Cath Pendleton

Cath is a Guinness World Record Holder for the most Southerly Ice Swim (Female), she achieved this record by becoming the first person in the world to swim an ice mile inside the Antarctic Polar circle in February 2020. Her story was captured by the BBC for a documentary about ordinary people achieving extraordinary things, titled “The Merthyr Mermaid” and is available to watch on BBC iPlayer – The Merthyr Mermaid. Cath has always used exercise as a way of helping her to manage her mental health. She discovered her passion for winter/ice swimming in September 2015 and was immediately hooked, since then Cath swims as much as possible and she refers to it as her “Reset Button” and says “to make Cath happy, just add cold water!”

Tinuke Oyediran

Tinuke is an extraordinary adventure presenter and thrill-seeking daredevil with a passion for adventure and exploration. You may recognise her from her recent stint on Survivor UK for BBC1. Tinuke is breaking barriers by showcasing extreme adventures, driven by her personal mission to demonstrate that people like her can embrace all that life has to offer, and that the most rewarding things in life come from getting outside your comfort zone.

From camping on the side of a cliff face to walking the wing of an aeroplane, climbing glaciers, surviving alone in the wilderness and achieving three Guinness World Records as a professional roller skater, Tinuke will fearlessly take on any challenge.

Growing up without representation in adventure TV, Tinuke is committed to showing diverse audiences that anyone, regardless of background, can experience the thrill of adventure. By sharing her own story and encouraging others to push their boundaries, Tinuke is opening doors for diverse audiences to connect with nature, discover their inner strength, and embark on journeys of self-discovery and smashing our self-imposed limitations.

Steve Backshall

As one of the busiest presenters on television, Steve Backshall is a familiar face and house-hold name, perhaps best-known for his phenomenally successful Deadly series.

An all-action hero, Steve has led overseas expeditions and explored some of the most incredible places on the planet. He recently travelled across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans filming Whale for Sky TV, a ground-breaking programme tracking our most iconic, yet threatened, species. He has also appeared in Our Changing Planet for BBC One, an ambitious seven-year series documenting six of the planet’s most threatened ecosystems.

His most recent book, Deep Blue published in 2023, is a blend of memoir, travel, and marine and environmental science that takes us on a tour of the many worlds of aquatic life: from underwater deserts and rainforests to the evolution of ocean heroes like the sea turtle and the Great White, to the rapidly declining state of white polar seas and coral reefs.

As if that wasn’t enough, in 2023, Steve showed immense resilience, determination, drive, and ambition to break a new world record – for the fastest time to paddle the length of the Thames River.

Kia Mitton

I founded Rika ACE to benefit our local community and the groups we are passionate about. We provide various experiences such as campfire cooking, shelter building, green woodworking, camping, archery and blacksmithing. Our programs cater to all ages and abilities, from Home Education sessions to weekend family activities, holiday clubs, and adult courses. Join us for junior sessions, birthday parties, and immersive week-long experiences. It’s all about connecting with nature and learning new skills.

Paul Moseley

With over 25 years of experience studying and training others in crafts and community practices, Paul is a leading voice in developing kinship with the natural world. Recently completing his Master’s degree, he now embarks on his PhD journey, focusing on ethnoecology—the study of dynamic relationships between people and their natural environments. Passionate about collaboration, Paul spearheads the Centre for Ethnoecology, uniting academics, practitioners, and organisations in supporting sustainability through culture-based practice.

Mubarak & Homayra

As an adventurous couple deeply passionate about the outdoors and running, we find joy in exploring nature’s trails. Our shared love for running, including the experience of running the London Marathon together, not only challenges us but also connects us on a profound level. Whether organising local running events or sharing our adventures, our commitment is to inspire our community to lead active lives and discover the joy of running and hiking to improve physical and mental well-being.

Ronnie Staton

Ronnie has been working with goals for nearly 20 years after studying for a BSc Hons Coaching, Sport & Exercise Science Degree. Originally a Personal Trainer working with a range of clientele he began to see that similar mindset patterns clearly lead to an improved success rate in achieving targets and individual fulfilment. Over time Ronnie has become qualified in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to better help individuals within this non-physical realm. Over the last decade Ronnie has been working to help physically and mentally prepare 100’s of ultra runners from around the UK tackling anything from 30 miles up to 300 miles. Over the last few years he has teamed up with Harrier to provide coaching materials and live talks. Ronnie personally loves to run long and he has successfully ran across England (190 miles), Wales (250 miles) and Scotland (215 miles) in a non-stop format. In 2024 he completed the Winter Spine Race (268 miles) in just under 5 days.

Stephen Reid

Stephen is a filmmaker from Northern Ireland who loves the outdoors and can often be found
running, hiking, cycling, paddling and camping in beautiful locations. All while making terrible jokes and filming those experiences for his YouTube channel and social platforms. He is particularly enthusiastic about getting more people outside and has been known to slide down hills from time to time.

Dave Taylor

Dave Taylor is an experienced fell runner and a UK Athletics Fell & Mountain Running coach. He has completed the 3 Big “Rounds” and has been English Fell Running Champion for the V50 age category. He works as Fell Running Guide offering coaching and navigation skills for trail and fell runners.

Dave Knowles

For over 30 years, Dave has led the Forest of Mercia CIC, a community forest that leads and supports local habitat restoration projects. In addition to creating many new hectares of woodland each year, Dave is a respected craftsperson in fields such as basketry, wood carving, and pole lathing. He has developed a vibrant and inspiring site in Staffordshire that provides willow to craftspeople, holds craft courses and workshops, and hosts educational visits from local schools.https://www.forestofmercia.com

Lewis Tingle

My approach to bushcraft is a humble and simple one. I go out into nature to make journeys and connect with the landscape I find myself in. In essence, I look to knowledge and skills that can bridge the connection with nature and not impeach it. True bushcraft should always be subtle in the background and supportive of the environment in which we are part. I founded Into Wilderness Bushcraft to share my insights and passion for the outdoors with others through first-hand experiences of Nature. https://www.intowilderness.co.uk

Rosalind & Andy

Andy and Rosalind are an ocean rowing couple who have weathered all kinds of storms and come out the other side stronger.

In 2018, Andy became the first person to row solo around Britain and spent 174 days alone at sea. On his return, he met Rosalind and they decided to team up for the next expedition. 3 years of preparation led them to the start line of their Atlantic Row. They rowed alone out into the night and didn’t see land again for 46 days on the other side of the Atlantic.

James Forrest

James Michael Forrest is a British adventurer, hiker and author best known for climbing all 1,001 mountains across the UK and Ireland in the fastest known time.

His inspirational story – from bored office worker to intrepid adventurer – is told in his debut book Mountain Man, winner of the prestigious Book of the Year accolade in the 2019 The Great Outdoors Readers Awards.

Sara Huws

Sara Huws is a co-founder of Every Body Outdoors, a community which works for better kit, representation and opportunities in the outdoors for plus-size people. A keen open water swimmer and hiker, Sara is also a competitive powerlifter and sports inclusion advocate.

Abdul Zlitni

Abdul Zlitni is an energetic 18-year-old from Whalley Range, South Manchester. Once a stranger to the great outdoors, Abdul has transformed into a passionate trail running enthusiast. With boundless enthusiasm, he has become a vocal advocate for the incredible positive impact that running in nature can have on overall wellbeing. Abdul’s journey from urban landscapes to the rugged trails is not just a personal evolution but a vibrant testament to the exhilarating and transformative power of nature and running combined. He is an inspiration to many young people and aims to spread the joy of trail running!

Mahroof Malik

Mahroof is a climber, Scouts volunteer in Birmingham and a national Scouts Adventurer.

Richard Slocock

Richard Slocock
Bio
Richard first started climbing nearly 20 years ago in 2005 a:er moving to Derby from
Hampshire.
He began to show signs of macular degeneraCon in 2013, registering as severely sight
impaired in 2016. Richard’s sight loss led to him compeCng in his first naConal Para-climbing
compeCCon in Edinburgh in September 2017. Following the success of this series, Richard
was selected to join the GB Para-climbing team in February 2018.
To date Richard has podiumed internaConally in his Para-climbing category (B2) in numerous
compeCCons. His career highlights being achieving Silver in two World Championships
(Moscow, 2021 and Bern, 2023) and Gold at the Swiss World Cup (Villars, 2022).
Alongside his experience as a compeCCon climber, Richard is a qualified climbing coach,
Fitness instructor and Personal trainer. As a GB Para-climbing coach, Richard aims to use his
skills and experiences to develop the next generaCon of para-climbing athletes

Anthony "Staz" Stazicker

Anthony “Staz” Stazicker CGC spent 13 years within the British military, 10 of which were in the UK Special Forces. By the end of his decorated and distinguished military career, Staz had performed numerous roles from chief sniper instructor to demolitions expert. In 2013, Staz was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for combat actions in Afghanistan, the medal is second only to the Victoria Cross in terms of honour within the British military.

Upon leaving the military, Staz co-founded the high performance outerwear brand ThruDark alongside another former UK Special Forces operator Louis Tinsley. Staz tests each and every item of ThruDark clothing personally prior to release, in conditions and environments all over the world and recently completed a successful summit of Ama Dablam in November 2022.

Kate Parker

Harrier Founder, Kate, is a passionate trail and fell runner. She’s also a pole enthusiast and a British Nordic Walking coach. Having discovered how useful poles can be whilst supporting a friend on a leg of the Bob Graham Round, Kate began developing Harrier’s award-winning range of carbon and aluminium poles.

SUP it and Sea

SUP It & Sea is the joint name of Dave and Sophie, who were the first pair to paddleboard 1700km from Land’s End to John o’Groats. They started the journey two months after meeting, using a combination of coastal and inland waters to achieve their goal in 89 days. Not content with stopping there, what started as a jest on paddleboards far out at sea, then became a triple navigation of the country, hiking back through Winter to Land’s End and then cycling back to John o’Groats – all in under a year and clocking up over 5800km in total. The pair had less than a year’s paddleboarding experience, paddled some of the UK’s most dangerous coastlines, canals, SUPed under the Severn Bridges and tackled Scotland’s Northeast Coast in Autumn. They want to prove that you don’t have to be superhuman or an athlete to do incredible things.

Dave is also an avid skier, yoga teacher having trained in India, has completed two Caminos across Spain and Portugal, and is currently climbing the Seven Summits. He suffers from osteoarthritis, is currently on the list to get both hips replaced, and aims to show that arthritis shouldn’t be a barrier to outside activities and adventure.

Sophie is also an avid Wild Swimmer as part of her local Bluetits Flock. Post SUP it and Sea she cycled the length of Wales after discovering a passion for cycling when doing LEJOG. Sophie is currently planning some more SUP expeditions and wants to continue to raise awareness of Mental Health by telling her story through adventure

David Haze

SUP Man of the Year 2023 & Ocean Activist of the Year 2023

After losing his identity and hitting absolute rock bottom whilst serving his second prison sentence, David Haze (aka The Nomadic Paddler) was ready to roll over and give up on life. Hopes and dreams were long gone, and he had become a shell of a man he once was whilst sitting in a 6×4 prison cell surrounded by so much failure and negativity.

Through a chance encounter with an inspiring woman who saw David as a lost human being in need of some guidance, he was inspired to embark on a journey of self-discovery to reconnect with himself through adventure. Finding purpose and drive once again, David stepped out of prison in April 2020 and despite the struggles of a global lock-down he achieved his first 4 world records within this first year of his release. David Haze was once a former prisoner but now stands proud as 9x world record holding Stand Up Paddle Boarding adventurer, attempting world firsts and world records.

However, it is not all about the pursuit of records and glory. Adventure has transformed David’s life; it is his tool for growth, change and ultimately his rehabilitation. With the platform he has been handed, he hopes his journey can highlight the importance of reform and rehabilitation and change perspectives on people like himself.

David strives to encourage more people to reconnect with themselves through the power of adventure by taking that small step out of their comfort zone proving that we are all much more than our pasts, our mistakes and demonstrating that we are the only ones in control of own our destinies.

Jason Fox

Thrudark ambassador Jason Carl Fox, “Foxy”, is a former Royal Marine Commando and Special Forces Operator now easily recognised as one of the lead directing staff from Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Foxy joined the Royal Marines at the age of 16 and went on to serve in the Special Boat Service where he served a total of 20 years for his country. He has led operations in some of the most hostile places on the planet, including hostage rescues; land and maritime counter-terrorism; counter-insurgency; surveillance; protective security and bodyguarding and counter-narcotics missions.

Foxy is also trained as a Special Forces swimmer and diver, explosives expert, dog handler and jungle survival expert.

Honor Burgess

I’m Honor Burgess, also known as @hon_outdoors, a 22-year-old outdoors and adventure enthusiast.

During my final year at university, I launched my page as a personal commitment to explore the outdoors regularly. It served as a reminder of the incredible joy I experienced each time I embarked on an adventure. From this moment onward, I began to reclaim my spark back which I had lost due to my mental health due to anxiety and minor depression from 2019 to 2021.

As my community grew on socials, I shifted towards posting content aimed at educating and inspiring others to embrace the outdoors, discover its joys, and reap the numerous benefits nature provides on your mental and physical health.

My mission is to empower the younger generation, especially within the 18-25 age group, since there is a lack of representation. By sharing my experiences, adventures, thoughts, and feelings, I aim to address the gap in motivating and inspiring this audience.

My passion for the outdoors traces back to my involvement in Ten Tors during my school years, but it truly rekindled in February of 2023 on my birthday trip in the Peak District. Since then, I’ve made it a priority to immerse myself in outdoor activities such as hiking, or simply unwinding in nature by taking cold water dips.

I believe I can contribute valuable insights into navigating the outdoors for both physical and mental health in your twenties

Helen Dodd

Helen Dodd completed her PhD at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She is now a Professor of Child Psychology at the University of Exeter, UK. Her research focuses on the development of anxiety disorders in children, with a particular focus on understanding how we might prevent so many children becoming anxious. She holds a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship which funds a substantial program of research focusing on children’s outdoor risky and adventurous play. She has an interest in the psychological benefits of adventure, play, time in nature and outdoor learning, with a focus on the role of schools and parents in supporting these activities.

Wunmi Nuga

Wunmi is Head of Expeditions for British Exploring Society, where she leads the development of new programmes, oversees the safe delivery of youth expeditions and manages volunteer leader recruitment and retention.

Before joining British Exploring Society, she worked globally training civil servants in delivering community-based education initiatives. For several years she worked in the international community of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, supporting national youth organisations to diversify their programmes in response to the changing needs of young people and piloted youth programmes covering topics from environmental leadership to adventure.

As a volunteer, she supports the youth education and international volunteering charity Project Trust as a Trustee and is an active Brownie Leader.

In her spare time, she loves cycling, swimming and travelling, where possible she combines all three and is always keen to explore new countries through adventure-filled expeditions

The Tings

Living in the North West of England Marcs passion for the outdoors started from exploring the fells of the Lake District with his family.  Throughout his life it has been the countryside and nature that has been Marcs escape and passion, whether it be travelling in the country or around the world.Growing up in a family passionate about the outdoors, Izzy was on the fells in the Lake District on her dad’s back before she could walk.  From camping to climbing, hiking to paddleboarding outdoor activities form a regular part of life for Izzy.

Following the covid lockdowns Marc, his wife Nicky and Izzy began to share their adventures on Instagram and connecting with the amazing outdoor community.

The outdoors plays a key part in family life and

through working with brands including Red Paddle Co, Ordnance Survey and Vango, talking at events like Kendal Mountain Festival and the National Outdoor Expo and volunteering as Cub Scout Leader for a number of years, the family works to encourage everyone to get outside.

Tom Backhouse

Tom is co-founder of CampWild, a revolutionary new community platform, connecting landowners to the public and unlocking private land for wild camping, adventure & wellbeing.

Tom is an award-winning business leader, geologist, dad & adventurer, who is on a mission to transform the way we access, experience & share nature in the UK. A champion for innovation and positive change, Tom has become an industry-leading figurehead in the UK’s land, environment & outdoors sectors. A passionate communicator, Tom has provided hundreds of hours of public speaking and has been a regular feature across mainstream media, such as on Channel 5 and BBC.

Jamie Ramsay

Jamie is an award-winning Endurance Adventure Athlete, presenter, public speaker and brand ambassador. He has completed over 51,000km of human-powered adventuring in 31 countries and 30 different adventures. He is a runner, bikbacker, hiker, ski tourer, paddleboarder and mountaineer.

About Jamie: After 12 years working for an international communications agency, he wasn’t happy with the direction of his life and realised if he didn’t make some drastic changes then things would continue to spiral downwards. His solution was to quit his job in 2014 (after being promoted to Partner), fly to Vancouver and run 17,000km to Buenos Aires solo and unsupported.

Following the success of this adventure, Jamie has dedicated his life to pushing his perceived boundaries. Each adventure he undertakes is designed to challenge him in new ways.

Over the years, Jamie has worked with a number of notable global and UK brands including Microsoft, Land Rover Mobile, Gore Wear, Cotswold Outdoor and Whole Earth.

Jamie’s Adventure CV:

 Jamie has completed 51,500km of human-powered adventures
 Jamie has completed 32 adventures in 31 countries.
 Since 2014, Jamie has run the equivalent of 484 marathons
 …and cycled the equivalent of cycling around the world

Running Adventures Completed: (20,680km)
•2004: Stockholm Marathon
•2006: Paris Marathon
•2011: Lewa Safari Marathon
•2013: 240km Vietnam Run (solo + unsupported)
•2014-15: 17,000km “Running the Americas” (solo + unsupported)
•2016: 700km Three Peaks Run (solo + unsupported)
•2016: 100km CCC with Mizuno
•2016: 430km Scottish Isles Run (solo + unsupported)
•2016: Endure24 (135km in 24 hours)
•2016: Medoc Marathon with The Wine Show
•2017-18: 265km Transalpine run (2017+2018)
•2018: 400km Cape Wrath Ultra (3rd)
•2018: 237km Towpath Challenge
•2018: 120km GR221 (solo + unsupported)
•2019: 620km Run across Iceland (unsupported)

Cycling Adventures Ridden: (29,693km)
•2016: 600km from Edinburgh to London
•2017: 3800km solo across South America
•2018: 500km UK Cycle tour
•2018: 900km from London to SW France
•2019: 4027km solo across Australia
•2020: 1900km solo ride to the Alps
•2021: 512km cycle to Andorra
•2021: 10,000 solo ride around the UK for Whole Earth + TeamGB
•2022: 7034km solo cycle across the USA
•2023: 420km solo cycle over Pyrenees in Winter

Hiking Adventures Trekked: (1200km)
•2017: 400km with camels in Mongolia
•2019: 800km of the Hayduke Trail in Utah

Mountains over 5000m Summitted:
•Aconcagua – 6962m
•Chimborazo – 6268m
•Cotopaxi – 5897m
•Cayambe – 5790m
•Illiniza Norte – 5126m
•Cerro Bonete – 5000m

Some non-adventure highlights:

•Being hugged by Prince Harry at the launch of Heads Together charity campaign
•Being kissed on the cheek by Holly Willoughby when interviewed on This Morning
•Handing out Duke of Edinburgh gold awards on behalf of the Earl of Wessex at Buckingham & St James’s Palace
•Giving a talk at the Edinburgh University TedX event
•Co-presenting The Wine Show
•Supporting CALM charity – Campaign Against Living Miserably
•Picking litter with Trash Free Trails
•Being Awarded Scottish Adventurer of the Year

Fenwick Ridley

Fenwick Ridley is a TeamGB Ice Swimmer who specialty lies in long distance Ice Swimming and adventure swimming, including teaching the most upto date science of winter swimming. Fenwick’s accolades include swimming across Hooker Glacier in New Zealand in 0.3c temperatures and winning the Scottish Winter Swiming Championships 5 times running. Fenwick joins us to share with us how to start off as an ice swimmer and share his love of swimming in 5 degrees and below temperatures.

Anita Kerwin-Nye

In her most recent role as Executive Director YHA, Anita led on the development of the organisation’s 10 Year Strategy which has inclusion and access at its core. She managed their £40 million income generation approaches across trading, membership and fundraising – successfully navigating the challenges of COVID.

Anita founded the DEFRA funded Generation Green programme, which connected over 100 000 young people to nature and the National Parks, creating and saving jobs, and building an aspirant workforce for a green recovery. She worked with Ramblers, BMC and OS to develop YHA Walks – leading two successful Festivals that reconnected YHA with its walking roots and routes.

Building on this Anita starts her new role as Director of South Downs National Park in January 2024. Balancing protection of the landscape with getting more people into the Park.

Recognised as a national expert in access Anita initiated Outdoor Citizens – a community of practice turning dial on access to outdoors. She is an award winning champion of access for all and is herself a role model for the outdoors being for fat and fifty plus – not just the fit and fleecy.

Anita’s consultancy supports a portfolio of outdoor organisations and is helping charities and brands extend their reach, diversity and impact while balancing with revenue and the challenges of costs.

She is a prospective policy wonk: able to take a long view on what next. Anita chooses to shape the policy and funding environment to suit the cause rather than drifting mission to fit the money.

She is a bit naughty. Sometimes feisty. And quite funny.

Often outside – literally and metaphorically – she’ll always bring a new view.

Marta Misztal

Marta Misztal is a small-town girl with big dreams who went from Poland
to the world’s highest mountains. Raised by a single mom, Marta’s
childhood was humble, instilling values of hard work that led to her
remarkable story.

A teenage trip to London lit a fire in Marta, revealing a bigger world
beyond her small town and sparking a desire for great achievements.
Taking the plunge, she moved to London without a penny in her pocket and
no English, initiating an inspiring journey that would captivate many.

In London, Marta graduated from engineering, secured a job in finance,
and discovered her love for exploring new places. Sharing her adventures
on social media, she became the go-to person for hiking tips and
inspiration in a community fascinated by her mix of corporate life and
global exploration.

As Marta continued her travels, simply ticking off countries wasn’t
enough. Hungry for more, she set two significant goals. First, was to
conquer the 7 Summits challenge, of which she already completed 6,
including the mighty Mount Everest. The second challenge was ‘The Crown
of Europe,’ the highest peak in each European country, with half the
challenge already done. To make her journey even more unforgettable,
Marta organized group expeditions, bringing over 150 enthusiasts on 15+
trips.

Marta’s story isn’t just about reaching mountaintops; it’s a push for
action. Through social media and talks, she shares her story to inspire
and teach others to break barriers. Marta’s message is simple: no dream
is too big, no obstacle too scary. Her journey is proof that with
determination, you can dream big and live a life beyond limits.

Frankie McMillan

Frankie McMillan is only just turning eight years old, but this promising new talent is already making a name for himself internationally in the world of mountain climbing and outdoor adventure.

In summer 2023, while still only seven, Frankie became the youngest Briton to reach the Mytikas summit on Mount Olympus – the Mountain of the Gods in Greece, and a technical climb up one of Europe’s highest mountains at nearly 3,000m. His record-breaking feat made him a media star in newspapers and national television around the world.

Frankie has also scaled all 214 Wainwright classification of Lakeland fells, including England’s tallest mountain, Scafell Pike.

He’s the youngest guest columnist in Lakeland Walker magazine; the illustrated star and co-author of a forthcoming children’s book; and the proud recipient of the Rising Star award in the BBC Cumbria Sports Awards 2023. What’s more, he has just launched a brand new YouTube channel full of facts and challenges for each Wainwright as he bags them all a second time, called Frankie Moves The Mountains.

Frankie is only small but he packs a big punch of inspiration – to anyone, young or old. His huge passion for getting moving outdoors is all about fun and feeling good – a powerful combination for both physical and mental wellbeing.

On Sunday morning at Expo24, Frankie will join his adventuring hero Ben Fogle on the main stage to talk about his achievements so far, and to share his very big plans for future adventures – including one of the world’s most famous and challenging hikes that he’ll be tackling happening in Spring 2024.

Conrad Humphreys

Conrad is a triple round the world yachtsman. He competed as the youngest entrant in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race (now Volvo Ocean Race). As skipper, he led his team to victory in the BT Global Challenge by dominating the race and winning 4 out of 7 legs. Conrad became the fifth British yachtsman in history to complete the legendary Vendée Globe, single-handed, non-stop around the world without assistance.

Dwayne Fields

Dwayne Fields is an explorer, presenter, and proud Scouts Ambassador. Dwayne went from being the victim of gun and knife crime on the streets of Hackney, to becoming the first black Briton to reach the Magnetic North Pole. Today he’s encouraging everyone to get into the outdoors, to look wider and be the best they can be. ‘Being a Scout changed my life. It gave me confidence, self-belief, and skills for life.’ Dwayne will be supporting Scouts and volunteers on their stand.

Nick Goldsmith

Nick Goldsmith is a former Royal Marine Commando who served 11 years for his country,
from 2007 to 2018.
Now an international speaker and author, he is also the co-founder & CEO of Hidden Valley
Bushcraft, an award-winning outdoor activity company powerfully changing the way in
which we approach positive mental health.
After completing six operational deployments in some of the most hostile & demanding regions
in the world, Nick founded & led the team behind the Woodland Warrior Programme, a
globally recognised initiative featured in a 2022 BBC documentary. Supported by Invictus
Games & the Veteran’s Foundation, among other prestigious organisations, the programme is
now entering its 7th year. Drawing on his deeply personal experience of overcoming a
diagnosis of Complex PTSD, it harnesses the healing power of nature to support the
rehabilitation of Armed Forces & Emergency Service Personnel within a woodland setting.
Nick’s first book, Re-Wild Your Mind, published by Wellbeck, launched in March 2023.

Aldo Kane

Aldo Kane is a World Record Setting Adventurer, Explorer, a Fellow at the Royal Geographic Society, Producer, Author & TV Presenter with a penchant for the world’s most dangerous, extreme and remote locations.

A former Royal Marines Commando Sniper, Aldo is an expert in all environments, making him the go-to man for TV & Film companies around the world. Aldo has operated and filmed in well over 100 countries so when things get tough in TV land, it’s Aldo they call.
Over the last 7 years, Aldo has worked on well over 45 TV & Film productions, many of which were ground-breaking and fairly “tasty”, as he would have it. Aldo has been held at gunpoint, Charged by black Rhino, Abseiled into an active volcano, escaped Ebola, rowed across the Atlantic and dived on Captain Kidd’s pirate ship, and that’s just the last year or two.
Aldo has been on screen around the world on many broadcasters from the BBC, to Discovery, Nat-Geo, Channel 4, PBS, ITV, Channel 5, History Channel and many more. Aldo has appeared on Discovery with Hollywood A-Listers like Tom Hardy, Adrien Brody & Henry Cavill in some of the most extreme environments on earth. With an inquisitive mind and an extremely unique skill-set, Aldo is well set up for hard-hitting investigative journalism missions.
Aldo runs a company called Vertical Planet providing technical safety consultation & risk management for TV & Film crews operating in remote, hostile and high-risk environments around the world. Aldo was recently the on-screen Expedition Leader for National Geographic’s latest flag-ship feature length Natural History series One Strange Rock, hosted by Hollywood star, Will Smith. This saw Aldo lead a prominent American Scientist deep inside one of Africa’s most dangerous volcanoes whilst it was erupting.
Aldo joined the Royal Marine Commandos at the age of 16 and went on to become one of the youngest Elite Commando Reconnaissance Snipers in the UK armed forces. No mean feat with the hardest, and longest infantry training in the world. Aldo saw active military service from Northern Ireland to the Middle East and became a survival expert in many environments. Aldo has become an instructor in many outdoor fields including Mountain Leader, professional climber, Skydiver, re-breather diver, SIA bodyguard & qualified medic.
In 2021, Aldo wrote his first book ‘Lessons From the Edge: Inspirational Tales of Surviving, Thriving and Extreme Adventure’ published by Yellow Kite.

Ness Knight

Ness Knight is a presenter, explorer and adventurer who has travelled to extreme environments all over the globe. Driven by her upbringing in Africa, Ness is determined to raise awareness of cultural and ecological topics through her conservation work and has undertaken some truly incredible challenges along the way.

Among her numerous achievements, Ness was the first female to swim the length of the Thames back in 2013 as well as completing the longest stand-up paddle board journey by a female with a 1,000 journey down the Missouri River. Ness has cycled 2,000 miles across the USA solo and once ran 15 marathons in 15 days.

Ollie Ollerton

Ollie Ollerton joined the Royal Marines at 18 years of age where he embarked on operational tours of Northern Ireland and Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. Following five years service with the Marines, Ollie was recommended for Special Forces selection. He would go on to become one of just five candidates to pass selection from his intake, which originally numbered 250. Having passed selection Olllie joined the Special Boat Service where he trained as a Combat Frogman. Through his 6 years of combat he undertook a number of high profile missions both on land and sea ranging from hostage rescue, counter narcotics, counter terrorism and homeland security.

Upon leaving the Special Forces, Ollie was a key member of the inaugural Directing Staff alongside fellow ThruDark Ambassador Jason Fox on Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins – a television show that brought the realism of elite military service to the fore of public perception. Ollie has used his extensive Special Forces experience to educate and inform as a public speaker, bestselling author and founder of Break-Point Academy, a workplace programme designed to maximise team performance.

Louise Minchin

Louise Minchin is well-known and respected TV presenter, journalist, author and podcaster.

She presented the UK’s most watched morning TV programme BBC Breakfast for 20 years, covering all the major news stories of the last two decades. Before that she was an anchor on the BBC’s One O’clock News and the BBC News Channel having also presented Five Live and The One Show.

She is a keen athlete and has represented the Great Britain Triathlon team in her age-group in World and European Championships. She has competed in one of the toughest races in the world, Norseman.

In 2021 she was a contestant on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, and has also taken part in Channel Four’s immersive history show Time Crashers and Celebrity Masterchef. She currently presents two successful podcasts, Push Your Peak from Watt Bike, and Her Spirit.

Her new book Fearless, Adventures with Extraordinary Women reflects her passion for celebrating women’s success. In each chapter Louise takes on a difficult challenge with a different courageous woman to tell their incredible stories. As part of it she has swum from Alcatraz, free dived under ice in the dark in Finland, and cycled across Argentina.

Rachel Bigsby

Considered to be a leading wildlife photographer amongst her contemporaries, Rachel Bigsby is carving an awe-inspiring career whilst representing young and self-taught photographers. She is best known for her fine-art work with seabirds, badgers and polar bears, and by the young age of 26, Rachel had achieved a wealth of accolades in five of the world’s leading wildlife photography competitions.

In addition to her work as a photographer, Rachel has filmed wildlife for BBC Earth, and presented a number of wildlife films on television for the likes of BBC Springwatch and The One Show.

Michaela Strachan

Michaela Strachan is a BAFTA-Award winning TV Presenter, and public speaker. Having started her career on children’s TV, Michaela has grown to be one of Britain’s most loved Presenters. Michaela is extremely passionate about animal welfare, and has extensive experience of wildlife conservation around the world. Her natural effervescence and engaging humour endear her to all audiences, be it as a presenter, or public speaker.

She has worked extensively as a presenter, and has been part of the regular presenting team on Springwatch, Autumnwatch, and Winterwatch since 2012, and spent fifteen years presenting The Really Wild Show, as well as ten years on Countryfile, alongside many other shows. Strachan has also starred in multiple National Geographic productions, fronting Safari Live, Adopt a wild animal, and more. In April 2022, she starred as a contestant on ITV’s ‘All Star Musicals’. It has also been announced that Michaela will co-present Channel 5’s new series ‘Ice Age’, release date to be confirmed.

Deon Barrett

I had a very conflicted childhood due to a lack of identity through racial and discrimination, bullying and the lack of a positive role model. Over time this caused deep depression and anxiety, which led to suicide attempts at an early age.

Growing up in the urban outskirts of the Southwest of London and due to my environment, I found myself descending on the wrong path, leading to being embedded in the local gang culture. Luckily through my mother’s passion to travel and bring me along I was able to be exposed to new landscapes.

Acquiring academic education in school was not my forte in my early years, except for getting into trouble. Learning has always been a difficult endeavour for me, and this continues to be a challenge. After I was diagnosed with Dyslexia this enabled me to adopt an unorthodox approach to learning.

In January 2022 I set out to inspire the younger generation through my own adversity that I have faced, in doing so created the “True North project” and with that sharing the idea of being able to “find your true north”.

I joined the British Armed Forces in May of 2015 where I had gone into phase one training. This drove me to being resilient but most of all reinstalled my love for the outdoors.  I had the opportunity to travel the world and enjoyed some fantastic roles that a lot of people may not get to experience.

After eight years I had decided to leave in pursuit of growing and scaling up the True North Project. I felt it was time as I knew there was a lot of work to be done in creating outdoor opportunities for others.

As a black man interested in the outdoors, I have set out to empower others like me through my various expedition. I am undertaking extreme expeditions into some of the world’s most remote and high-risk environments. The reason for choosing these areas is because there is an underrepresentation of black people within outdoor spaces and across many different disciplines, and this is something I want to challenge. I am working on becoming one of the first black brits to stand at the summit of mount Everest by 2025.

I believe that it is in our best interest that we endeavour to bring outdoor education to the forefront of all young minds. With this thought in mind I set out to research what our nations schools have in place to bring outdoor learning to their students through what I call the “YOUTH INITIATIVE”. It came to my attention that schools rarely have the support or have the backing to implement this within their curriculum. Unfortunately, these efforts are currently arranged by the schools independently with very limited assistance from outside resources, leaving it up to the teachers to arrange days out in their own time. The caveat being that there is also not enough time spent training staff throughout the established schools in becoming outdoor leaders themselves at some capacity. This is an ongoing effort of mine with plans to make an impact to public schools in cities around the UK.

I feel that outdoor education is as important to students as other subjects we currently teach and it is paramount to bring awareness to this. So my campaign to work with government and the Department for Education will hopefully make the difference needed.

I am also available to help in creating opportunities, safe trips to the mountains to further develop the schools aim to increase the value of their students within the great outdoors. I believe that this campaign will boost self-esteem, maturity and provide essential life skills by equipping young people with the right tools and attitude to promote their own mental resilience.

Rhiane Fatinikun

Rhiane is an outdoors advocate, with a passion for human empowerment and challenging the status quo. A keen cross-country runner at school, Rhiane rediscovered her appreciation for the great outdoors relatively recently, realising the positive effect getting outside and into nature could have on herself and the wider community.

A proud Mancunian, Rhiane previously worked in the Civil Service for several years, where she was also a trade union representative. She currently sits on the Equity Steering Committee for the British Mountaineering Council, focussing on creating better opportunities for people through social change.

In 2019 Rhiane founded Black Girls Hike, a charitable organisation and hiking group seeking to address the lack of representation and inclusion of people of colour in the outdoor community and to provide a safe environment for black women to enjoy the natural world. The group also run training days and skills weekends in leadership and teamwork, which also address the under-representation of black instructors in the industry. Rhiane hopes to continue the growth of BGH across the UK, which also includes chapters in London and the Midlands, and to work with likeminded groups internationally.

Megan Hine

Megan is a Wilderness Guide, survivalist, author, presenter & TV producer on the biggest adventure / survival shows on international TV.

Megan started out in the outdoor industry as an instructor when she was 17 and 20 years later specialises in accessing remote, wilderness locations for complex TV shoots. Megan has over 400 episodes of prime time adventure / survival shows under her belt scouting locations, developing the onscreen narrative and journeys and keeping teams safe in jungles, deserts and mountains the world over.

Megan and her team through her company Psyche Media Solutions, bridge the gap between dynamic infield safety and the creative narrative on a show. Megan is called in at the development of new format shows and has been a key part of creating Emmy award winning and nominated content. Megan also works closely with talent to help them look like the professionals they are on screen. Megan has worked with many of the best known faces from A list celebs to politicians and sports stars as well as up and coming new talent, keeping them safe and producing their content.

Megan also holds qualifications in psychology which alongside the extensive periods she has spent living and working with indigenous communities around the world & her fascination with survival skills, she is using this to better understand the psychology of survival through an evolutionary perspective. She is currently undertaking research in how the outdoors and adventurous activity can be used to develop resilience and treat anxiety.

Leo Houlding

World renowned climber, alpinist & explorer of steep terrain. Leo has led major expeditions & hard first ascents on every continent from El Capitan to Everest and the Amazon to Antarctica.

With roots on the rock, these days he is as much a 21^st Century explorer as a climber taking modern action sports to the most remote corners of Earth. Skydiving and BASE jumping in the high arctic, epic polar crossings using power kites to reach obscure summits and journeys deep into the jungle sharing skills with indigenous locals to access giant cliffs and reach the top together.

Most of these trips have been documented to the highest standard producing jaw dropping imagery and multiple award winning films.

A father of two whose family adventures must been seen to be believed Leo is passionate about enabling access to adventure for all through his work as a trustee of Outward Bound.

Lucy Mills

A curious storyteller, Lucy believes in people at the heart of everything around us.  Alongside her full-time role as Head of Talent producing and casting for documentaries and branded campaigns, she is a presenter at live sport events such as the Olympics, UCI Mountain Bike World Champs, Turf Games, Battle Cancer and Hyrox.

Lucy’s mission is that no one goes unnoticed and encourages people, through her own vibrant energy, to connect with one another, celebrate and recognise the power of human connection.

Polly Shute

Polly Shute is the Co-Founder of Out & Wild, the UK’s first Wellness and Experience Festival for LGBTQ+ women. She combines running her own business with being the partnership lead for PinkNews, the world’s most read LGBTQ+ media group.

Out & Wild Festival, takes place in Pembrokeshire during Pride month (June), and has a big focus on wellness and the outdoors, with activities ranging from wild swimming, bushcraft, foraging and hikes and walks.

Polly is an Award Winning Inclusion and Partnership Specialist and a recognised public speaker on LGBTQ+ and allyship. Polly has been active in the LGBTQ+ space for over 10 years, including 4 years on the Board of Pride in London.

Her love of the outdoors and frustration at the lack of events for LGBTQ+ women led her to set up Out & Wild, with business partner Becky French. Their vision is both create and curate inclusive experiences across the world.

Polly’s commitment to D&I has been recognised through various awards, including being listed in the Top 20 Not for Profit LGBT+ Leaders List by The Financial Times and more recently in The Guardian’s Pride Power List. She is also recognised as a leader in Profit for Purpose at the UK Sponsorship Awards. Polly sits on various inclusion committees, including Intermedia and Trans in the City.

Gemma Davis (Camp Curiosity)

Camp Curiosity came into being in March 2022 and is borne out of a love for the outdoors, and more importantly, giving children the opportunity to explore nature.
Gem’s background is education and she left teaching to manage the Education Resource Centre at Fiddlers Ferry power station where she managed the nature reserve, organised community engagement sessions and outdoor events. Camp Curiosity aims to provide opportunities for children and families to get outdoors, to provide some of the essential skills and confidence to encourage adults to take their little people for outdoor adventures. Inspired by their little 8 yr old explorer, Marthy, Gem and Phill live as much of their lives outdoors as possible and when not running events, parties or attending festivals they can usually be found in a rockpool, up a mountain or in a woodland where they love outdoor cooking and immersing themselves in showing Marthy as much of the world as possible.

Mary-Ann Ochota

Mary-Ann is a presenter and author, and hiking ambassador for the British Mountaineering Council. She also likes exploring on horses, boats and bikes. She’s been lucky enough to travel widely for work, including to Tibet, the Chernobyl exclusion zone and across the north Pacific in a racing yacht. She also joined an expedition tracing archaeology in the remote Australian desert for 40 days with 17 pack camels. Mary-Ann’s written a book on how to spot archaeology in the British landscape, and she supports the charity Toilet Twinning – twin your loo with a long-drop somewhere in the world, and be part of the global sanitation solution.

Sean Conway

Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, Sean had an adventurous upbringing in the Mana Pools National Park with his conservationist game ranger father, Tony. He spent his early years climbing trees and chasing elephants out of his garden, and this unique childhood has been the fuel for his adventurous ambitions.
Well-known for his quirky take on endurance sports and adventures, Sean came to the UK in 2002 with just £100 in his wallet and started working in Cambridge cutting 12,000 cabbages a day and then as a freelance photographer in London, whilst living in a tiny room in London with 7 other people, spending any cash he earned on various travels and bonkers adventures.
Sean famously sold his photography business for just £1 to pursue his dream breaking the world record for cycling around the world, Sean gained sponsorship and set out on this epic adventure on 18th February 2012. After three weeks he was ahead of schedule averaging nearly 180 miles a day. His dreams were shattered in America when a driver hit him causing severe whip lash, concussion, torn ligaments and a compression fracture to the spine. Despite this, Sean continued on dropping to 140 miles per day, changing his goal to get back to London in time for the Olympics and raise money for charity. He made it back with a week to spare, having covered 16,000 miles – 12,000 of them with a fractured spine.
In 2013 he became the first person in history to swim the length of Great Britain, having previously cycled it in 2008. After battling the weather, currents and seemingly endless swarms of jellyfish, Sean and his legendary beard wrote history on November 11 2013, after 135 days at sea.
in 2015, after a failed first attempt at running Britain, he completed the Ultimate British Triathlon when he finished his run from John O’Groats to Land’s End, without undergoing any kind of training in advance.
In 2016 Sean raised the bar once more when he took on the greatest challenge of his life. Starting in April 2016, he completed a self-supported 4000+ mile, continuous Ultra Triathlon that circumnavigates the entire coast of mainland Britain and Discovery Channel followed Sean’s incredible and dangerous journey.
He holds the world record for cycling unsupported across Europe. He completed the 4000 miles route in 24 days, 18 hours and 39 minutes. The documentary can be found on Amazon – Sean Conway’s Europe or Bust. Most recently Sean broke the world record for the most number of Ironmans completed in a row – 102!

Despite these extraordinary successes, Sean knows what it is to struggle and face set-backs.  Endurance challenges really drive Sean forward to learn and improve.  His experiences give depth and power to his engaging presentations on motivation, challenge and developing resilience.

Photograph credit Justin Fletcher Photography

Danny Bent

Danny Bent was voted one of the 100 happiest people in the UK and one of the 50 most inspirational people in London. He is an award winning author and journalist, Guinness World Record holder, and celebrated adventurer and community leader.
Danny helps people who feel chained by life to break free, come together, and realise they are capable of the incredible. His passion is fostering happier lives, more powerful leaders, and encouraging the artists of life to create.

Belinda Kirk

BELINDA KIRK is an explorer, mum and campaigner promoting the benefits of adventure on wellbeing and mental health. 

In 2009, Belinda established Explorers Connect to spread the word about the life-changing impact of adventure. Through the network she has encouraged 30,000 ordinary people to engage in outdoor challenges. In 2019 she launched the Adventure Mind conference and network to explore and further promote the positive impact that adventurous activity has on our wellbeing.

She wrote Adventure Revolution: The life-changing power of choosing challenge, the first book to explain the psychology of why adventure is essential to our wellbeing. Drawing on lessons learnt from leading groups into the wilderness and the latest findings in neuroscience and psychology, Belinda shows how adventure has the power to transform the timid into the confident, the addicted into the recovering, and the lost into the intentionally wandering.

Over the last twenty-seven years Belinda has led dozens of international expeditions. She’s walked through Nicaragua, sailed across the Atlantic, searched for camels in China’s Desert of Death, discovered ancient rock paintings in Lesotho and gained a Guinness World Record for rowing unsupported around Britain. She has led numerous youth development challenges, pioneered inclusive expeditions for people with disabilities and managed scientific research missions in the Amazon, Sinai and Alaska.

Harrison Ward AKA Fell Foodie

Harrison Ward, perhaps better known as Fell Foodie, is an outdoor cook who loves to recreate restaurant style meals on minimal equipment (usually a campstove) in remote locations. He has a strong following across various social media platforms and has featured regularly in the media inc Countryfile Magazine, Men’s Fitness, Metro etc. He is a brand advocate for Volvo Car UK, recently featured on the BBC in Dame Mary Berry’s latest series ‘Love to Cook’, Channel 5 on ‘Winter on the Farm’ and has been an Ordnance Survey Champion since 2020.

His life was very different just some short years ago. Struggling with a clinical depression first appearing in his adolescence, Harrison’s life spiralled out of control. At its worst he was consuming in excess of 20 pints daily, was a full time smoker and had ballooned in weight to over 22 stone. The end of a relationship and a personal breakdown led to a major life change. Harrison is now over 6 years sober, has thrown himself into fitness and hiking and merged his passion for food into his new routine. He takes modern practices back to their primal roots and shows what can be cooked in the mountains as well as sharing the importance of time outdoors for physical and mental wellbeing. He now regularly delivers talks at festivals, on podcasts, workplaces and as a keynote speaker about his personal battle with depression, suicidal thoughts and journey from an overweight, alcoholic, smoker to the fit, fell loving foodie he is today.

Ben Fogle

Ben Fogle is an award winning Broadcaster and adventurer. He has written 9 Sunday Times Best selling books and is the United Nations Patron of the Wilderness.

Ben has climbed Mount Everest, Rowed across the Atlantic, Raced across Antarctica to the South Pole and crossed the deserts of the Empty Quarter in the Middle East.

He has presented numerous programmes for the BBC, ITV, C5 and Discovery including the hit series New Lives in the Wild
A fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. He is ambassador to WWF, Tusk and Hearing Dogs for the Deaf and Patron of The Red Cross and United Nations.

Ben has presented numerous programmes including Animal Park, Countryfile, Wild in Africa, Wild on the West Coast, Crufts, One Man and His Dog, Country Tracks, Extreme Dreams, A Year of Adventures, Storm City, Harbour Lives, Countrywise and Fisherman’s Lives, New Lives in the Wild.
Ben has made documentaries on Prince William in Africa, disease in Ethiopia, Captain Scott in Antarctica and Crocodiles in Botswana.

Ben has travelled extensively in South and Central America and has toured the world for various broadcasting assignments to more than 200 places including Tristan da Cunha, Pitcairn, St Helena, East Timor, Nepal, Namibia, Kenya, the Arctic Circle, Zambia, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, Libya, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Tahiti, Maldives, Tanzania and Morocco.
Ben has worked as a special correspondent for NBC News and has published nine bestselling books, The Teatime Islands, Outposts, The Crossing, Race to the Pole, The Accidental Adventurer, The Accidental Naturalist, Labrador, Land Rover, English

A keen sailor, Ben has run the Marathon Des Sables, swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco and is also a Marathon runner, boxer and cyclist.

Ben married Marina in 2006 after meeting her in the park while the couple were walking their dogs, Inca and Maggi. They have a young son, Ludo, a daughter, Iona, and a black Labrador, Storm