Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson

The Lecture is to be chaired by Dame Tanni Grey- Thompson, a renowned world record breaker, and one of the most prolific paralympians in the UK with 11 Gold medals to her name. Amongst her other sporting and academic achievements, she has been instrumental in the development of athletic and sporting opportunities for people with disabilities.

“Putting people in first place – that's my business” Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson

Felicity Aston

EA is proud to introduce Felicity Aston, an adventure writer who took the first British female team across the Greenland ice-sheet and is in preparation to lead the Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition. As an ambassador of EA, she will be providing insight from her accomplishments in leading and organising expeditions throughout the world.

“...it is fantastic to see more and more people enabled to have their own life-affirming, adventurous experience.” Felicity Aston

Michael McGrath

Underpinned by his life credo ‘Quant Je Puis’ (As Much As I Can), Michael describes himself as the adventurous black sheep of his family. He is the first and only disabled person in the world to have successfully led expeditions to both Poles. An inspirational business speaker, he engages audiences worldwide and is regularly invited by both mainstream and special schools to educate, reinvigorate and motivate.

“Irrespective as to how powerful you might think you are, you measure the impact of your words not on the emotion of a moment at any given time but on whether you have the ability to change the way not only people think but also the way they feel – only then can you possibly change the way they are.” Michael McGrath

Miles Hilton-Barber

Miles Hilton-Barber a blind adventurer, who lost his sight in his early twenties, was still motivated to travel across the Antarctic, white-water raft on the Zambezi and climb in the Himalayas. Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Blanc are just some of his adventures. He uses his travels to inspire people to seek the utmost in themselves and realise their potential.

“The only limits in our lives are those we accept ourselves." Miles Hilton-Barber

Major Jim Bonney

Major Jim Bonney is the only deployable amputee Royal Marine Officer and is currently employed in the management of rehabilitation within the Royal Marines recruit training organisation.  Injured in 2001 in Alaska on a mountaineering expedition, he has since become involved in leading challenging activities focused on enhancing the rehabilitation of service personnel and mentoring those dealing with the traumas of limb loss.

“Rehabilitation is a life long journey.... you must always strive to challenge your own expectations and capabilities, continue to push your personal boundaries.  Adventure activites are one of the best ways I have found for pushing your comfort zone and improving your expectations of your own ability.” Major Jim Bonney

Paul Deegan

Paul is a mountaineer whose 3 attempts to summit Everest took 15 years. An award winning author, he has written over 250 articles about his experiences as an adventurer. Paul can't ski to save his life, gets seasick having a bath, and supports a highly unsuccessful soccer team. When he's not writing in private or speaking in public, Paul is most likely to be found in the kitchen failing to recreate an exotic dish from his most recent assignment. – Paul Deegan

Dan Hinton

Dan Hinton is Head of Outdoor Education at Sandgate School and Technical Advisor in Mountaineering and Climbing for Northumberland County Council. He is a true believer in the positive aspects of outdoor and adventure education for all, through hands on, real experience.

"My aim is to provide a fully inclusive adventure education programme to all my students regardless of their special abilities or disabilities. I aim to provide opportunities whereby all can lead, plan and be in charge of their own adventure wherever that may take them.” Dan Hinton

Andy Wynd

Andy Wynd has spent his working life supporting young people. He joined the Scottish Spina Bifida Association (SSBA) as their Chief Executive from National Children's Homes. From the newly built head office, the Dan Young Building, in Cumbernauld, he has seen SSBA through a period of expansion and transition which has culminated in developing a range of exciting and innovative outdoor and active lifestyle initiatives for people with spina bifida and hydrocephalus across Scotland .

“Our work developing outdoor and active lifestyles has taken us all the way back to the building blocks of everyday life - play, healthy eating and fitness.” Andy Wynd

Mark Tozer

Mark Tozer will be bringing an academic paper to the event. Mark, PhD, is a lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire on their Outdoor Leadership degree programme. Mark's area of research examines behaviours within outdoor leadership and how these impact on participants’ engagement and learning processes. When not at his desk, Mark can often be found either teaching in the mountains or coaching others in the fine art of sea kayaking.

“We must actively encourage, enable and engage those who wish to participate in outdoors experiences so that it can lead to a positive change in their own personal relationship with the world” – Mark Tozer