Meet the team

Andrew Shaw

I have always had an interest and an affinity with bushcraft and the countryside ever since my childhood in Sheffield, where even as a schoolboy along with friends I would cycle out onto the moors or to areas of woodland and live out with just what we could carry with us or what we could find.  After leaving school I went to work in agriculture where I spent as much time as I could assisting local gamekeepers and participating in many outdoor activities.  During this time I spent 6 years in the Territorial Army Royal Engineers where I honed many of the skills that we teach on our courses.  I eventually settled into a career in the pest and wildlife management industry, where since 1996 I have been both a tutor and examiner for the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health and the National Pest Technicians Association all the time keeping my interest in the wilderness skills that I picked up from the old countrymen I had had the good fortune to meet.  I have been a professional hunter for over 20 years and have taken a wide variety of quarry throughout this time by most legal methods in the UK.  Over the past few years I have turned more to shooting at wildlife with a camera rather than the more traditional gun.

Since 2000 I have been working as a Project support worker with young people, people with learning difficulties and disabilities and as a school site officer.

James Shaw 

 James has always had an interest in the natural world probably due to his upbringing in the spheres that his father lived and worked in.  Before he could walk he regularly would be carried in a rucksack out lamping rabbits or hares, and as soon as he could walk there was no keeping him out of the kennels and the slaughterhouse and by the time he went to school he was as adept at skinning a deer as anyone. James now holds a fulltime job as an assistant manager for an international food retailer but still loves to get out into the woods as often as he can.  He has always been sports driven and has competed at county level in athletics, played semi-professional football and was runner up in the national finals at karate at the age of 11 years despite having to compete against 16/17 year olds due to his height.

He spent several years in the army cadets and then continued with them as a civilian instructor specialising in survival skills and campcraft.

We also call on the services of Julie, James' partner from time to time.  Julie works in education with young people with special needs and severe learning difficulties.

 

Michael George

 Our most recent team member aged 9 years.  Has only just realised what the "Great Outdoors" has to offer.  He still loves his Go-karting but as you can see also loves his food cooked the natural way.  Unfortunately Michael will not be available on all our courses due to something called school getting in the way.  After his visit to the woods Michael was voted pupil of the week for his poem and his scrapbook done as his homework over the christmas period.