WOODCRAFT SCHOOL
John Rhyder is a director of Woodcraft School, a professional bushcraft company based in Sussex. He is a dedicated teacher and has 20 years of experience teaching the military, schools and colleges plus many years acting as head instructor for Ray Mears. John and the team have been featured on television, radio and in the national press.
Woodcraft School is responsible for a range of new accredited courses in bushcraft including a very popular year long instructor programme run through the NCFE. We are also proud to be the first bushcraft company to deliver a GCSE equivalent in the form of our Modern Woodland Apprentice. Tied in with the John Muir Award, this course helps young people learn skills outside of the normal classroom environment.
Johns knowledge is vast and one that he will willingly share with enthusiasm so please come and meet him on our stand (Sat or Sun only) or see his talks on Plants and Tree Identification at the show.

NORTH RIDGE ADVENTURE
Duncan Clark heads up North Ridge Adventure and is dedicated to survival training which boosts self belief and confidence through a combination of skills, practice and experience gained.
Duncan's personal skills are well rounded having grown up with the family shooting, fishing and foraging for everything from wild fruit and nuts to roots and fungi, becoming proficient in combat survival techniques and enjoying many years experience of climbing and bivouacs around the world. He is supported by a great team of instructors bringing their outdoor, sporting and military skills to the courses which often have surprise menus!

In 2011 North Ridge Adventure are excited to be launching a 12 month long Survival Instructor course which we are uniquely able to provide off the back of our Adventure Training.  Candidates will equip themselves for a range of situations and environments, learning navigation, climbing & abseiling skills plus mountain survival and hostile environment techniques as well as the lowland/ forest based skills which you would expect. All modules are led by instructors with appropriate NGB qualifications.

If that all sounds a bit too serious, why not consider a short introductory course where we can introduce you to many of the same skills, in a fun and relaxed environment, suitable for families, friends, work colleagues and even stag/hen parties who want a weekend with a difference.  Why not stop by for a chat at the gathering and see what we can offer you?

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WOODLAND SURVIVAL CRAFTS
One of the longest established schools of Bushcraft having been set up in 1995 by Dave Watson LPIOL.  Being in the outdoor industry all his adult life Dave`s focus has consistently been about how to develop and inspire people. He created the first OCN units in Bushcraft which have been used primarily to train young people. In 2007 Dave instigated the Bushcraft and Survival Skills Special Interest Group within the Institute for Outdoor Learning. Working with the IOL and other leading professionals in the Bushcraft world we have developed the Foundational Bushcraft Competency Certificate that is helping create a baseline of skills and safety in the Outdoor world. In 2008 Dave was awarded Leading Practitioner status with the IOL and  is regularly asked to run workshops and seminars. He has regularly written for Bushcraft and Survival Skills magazine as well as other publications.

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WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SKILLS
"The outdoors has always played a huge part in Joe’s life. Early influences such as the book ‘Danny, The Champion Of The World’ ensured that almost every weekend consisted of some kind of woodland camp out or hare brained outdoor adventure.
This passion for spending time in wild places developed into a personal quest to learn more about the countryside and how we were once reliant on the plants, trees and wildlife for all of our daily needs.
Eight years military service developed those early experiences into useful skills. After leaving the army these skills grew further still learning from some of the best bushcraft instructors in the UK whilst utilizing his trade as a carpenter joiner making furniture from reclaimed wood.
Deciding that the best way to learn is to teach, he spent five years working as an instructor for a leading UK survival/bushcraft school before setting up Wilderness Survival Skills. He is now supported by a team of bushcraft professionals teaching courses ranging from beginner days to week long advanced.
He also writes regularly for the countries leading Bushcraft magazine 'Bushcraft & Survival Skills' and his first book 'The Wilderness Survival Guide' will be in all good book shops Autumn 2010."

WOODLAND WAYS
Jason set up Woodland Ways in order to build on the tradition of teaching Bushcraft and Survival Skills, with an emphasis on the protection and conservation of those environments we work within.
The team at woodland Ways help people to develop an understanding of what nature can provide, in a sustainable way, to learn the skills of our ancestors. Through practical, hands on training, we teach skills including building your own shelter, collecting and purifying water, fire lighting by friction, traps and snares, game and mammal preparation, navigation and natural foods to name just a few. All our instructors come from a forestry/conservation background and so at the Wilderness Gathering this year the Woodland ways team will be using in depth knowledge of Flora to provide free tuition on tree identification skills.
Jason will also be drawing on his experience of Desert travel to discuss "Using your vehicle as your survival resource".

MOUNTAIN & BUSHCRAFT WAYS
Mountain & Bushcraft Ways is run by George Yeomans providing a range of accredited and non-accredited bushcraft courses for personal and professional development. George has a wide range of outdoor experience both here and abroad and is qualified as an Outdoor Education teacher, NCFE Bushcraft Instructor and a Summer, Winter and International Mountain leader. He is a member and trainer on a Scottish Mountain Rescue team and is a registered provider for the National Navigation Award Scheme.

WILD FOOD SCHOOL
Marcus Harrison runs Wild Food School courses in Cornwall, writes about the 'edible wild', and researches and experiments the use of wild plants in mainstream food - taking mere 'survival foods' and weeds and transforming these into something palatable. WFS day and weekend courses are adapted to the needs of participants; whether it is a survival food slant, an ethnobotanical twist, or simply identifying and using the edible wild in more traditional cooking. Distance-learning courses are also available by post.

NOMAD BUSHCRAFT
Andrew Packer and Carrie Orton of Nomad Bushcraft. Nomad Bushcraft was formed to teach and promote the science and art of survival to people of all ages. Drawing on simple proven techniques, we teach that the art of survival relies upon developing an awareness of the environment around you and using resources you find harmoniously with nature. Andrew is an Environmental Scientist with over 10 years field experience working in some of the World's most hostile environments.  Over his career he has worked in the fields of conservation, environmental monitoring and emergency planning. Andrew has developed the courses run by Nomad  Bushcraft from his years of study of survival skills. Andrew's specialist skills interest areas include making aboriginal tools and flint-knapping.
Carrie has worked closely with Andrew over the last 6 years helping to develop the Nomad Bushcraft courses and resources. Carrie is an assistant instructor on many of our courses and has learnt much of her Bushcraft directly from our programme.

BACKWOODS SURVIVAL SCHOOL
Patrick McGlinchey runs Backwoods Survival School, based near Glasgow, in Scotland, teaching introductory, advanced and individually tailored group and family courses in survival and wilderness living skills. Patrick's deep love for and affinity with the natural world, particularly woodland and shoreline, started in childhood, with many of his youthful activities being inspired by Larry Olsen. He studied originally as an artist at Glasgow School of Art which has helped him enhance his observations of nature. Patrick trained in survival techniques at one of the longest established survival schools in the UK, where he went on to become an instructor for several years. Further training and extensive travel have broadened his knowledge, and experience with alternative cultures has influenced his teachings. He takes great satisfaction from sharing his knowledge with others and regularly puts his wilderness living skills into practice. He has lived off the land on many occasions for periods up to 2 months and is a firm believer in ‘practice what you teach'

CENTRE FOR CRITICAL INCIDENT RESEARCH
Dr Jon Cole is a psychologist specialising in high stakes decision making in various situations. The CCIR is an internationally recognised centre for the study of decision making when things go badly wrong.

COASTAL SURVIVAL
Coastal Survival School run Bushcraft Survival courses to help you experience, practice and understand Bushcraft Survival skills and resources in a coastal location. Coastal survival school use many different and diverse coastal locations. We are based near the Devon/Dorset boarders and currently run courses along the Jurassic Coast and the Llyn peninsula in North West Wales. Coastal survival school courses are suitable for all skill levels, individuals and groups of up to 12 can enjoy having fun learning valuable skills. The UK Coast line is a beautiful and sometimes wild environment, with an abundance of wild food, fish and shellfish. Learn how to collect, catch and cook them, along with the other essential skills needed to both Survive and enjoy the great outdoors

BRUCE MACDONALD
Have you ever looked up at the stars at night and wondered where the pole star is? Or have you thought about beginning astronomy but do not know where to start? This tour of the late summer evening constellations will show you where to
look to find some of the best naked eye sights in the sky and there may be a couple of surprises along the way! No equipment required although you may want to bring a blanket to lay on and some binoculars.

SURVIVAL SCHOOL
Survival School believes that wilderness bushcraft is about - Learning to live with nature, Enjoying yourself, Respecting the environment, Pushing back the boundaries of what you are capable of, Learning new skills and meeting new people, Trying new ideas. Survival School courses are designed to be fun and safe, (we have had a recent Health and Safety Inspection) whilst passing on the knowledge you need to be able to live comfortably in the wilderness.  Our instructors will spend time with each participant, ensuring that they get enough knowledge and practice on each skill to be able to master it before leaving the course. All courses are practical, hands on experiences.  You will get the chance to try new skills and techniques, see the edible plants in their natural habitat, build your own shelters and have all the fun and laughs that go with wilderness bushcraft. Chief Instructor - Jonny Crockett

ROWLAND JONES
Rowland Jones trained as a teacher in woodwork & metalwork, and taught in schools for a number of years before specialising in the repair of old buildings using traditional materials.  He has also worked as a shipwright.  One of his most rewarding projects was helping in the repair of the Kathleen & May, a 100 year old wooden schooner berthed at Bideford.  Currently, he shares his survival & bushcraft skills as an instructor with the Army Cadet Force.

TONY DEACON
Tony Deacon has been an angler and interested in the outdoors since he can remember. He has fished for a variety of fresh and salt water species in Europe , North America and Southern Africa. Tony has held the prestigious Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructor (APGAI) qualification since 1989, was sometime Director of the Game Angling Instructors' Association, Editor of the Flydresser magazine and tackle and equipment reviewer for Britain 's oldest game angling monthly magazine. Tony has a B.Sc Hons degree in metallurgy.

Organisers: Roger Harrington and Dominic Harvey