In February the staff team are canoeing from Northampton to Wales, a distance of 150 miles. To see them in action on last year's 100 mile Canoe Challenge:
Video of 100 mile canoe challenge (new window)
Head of Centre - Mike Fawcett
Mike is an experienced outdoor educator and qualified teacher with a broad range of working experience including service in the Royal Navy, instructing in residential outdoor centres, lecturing in colleges of Further and Higher Education and peripatetic teaching in the social care sector.
His outdoor passions include all forms of recreational canoe-sport and mountain activities. He is qualified to instruct and lead groups rock climbing, mountaineering, canoeing, kayaking, gorge-walking, orienteering, coasteering and all site-specific activities.
He loves adventurous travel and has been actively involved with expeditions to destinations in Europe, Africa and South America. He is an Accredited Practitioner of the Institute of Outdoor Learning (APIOL).
When not busy at the centre he loves exploring the local area with his young family. He's recently been caught on camera on his skis:
Longtown OEC Skiing Adventure (new window)
Deputy Head of Centre / Operations Manager
Lee Cave, former director of Dragon Adventure and a former instructor at the centre joined the centre as the new Operations Manager on 1st September 2009.
Instructors
Ewan MacGillivray
Ewan has been interested in the outdoors from a young age. He has paddled the seas and rivers of Scotland and Wales extensively, has climbed in Scotland and Wales and been skiing in France, Austria and Canada. He has been teaching in outdoor centres for the last 8 years. When not at work he will normally been found indulging his love of the sea. He has recently added Forest School leader to his other qualifications.
Trainee Instructors
We have a team of trainee instructors, who are usually on their first work placement after a college course. They work alongside our qualified Instructors to gain valuable experience and to develop their qualifications:
Alice Giacomini
Alice is a great enthusiast for the outdoors. She hails from Ilfracombe a place she claims is the Outdoor Capital of the UK! Never happier than when jumping off a cliff or over a waterfall, Alice is a true water baby.
Tom Sharpe
Tom is a great enthusiast for Rock Climbing, Fitness and Northern Soul. A man of many talents he is a qualified fitness instructor and DJ!
Freelance Instructors
All the web links below will take you to external websites
Martin Jackson
Martin previously worked at the centre as the senior instructor. He has extensive rock climbing experience in the UK, Spain and France. He loves skiing, snowboarding and mountaineering and has done them for many years.
Martin is a passionate caver and has caved throughout the UK and Ireland. He has explored major caves in Norway, Spain and France and holds the Caving Instructor Certificate and is an an active member of the Association of Caving Instructors.
To find out more visit Martin's website:www.blacksheepadventures.co.uk
Mike Wright
For a long time Mike was the Deputy Head of Centre at Longtown O.E.C. He has recently completed a Masters degree in Ecology and has a wealth of knowledge about the Outdoor Environment. He loves to share his passion for the outdoors with others.
Andy Holt
Andy previously worked at the centre as a full time instructor. He has been climbing and mountaineering now for over 15 years and has climbed a substantial amount of Britain's and Europe’s classic rock climbs at a high standard. He has also scaled big major alpine peaks including Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Barre De Ecrins and The Frendo Spur. Andy says, "I love being in the Alps, it's a true mountaineers playground."
Andy also has a love of paddling especially White water kayaking and has paddled and guided all over Europe including Britain, France, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, and just in case that's not enough for you he is also a experienced caver and has extensive experience and knowledge of cave systems in Derbyshire, Yorkshire and South Wales. Andy believes that experience is everything and being a quality instructor also means being a true adventurer.
To find out more visit Andy's website: http://www.escapetoadventure.com/
Allan Gibbs
A past Deputy Head of Centre at Longtown O.E.C. Allan retired from his role as a headteacher of a Herefordshire school to follow his own personal and instructing ambitions in the outdoors. Alan, an IML, is an experienced leader of overseas expeditions of school and youth groups in South America, Morocco as well as being a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Assessor in the UK.
Zoe MacClean
After pursuing a career in science she swapped her lab coat for a Gore-tex jacket and hasn't looked back.
Zoe has been managing companies in the outdoors for the past 7 years, including a very successful Gap Year programme. Zoe is a Mountain Leader and an experienced trainer and supervisor of D of E expeditions.
To find out more visit's Zoe's website: www.azexpeditions.com
Owen Taylor
Owen is a great fan of the mountains and crags of Britain and readily shares this enthusiasm with all groups. Owen wears several hats but one of them is being a Scout leader and Scout Mountaineering adviser for Wiltshire.
The Outdoor Education Adviser for Northamptonshire is also based at the centre:
Bob Burson
He is an experienced schoolteacher and has worked in full time residential outdoor education since 1975.
He is qualified to instruct and lead groups rock climbing, mountaineering, caving, kayaking and on all site-specific activities.
He has been National Chairman of the Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres; he is Chair of the Mountain Leader Training England executive committee and has been a member of a government review body for outdoor activity training; he advises colleges on their training programmes.
He is a Leading Practitioner of the Institute of Outdoor Learning (LPIOL). He has been on many climbing, caving and canoeing expeditions abroad - in the Scandinavian Arctic, the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Himalayas.