I am one for the adventures, as well as just getting in the outdoors and I strongly believe the ‘outdoors is for all’ whatever level, experience, or goal. The outdoors is there for everyone to embrace and having worked across the whole spectrum of outdoor education, learning and adventure, it still remains core to my personal outdoor story. My experience has helped me to enable others to develop the confidence, mental focus, ability and skills.
One core aspect of my service is working with individuals over a period of time to enable them to become self sufficient to pursue their own adventures, at their own pace, and for their own purpose.
I was very fortunate to have a dedicated outdoor education department and passionate teaching staff at my secondary school, introducing me to a breadth of outdoor activities and enabling appreciation for the great outdoors. This saw me a as teenager going on various adventure trips to Plas Gwynant in North Wales (Sandwell LEA Outdoor Education Centre), school trips to the Scottish mountains, and climbing adventures at the Roaches. Such trips ignited a passion in rock climbing and alpine mountaineering, and so my career as an outdoor professional began to take hold. It was through school I was given the nickname Baggy which has followed me ever since.
After leaving the world of my previous career as a carpenter and building site manager I completed a BSc (QTS) in Outdoor Education and Science at I.M.Marsh, Liverpool John’s Moore University ( 1998 this is where I found the delights of caving ) alongside being a long-term volunteer at Ogwen Cottage North Wales (Birmingham’s LEA Outdoor Education Centre at the time).
After becoming a qualified outdoor education teacher, I then started to gain a wide range of NGB Outdoor Qualifications (including WMCI and CIC ) (click to all my qualifications here) and started to work as an outdoor professional for a wide variety of outdoor education and outdoor providers. I freelanced as a mountaineering professional for organisations such as Glenmore lodge and Jagged Globe and became a full-time mountaineering and rock-climbing instructor for 5 years at Plas Y Brenin (The National Sports Centre for England).
Currently, I manage Blue Peris Outdoor Education Centre on a part-time basis, alongside running my own training, adventure and consultancy business.
Alongside my part time role, I act as a technical expert and safety consultant for a range of providers and continue to direct a range of National Governing Body training and assessments for Mountain Training.
As qualified Cave and Mine Instructor I am also a trainer and assessor for the British Caving Association Local Cave and Mine Leader award for the North Wales region.
My extensive outdoor leadership experience and breadth of qualifications, has seen me coach and guide a wide range of disciplines, including ; Scottish winter mountaineering, sea kayaking, rock climbing, caving, coasteering, canyoning, and first aid training. It has also seen me train and assess a range of NGB Outdoor Leadership qualifications.
I have been a proactive member of associated membership bodies. For example, I have been a committee member for Mountain Training ( MT ), British Mountaineering Council Cymru (BMC) and the Association of Mountaineering Instructors ( AMI ). I was part of the AMI training team for 10 years, I am on the British Caving Association cave mine leader panel for North Wales mines, The BCA Youth and Development Group and I am a current member of Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres (AHOEC ). I have been the chair of The North Wales region for the National Coasteering Charter (NCC ) since its inception and am a member of North Wales Cave and Mine rescue team.
I have been based, living and working in North Wales for over 30 years and remain an active caver, sea kayaker climber, and canyoneering. I have a passion for exploring old mines and in between all this I still manage to fit in road cycling. I have climbed all over the UK and Europe (both summer and winter) and further afield, including Alaska, South America, and USA.
Be it cragging, long mountain routes, going underground, out on the sea, alpine ascents or long alpine ascents on the bike, it’s all good to me.
