Andy Simms - CHAIR

• Andy gained his Biology degree before teaching in Indonesia, then joining FSC as Deputy Head of Centre where he became Projects Manager. He was an Associate Lecturer in Ecology for the Open University.
• While as Director of Blencathra Centre, Keswick, Andy studied for an MBA. In 2003 he took up a position with Somerset Local Authority as Director of the Kilve Court Centres. He was also a member of the Outdoor Education Advisor’s Panel. Andy has gained APIOL and is approaching the halfway point of an MA Education with Plymouth University. He is also currently Chair of the Southern Region of the Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres.

Ken Fordham - VICE CHAIR

• Ken Fordham is the Strategic Leadership Officer for Lancashire County Council with responsibility for Outdoor Education, Health & Safety and Positive Acitivites for Young People. He has a wealth of experience working in this capacity within the outdoor sector.
• Ken has been an executive member of IOL since convergence and prior to that held similar posts at AfOL and NAOE.

Elspeth Mason - TREASURER

• Elspeth is passionate about the outdoors and about helping people to learn. She has 17 years of management experience, including 15 years running a small business.
• Her background includes qualifications in both Economics and Book-keeping and Accountancy.
• Elspeth is also the Editor of Horizons magazine.

Anthony Ridding - Co-opted

• Tony is a Chartered Engineer and helps run a family owned engineering business employing 90 people in the West Midlands and Slovakia. As Manufacturing Director his main function is to work towards achieving the company’s vision, mission statement and adhere to the company’s values. To achieve these aims he believes very strongly that leadership and motivation of the workforce are the principle tools he has to work with.
• He enjoys traveling and meeting new cultures and plans to do more in the coming years.
• The outdoors plays an important part in his life especially walking, mountaineering and as a PADI Divemaster scuba diving. He will hopefully move to Cornwall in 2008 and plans to master “Catching a Wave” with the help of his son.

John Crosbie

• John is currently Centre Director of the Lake District Calvert Trust whose work is with people with disabilities. He is an Outdoor Education and Environmental Science teacher with enthusiasm for, and NGB qualifications in, most outdoor disciplines.
• He has worked in LEA, private and Charitable centres in the UK and abroad.

David Crossland

• David worked in schools, colleges and outdoor centres before joining the licensing authority (now the licensing service) as Senior Inspector for the SE of England.  When not inspecting he lives in the Pyrenees with his wife.
• David has a good range of experience and qualifications in a wide range of activities, as well as degrees in Theology, Philosophy, and Education Management.

Mark Leather

• Mark Leather is a university lecturer at the College of St Mark & St John  ‘Marjon’ which is a small University College  that trains teachers and offers modular studies in ‘Outdoor Adventure’. 
• Previously Mark was a secondary school teacher of science, PSHE and extra-curricular outdoor adventures! 
• Mark has also spent time in outdoor centres. He loves learning and being outdoors in natural environments. He likes using the outdoors for personal, social and group development as well as a form of education where the outdoors allows us to explore the interconnectedness and relationships with ourselves, others and the  environment.
• Mark enjoys the journey more than arriving and believe that it is important (essential) to ‘think’ as well as ‘do’!
• Mark is an educator who enjoys the holistic approach to learning, a skier, thinker, paddler, sailor, walker and dad – although not necessarily in that order!

Alison Steele

• Alison has worked in Outdoor Learning for 25 years; she first arrived in Hampshire in 1978 to do a degree in Environmental Science at Southampton University and to go sailing in the Solent.
• She has continued to pursue her environmental and maritime interests teaching in local Outdoor Education Centres; first Calshot Activities Centre and for the last 16 years at Portsmouth Outdoor Centre in Langstone Harbour where she was Deputy Director. She has recently been appointed manager of Lepe Country Park.
• One of her main interests is to see that professional development support for members is maintained as a core part of IOL’s work. She was involved in developing APIOL and is keen to promote stages before and after this, in partnership with other organisations, to provide a framework for a career in the outdoors so that it is viewed as a ‘proper job’ with a recognisable career structure.

Heather Brown - APIOL

• Heather Brown is a freelance management development consultant who has been working with IOL on various projects since 1996. She was involved in the convergence negotiations, and managed the development of APIOL from 2002-6. She is now involved in projects to develop accreditation for new senior practitioners. When she's not working, Heather likes sailing and singing in choirs.

Stephen Dickson
- Northern Ireland Chair

• Stephen has been working in sector for over 20 years and is currently the Director of the Belfast Activity Centre. (A charity providing personal development opportunities for young people in Northern  Ireland).
• Stephen also holds a number of voluntary directorships in a range of outdoor and environmental charities along with a public appointment to the Prison Service Independent Monitoring Board. Stephen has been the Visionary behind the Belfast ALP (Adventure Learning Park) which is a unique caving, climbing and high ropes facility based in Belfast.
• He is committed to the personal development of marginalised and disadvantaged young people through the medium of outdoor learning. He is also a practitioner holding his IML, BCU L3 and APIOL among other awards. In his spare time he sails, water-skis and scuba dives.
  

Richard Hughes - Wessex Chair

• Richard works as a freelance activity instructor/educator. Most of his work is done in the West Somerset area. His previous work, 33 years, was spent in food retailing, in a management role.
• When he made the move from retailing he completed two courses at Dallam School in South Cumbria. These were a mix of acedemic and practical. The practical part of the corses led to NGB qualifications. As they used to say on the courses, one day was theory the other they played. He is just about to start a BTEC Forest School Leaders course at Bridgwater College.
   
  As a store manager one of his main priorities was the training and development of staff to work as a team. These are the same priorities that he focuses on in his outdoor work.
   
  Richards main past time activities are sea kayaking and climbing. There are plenty of opportunities for the kayaking on the Somerset and North Devon coast, and with friends there is an annual trip to the West coast of Scotland. He does most of my climbing in Cornwall.
   
  To fill any spare time, he is a school governor at a local federation of first and middle schools.

Mark Lockett - South West Chair

• Mark currently works for a youth charity providing development opportunities to young people from Plymouth and surrounding area. 
• Mark is part of a small team and joining IOL gave him an opportunity to network with like minded people, both regionally and nationally.  He became chair of the SW IOL region in November 06 and completed his Accredited Practitioner in December 06.  His personal interests include exploring SW estuaries in an open canoe, taking part in Mountain Marathons, Orienteering and Fell Running and more recently Mountain Biking.

Jon Miller - OEAP Representative

• Jon has been a youth leader, teacher, outdoor centre instructor, outdoor education adviser and an inspector of schools. He is a self employed education adviser and outdoor learning consultant in South Lakeland. He has been the chair of governors of the local secondary school. He represents the Northern Region and the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel.

Pete Nash - Peaks Chair

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Barrie Oxtoby -
Employers Group Chair

• Barrie is Chair of IOL Employers Group is a lifelong investor in outdoor learning. Investments have been made on behalf of employers, communities, family and himself.
• Barrie is also a learning process specialist with current national and international projects on sustainable development through learning. He is also a learner!

Dave Thorley - Wales Chair

• Dave has been employed as a Youth Worker / Outdoor Education practitioner for the last 28 years around the UK in a variety of guises for both the Statutory and Voluntary sectors in a volunteer, part/full time capacity.
• Currently running his own Consultancy business in Outdoor Education and Youth Work Dave has recently taken the role of Duke of Edinburgh Award Officer for Shropshire LEA on a part time basis. He is looking forward to starting a Masters Thesis in Outdoor Education at Trinity College Carmarthen this year, and keeping his hand in with face-face work with young people through residential work and … his hobby is his dogs - nurturing and rescuing abused Rottweilers! 

Paul Bond - Northern Chair

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Dan Whittaker - Midlands Chair

• Dan is a Qualified Teacher andAdult Training Co-ordinator at Frank Chapman Centre, Bewdley. He delivers Environmental Education, including Bushcraft and is qualified in most areas of Outdoor Education.
• He is responsible for the delivery of the ML, WGL, BEL, Mountain Bike Leaders course, Off site Safety Management Course, and manages the F.Aid and BOF delivery. He co-delivers his Authorities EVC and Group Leader training.  Dan holds post-grad qualifications in Management as well as Psychology. He is an APIOL holder and Mentor. He sits upon the National Advisory Panel for BEL, is the Treasurer of the National Navigation Award Scheme and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
  Dan is also a qualified International Mountain Leader and has led expeditions in Bolivia, Greenland, Peru, Guyana, Morocco, Poland, Iceland, Norway, amongst others.

Mike King - Southern Chair

• Mike has been involved in the outdoors for the last 18 years, starting on a Youth Training Scheme which eventually led him to become a teacher with various outdoor qualifications.
• In 2000 Mike started Releasing Potential which is a charity that provides long term outdoor education and other educational programmes to young people who have been excluded or at risk of exclusion from school as well as those who have been marginalised by society.  
• Mike is passionate about using the outdoors as a vehicle to develop the individual and allowing the young people to develop through a relationship created with the outdoor education provider. Personally Mike is keen on most aspects of the outdoors but being based in the south means that sailing, canoeing and walking keep him busy.

   

Chris Millett - APIOL Manager

• Chris lives in Amsterdam with his partner Arda and two cats.
• He commutes to Kidderminster where he has a base in England.
• In Worcestershire he works with the Duke of Edinburgh Award within schools supporting groups in the hills and training teachers (BELA & WGLA).
• He enjoys cycling (you have to living in Holland), hill walking, gardening, good food and wine, grandchildren (two) and travelling around the world to follow the sun.
  * Contact Chris

Brian O'Rourke - Scotland Chair

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Brian Lamb - Ex-VICE CHAIR

• At the end of October 2007 Brian Lamb stepped down as an executive trustee after many years active service. Brian has served tirelessly as an IOL trustee often carrying out important behind the scenes work for which he has sought no recognition.
• In recent years as Vice Chair Brian has been a stalwart source of support and sage advice to the chair and rest of the trustees, carrying out detailed work on the Constitution including negotiating with the Charities commission. He has represented IOL on many occasions for example at English Outdoor Council and at CCPR, he has liaised with national governing bodies and has been indefatigable in the battles over the ‘Working at Heights’ directive. He has produced comprehensive responses to consultations from government and other agencies to ensure that IOL is kept at the Centre of any new initiatives and has been keen to consult with members to ensure that IOL delivers what its members want. He has also run a number of highly successful national conferences.
• Brian’s many decades of energetic commitment to Outdoor Learning both in his professional life and in his service to IOL should be an inspiration to us all and we wish him all the very best for the future.

Denea Wright - Ex - Southern Chair

• After completing a degree in Geography and a PGCE from Carnegie College, Dee had a "conversion" to Outdoor Education initially as a Field Study enthusiast but then right across the discipline.
• After gaining experience in mainstream education she spent two years teaching in the West Indies which had a profound effect on her values and beliefs which now underlie all that she strives for. In joining the Allnatt Organisation in 1978 she was highly challenged by the pressures of running a commercial Centre and has worked endlessly to level the playing field and encourage sharing of best practice rather than competition between organisations.
• Having been responsible for 6 Centres she is now much happier being Director and a part of the Staff Team at East Dene on the Isle of Wight, teaching children and walking her three dogs.