Staff was born on 9th April 1935 in Wigan. He grew up during the second world war in a small village in the Lake District called Dacre. He had the freedom to roam in the beautiful surrounding countryside and developed a love of nature and the area. To make some pocket money he would work for the farmer in the village . He learnt to swim in the beck that ran through the lower end of the village and he was also known to take part in fell running. Once he was old enough to leave school he joined the Navy in the Fleet Air Arm.