About Me
As a teenager, I enjoyed countless weekend walking trips in the the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland. Opportunities at school like the Duke of Edinburgh’s award were definitely formative experiences that continue to influence my hobbies and career.
I started working in outdoor education in 1993 as an outdoor activity instructor at UWC Atlantic in Wales, then spent 3 years using my Geography degree as a Field Studies Tutor for the FSC. Following a PGCE in Oxford, I taught in a secondary school in Vienna, Austria for 3 years and led school residentials in the Alps and the Netherlands. When I returned to the UK, I soon discovered Forest School in my role as an education officer for a forestry organisation in North Devon. Since training as a Forest School leader in 2005, I have led and managed multiple Forest School programmes with different age groups, throughout the seasons, on school grounds and in public and private woodlands.
I started running Forest School training through a local FE college in 2012 and branched out as an independent trainer in 2015. I run 2 or 3 accredited training courses a year in North and South Devon. I also enjoy working with schools and settings to develop their outdoor provision whether that is working with staff to increase their confidence and skills or in advising on site improvements. I am a visiting lecturer at Plymouth Marjon University and teach on a 2nd year degree module for Outdoor Adventure Education students.
I have been lucky to have an international dimension to my work, largely through contacts made through the European Outdoor Education Network of which I am currently Vice Chair. In the last decade I have taught on courses and spoken at conferences in Slovakia, Serbia, Iceland, Austria, Slovenia, Finland, Germany and several times in Poland.
Finally, after the publication of my third book in 2022, I am getting used to saying that I am an Author. I’m working on my fourth book whenever I get an opportunity.
When I’m not working, I like long walks in the hills and mountains of Dartmoor and Scotland, growing fruit and veg in my garden, learning to speak Russian and of course whittling.