Category: Blog

It’s been quite a whirlwind since I started working with World Extreme Medicine (WEM). Quite an organisation, with an amazing array of skills, from training medics skills to use in remote locations (and closer to home) to providing services on location for the likes of Tom Cruise.

Then there’s the annual conference. Taking place in Edinburgh from November 19th to 21st, there are so many extraordinary speakers including Mensun Bound, part of the team that found Shackleton’s Endeavour earlier this year, three NASA astronauts, explorer Lucy Shepherd, ‘Hearts in the Ice’ team Hilde Fålun Strøm and Sunniva Sørby, RM Commando Paramedic Andy Hughes and many more.

In addition, the Medics4Ukraine initiative which is supporting frontline medics in the war torn country both by training them and providing critical medical supplies. There have been seven convoys so far, and some scary close calls. But WEM founder Mark Hannaford and his team are committed to continuing to help. WEM underwrites the cost of the convoys, and takes donations of funds and of medical supplies. To donate visit; Medics4Ukraine

For this account I’m more than ably supported by Sharon Goble of If Media. Sharon’s background as a journalist and news presenter means she has a nose for a news story and is a real pro when negotiating with the media.

We worked with WEM to run its first ever photographic competition with the theme ‘Extreme is Everywhere’. Judged by Mark Hannaford, master photographer Perou and  physician, speaker, martial artist, and citizen-scientist astronaut candidate Dr Shawna Pandya, it was a great success with an impressive 65 entries. Find out about the winner and runners up here.

All in all, we’ve had some great coverage so far. Several radio interviews with Radio Devon and Radio Manchester (and hopefully BBC Scotland soon), lots of local press – WEM is headquartered in Axminster, and national interest. I’m very proud of securing a feature with Reader’s Digest (as one of my friends said, soon to be read in many loos in the UK!).

Examples

• Readers Digest feature
• Fit and Well
• Dr Pandya announced as third judge
• Medics4Ukraine
• Mark’s talk at Beer Regatta

It’s always easier to provide a PR service when you get to know a client’s product or service first-hand. So it was that I recently found myself in the middle of the woods, at the Exmouth Forest School. This is one of several sites the group runs in Devon, to deliver its innovative outdoor ethos for education, experiences and training. The course I was joining was Learning Beyond the Classroom, aimed at teachers and volunteers working at primary and secondary schools.

This course aims to build confidence for teachers wanting to take classes outside, giving them ideas, practical skills and guidance on risk assessment. It’s held outdoors, unsurprisingly, with a a central campfire and overhead tarpulin in case of rain.

Just as I arrived, the course attendees were about to embark on a creative task – making faces out of mud! They used sticks and leaves they found in the woods to create the face, and soon discovered that it was more practical to make the face on a tree stump than an upright tree. Something called gravity…. Other activities included ‘ninja sticks’ which caused much hilarity and more than a litttle competitiveness. Interwoven with the activities was serious discussion around the campfire, which gave me a real insight into how teachers can really use the outdoors to encourage learning.

While I was there a toddler group was also taking place, giving me a great opportunity to have a sneak peek of children having a huge amount of fun in natural woodlands. And not just the children, but their parents too.

I’m really taken with what The Outdoors Group wants to achieve, and to be working with them as they expand and develop. From the work I’ve done so far, it’s clear that getting children outside has a huge beneficial impact on their wellbeing, development and social skills.

The Outdoors Group