Meet the Team

BEN PARKER

Head of Outdoor Pursuits

Qualifications:

• Geography BA (Girton College, Cambridge

University) • UIMLA International Mountain Leader • UK Summer & Winter Mountain Leader • Advanced Canoe Leader & Coach • White Water Kayak Leader & Coach • British Canoeing Endorsed Guide • Rock Climbing Instructor • DofE Assessor • WEISS Bushcraft Instructor • Expedition Medic • Mental Health First Aider • Archery Instructor

Ben started his expedition career with The Perse School in 2007 on an expedition to the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. A qualified outdoor instructor, he has wide ranging experience of the UK activity industry and international expeditions to locations across the globe including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Vietnam, Bolivia, India and Canada taking in the High Atlas, Andes, Rockies, Himalayas, Alpine mountain ranges and many of the rivers in-between.

With a history at the Perse spanning 15 years and well in excess of 250 trips with Perse students he is passionate about student leadership and the importance of learning outside the classroom. KIERON TAYLOR

Assistant Head of Outdoor Pursuits and Head of Paddlesport Qualifications:

• BA Adventure Recreation (University of Bedfordshire) • Moderate Water Kayak Leader and Coach • Advanced Water Open Canoe Leader and Coach • Stand Up Paddleboard Coach • UK Summer Mountain Leader • DofE Assessor • Expedition Medic • Climbing Wall Instructor • Archery Instructor

Kieron started within the outdoor industry as a multi-activity instructor back in 2011. Since then he has worked in varied roles with a broad range of clients and loves to be able to share his passion with others. After developing a particular interest in paddlesports, he has worked as a canoe leader in the south of France, a sea kayak guide in New Zealand and as a manager within a paddlesports centre in the UK. As a Duke of Edinburgh manager, supervisor and assessor, he has also qualified as a Mountain leader, which allows him to deliver exciting and challenging expeditions both in the hills and on the water.

Meet the Team

MR TOM CRANMER

Outdoor Pursuits Instructor & DofE Coordinator

Tom has been in the outdoor industry since 2015. Since then he has been an apprentice in North Wales, went camping and biking in Canada, taught groups to surf in Cornwall, led expeditions up the Great Glen and guided rafts down grade 3-4 rapids in Scotland. He has passion and respect for the outdoors and is keen to share this with the hope of igniting this same feeling in others. As a member of the Outdoor Pursuits department he is excited to not just introduce a range of activities to people but to help and watch them develop further.

MR KIT ROWLAND

Outdoor Pursuits Technician and Instructor

Kit started his career in the Outdoor Industry by working as an Instructor and Manager in a Climbing Centre. He has then gone on to gain experience by working as an Instructor at an Outdoor Activity Centre and also as a member of staff in an Outdoor Education Department at an Independent School similar to The Perse. His love for Mountaineering and Rock Climbing has taken him on national expeditions to Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons, Cairngorms, the Lake District and the Peak District, and it has also seen him travelling around the world to South Africa and Thailand.

Kit’s passion for Outdoor Pursuits allows him to deliver a variety of exciting sessions for all age ranges, and his years of experience of working with young people has taught him the value that teaching in the outdoors has on inspiring self-development and personal growth. KATY MERCER

Outdoor Pursuits Instructor & Administrator

Katy is in her fourth year at The Perse School having graduated a BA in Adventure Sports. She has completed winter seasons in France and Italy and spent the summers working as a High Ropes Instructor in the UK. This year she is working towards qualifying as a Mountain Leader as well as more Paddlesports qualifications. She is looking forward to taking the lead on the Prep Outdoor Pursuits provision alongside her other roles in the Outdoor Pursuits Department and gaining more experience working alongside the rest of the team through the Summer ‘23 expedition calendar!

MR MATT WOOLF

Outdoor Pursuits Trainee

Matt started work in the Outdoor Industry as a Trainee Leader for British Exploring, the culmination of which was a six-week expedition in the amazon jungle. Since then he has engaged in freelance work in a variety of roles whilst at university. His personal passions in the outdoors are mountaineering and scrambling, alongside climbing. Matt is an Old Persean and has been a part of the Outdoor Pursuits department since 2007; as a student, later a volunteer and now a full-time member of staff. Personal expeditions include the GR20 in Corsica, multi day hiking in the Bavarian Alps as well as frequent journeys to North Wales, Brecon Beacons and the Lake District.

Technical Contractors PES Ascent Group Staff

MISS FLORENCE BRIMBLECOMBE

Old Persean/ Contractor

Flo joined Outdoor Pursuits in 2014 as a Perse School student and started volunteering for Ascent Group in 2017. Since leaving the school, to study physical geography at Sheffield, she has returned to the Perse as a contracted instructor, working with: DofE, Summit 11, Summit 12, Ascent Group, and Climbing Club. She currently holds the mountain leader qualification and is a trainee rock climbing instructor. Flo is working towards her other outdoor qualifications with the aim of becoming a mountain guide in the Alps after finishing her bachelors degree. She is also on track to do a masters in Switzerland on glaciology.

JDR CHET PAGER

Medical Technical Advisor

Qualifications:

• B.A Hons (Psychology, Stanford University) • Higher Diploma in Education (Counselling, University of Cape Town) • B.Med Hons (University of Newcastle) • Ph.D in Medicine (University of Sydney) • Juris Doctor (Yale University) • Mountain Leader Award Training • Advanced Life Support

Lead staff member:

• Expedition medical screening and clearance, • Medical training and vaccination advice.

Chet has over 20 years’ experience as a medical practitioner, has travelled to well over 100 countries, and has served as expedition doctor for over 35 expeditions, covering all seven continents including Antarctica. He is also an experienced secondary school teacher and youth counsellor amongst his many careers, and enjoys working in remote environments and supporting young people by developing their independence and confidence. Chet has been involved with The Perse School since 2017, including expeditions to Morocco and Sweden, and provides medical technical support for all PES international expeditions. SOPHIE JONES

PES Ascent Group Pastoral Co-ordinator

Academic role: Chemistry Teacher

Having spent many summers at a camp in America, Sophie loves spending time outdoors and relishes any opportunity for wild swimming and other watersports. She has worked with PES Ascent Group since joining the Perse in 2020 and has thoroughly enjoyed watching students grow in independence and confidence throughout the past year. A cooking enthusiast, she is also keen to share her culinary experience. This year, Sophie is excited to be working alongside all pupils in PES Ascent Group to support their personal development and foster a passion for the natural world.

PES Ascent Group staff

SARAH CHURCH

PES Ascent Group Section Leader (Earth Section)

Academic Role: English Teacher

Sarah started at The Perse in 2019 and since then has enjoyed the opportunity to share her love of the outdoors with PES Ascent Group. She is passionate about encouraging students to develop their teamwork and leadership skills as well as their respect and love for the natural world. She has travelled widely exploring her own interests of hiking, skiing and volunteering and spent two years living and working in Canada. She is looking forward to developing her role within the department as Earth Section leader.

MR MYLES THOMPSON

PES Ascent Group Section Leader (Fire Section)

Academic role: Physics Teacher

Myles started teaching at The Perse in 2021 after 2 years managing the Perse Summer School. He has enjoyed guiding students through the challenges of living outdoors on PES Ascent Group camps. He enjoys travelling and has spent time abroad hiking and sailing. He looks forward to working with Fire Section, helping students’ confidence grow and developing their leadership skills. DR RICHARD CHEN

PES Ascent Group Section Leader (Air Section)

Academic role: Physics Teacher

Richard loves being outdoors and since he joined the Perse in 2019, he has enjoyed the opportunity to take part in various PES camps and expeditions. As an experienced Scout leader, he has organised and led many camps and expeditions across the UK in the past 8 years. He looks forward to working with students in Air section to develop their passion for camping, as well as important teamwork and leadership skills. Richard is also a keen chef, badminton player and musician.

DR WILL MILLER

PES Ascent Group Section Leader (Water Section)

Academic role: Chemistry Teacher

Having grown up on a dairy farm in Dorset and with Dartmoor nearby, Will is passionate about the outdoors and enjoys any opportunity for hiking and wild camping. His background in Earth Sciences has taken him on fieldwork to Iceland, Sicily, and the Himalayas, but for Will, nothing beats a sunny day in the Lake District. As Water Section leader, he works closely with students to guide them through the challenges of living and working together in the outdoors, acting as a role model and helping them to develop essential skills whilst they thoroughly enjoy the extraordinary opportunities that PES has to offer.

Volunteers and Staff

MR ADAM DUNAJSKI

Old Persean/ Volunteer

Adam started his outdoor pursuits journey with the Perse in 2008, taking more prominent roles in bushcraft and backwoods cooking activities through his time in ascent group and summit 11. After leaving the Perse in 2016 he started volunteering in 2018, mostly with Ascent Group. Working closely with a few DofE centers around Cambridge, Adam is finishing off his Mountain Leader. During his summer, he is on the hills supervising DofE groups, working with the Perse Summer School (backwoods cooking), and on any PES trips he can fit in. Studying Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh he spends most of his free time diving with the Sub Aqua Club and instructing as a BSAC Instructor and PADI dive master, or bagging any nearby Munros.

MRS ANDREA REYNOLDS

Parent Volunteer

Andrea has volunteered with PES for the last 9 years, encompassing Ascent Group, Summit 11, Summit 10, and POP (Prep Outdoor Pursuits). She enjoys teaching students to cook and enjoy food in the backwoods and can be found at most Friday evening Ascent sessions overseeing the cookery classes. In her spare time Andrea enjoys travelling extensively, baking and cooking, skiing and photography. Prefers a hammock in Sweden to a smart hotel! MISS CATHERINE HENDERSON

Teacher of PE and Games

Catherine’s first experience of The Perse was during Ascent Group summer camp in 2021 which ignited her passion and enthusiasm for Outdoor Pursuits. She has continued to attend Ascent Group, has helped with Paddlesports by becoming a qualified Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Instructor, and has also gained her Archery Instructor Qualification. Catherine has helped with the Prep Outdoor Pursuits (POP), Year 7 basecamp, and will attend both the Ascent Group summer camp and the Summit 11 Sweden Expedition this coming summer. Catherine has enjoyed seeing students in a different learning environment from the normal school day, watching them flourish in activities that they are really passionate about, and seeing them develop their own leadership skills. She is looking forward to many more experiences within the Outdoor Pursuits programme!

MR ALEX PAK Old Persean

Alex joined Outdoor Pursuits as a student since the birth of the program from the Perse Prep to Sixth form when he graduated in 2012. He started volunteering in 2018 after univeristy primarily working with the Ascent Group during Friday Evening Sessions, Easter and Summer camps. Day to day he works for Amazon as a Privacy Incident Manager for Alexa in London. He is a keen hiker, cook and has extensive first hand experience in the challenges and experiences that students go through in the program.