derek is a family man and married Karen in 1980, he lives on the edge of the lake district in with their three teenage children.