I am a retired schoolteacher. The aim of my Fellowship was to investigate future wilderness expedition areas for young people as an opportunity for their personal development. Organising and leading my expeditions meant I could keep costs down so that more youngsters could access an expedition.

I was lucky to be selected to go on an Operation Raleigh Expedition in 1976. It was a fantastic life-changing experience. I developed leadership, communication and teamwork skills, and was able to explore some remote and fragile living environments. I wanted to give similar opportunity to others.

I have led 12 youth expeditions to British Columbia, Queen Charlotte, Vancouver Islands, South Australia, Northern Ontario, Alaska, Norway, south and west Greenland. I was a Duke of Edinburgh's (DofE) Award leader and hundreds of students gained awards.

There have been many positive impacts as a result of my Fellowship, including expedition environmental projects leading to eco groups at school, projects winning many awards, including an Observer Ethical Award (Grow Your Own Clothes project), students travelling to Sweden, Abu Dhabi and The Gambia, and filming for CBBC and BBC Look North. Eco work was submitted towards the Isle of Man UNESCO application. My Fellowship enabled me to provide a more diverse educational environment.