A FATHER-OF-ONE forced to leave the RAF when he developed a brain tumour has embarked on a second career as an artist.

Former RAF police officer Jim Faulkner, 40, is now a third-year art student at the University of Loughborough.

His condition first became apparent when he suffered a massive seizure in 2004.

Although he received treatment, he was never able to fully return to work in the RAF and found himself unemployed after more than 13 years in the air force.

But he decided to turn the crisis into an opportunity and started studying fine art. And now a two-week exhibition of his ceramics will open at the Gallery at St Martin's, Lincoln, on Tuesday, September 7.

It was while visiting his mother in the Scottish border town of Hawick in November 2004 that he suffered his massive seizure.

"It was so powerful that it broke my back in three places," he said.

An MRI scan confirmed that he had a tumour in his right temporal lobe that had caused the seizure.

He spent several months undergoing therapies at the RAF Headley Court rehabilitation centre in Epsom, Surrey and it became apparent that he would never be a frontline police officer again.

"I was very physically weak and the RAF found me an office job with a six-month trial period," said Mr Faulkner.

"But I could not deal with the fatigue issue and my doctor agreed it wasn't happening so I had to face the reality of being thrown out of the RAF.

"I was really gutted because it was my life."

Mr Faulkner's tumour began to grow in 2005 and he had surgery to have part of it removed.

"If you were being dramatic, you could say it's a ticking timebomb because it will grow but I try not to think of it like that," he said.

Mr Faulkner, who had left school at 16, decided to turn education whwne he was foriced to leavethe RAF. "Education was something I could do in my own time and work around my illness," he said.

Having moved to North Hykeham, he enrolled on an art and design foundation course before gaining a place at the University of Loughborough.

"I have to work very carefully around my health problems," he said.

"It would be wrong for me to say I didn't enjoy my time in the air force because I did.

"But what I do now is what I was born to do. My job is my hobby and my life.

"And having my brain tumour has allowed me, or forced me, to find my way of life."

Owner of Gallery at St Martin's in St Martin's Square, Phil Bowman, said he was looking forward to having Mr Faulkner in the gallery for two weeks.

He said: "Jim's work is beautiful studio pottery and really nice organic-style wall pieces.

"We normally exhibit 2D work so it's nice to have the gallery turned into a pottery studio for a couple of weeks."