Governance

Ian is director of the Campaign for Adventure which promotes achievement through adventure, community and creativity. Ian provides the secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Adventure and Recreation in Society in UK. Ian is the chairperson for the Trust.

Nicky is a sports writer and broadcaster who contributes to leading outlets in Britain and internationally - including The Guardian, ESPN and the BBC. She attended summer camps throughout her teen years and believes firmly in the positive impact they can have.

Sir Julian was a Conservative MP for Canterbury and Whitstable. Prior to his career in politics, Sir Julian served as an officer in the Territorial Army for thirteen years, five of them in the SAS. Sir Julian co-chaired the all-party Group for Adventure and Recreation in society between 2004 and 2011.

Mya-Rose, also known as “Birdgirl”, is an inspirational young ornithologist and environmentalist, who campaigns to ensure VME children have equal access to the countryside and nature through her non-profit organisation Black2Nature, which organises camps in nature for kids.

Hannah is studying International Relations at the University of St Andrews. She discovered her passion for summer camps during training with The Summer Camps Trust followed by working on a camp. Hannah writes for the student newspaper and enjoys exploring the Fife countryside.

Jacqui was the Member of Parliament for Redditch and the first ever female Home Secretary. Jacqui has a PPE degree from Oxford and a PGCE from Worcester College of Higher Education. Jacqui is Chair of Birmingham Hospital.

Mike was a teacher for 40 years, a City Councillor for 35 years and is currently the Liberal Democrat party’s spokesperson on education, families and young people in the House of Lords. Mike is currently a member of the Youth Unemployment Select Committee.

Malcolm worked with Colony Holidays as a young man, became a very distinguished headteacher in Wiltshire, and has recently been Assistant General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

Chris has been involved with summer camps since the 1950s and was awarded the MBE in the New Year Honours List 2011 for services to education through summer camps. He had previously been involved in establishing and managing Colony Holidays (est. 1963), a provider of summer camps in the United Kingdom from the 1960s to 1980s, and latterly ATE which continues to provide summer camps across the UK.

Helen trained as a volunteer summer camp leader in 1995, and since then has worked regularly and very successfully as leader and later director of a large number of camps. More recently she became involved in the training of leaders, and has worked on many courses. Outside of summer camps Helen is a trained speech therapist, and a keen exponent of the Forest School movement.

Fran attended summer camps as a child. She enjoyed it so much she came back to work as domestic staff before being old enough to train as a volunteer leader in 2005. She worked regularly for many years before training as an Assistant Director. She now works in theatre-making and design in the North-East, and greatly enjoys continuing her connection with summer camps.