DERWENT HILL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Centre Director
- Designer
- Trainer
- British Canoeing Level 5 Coach
Matt Ellis is the former Manager at Eden Valley Centre and the Deputy General Manager at Outward Bound Ullswater and the Outdoor Education Advisor for Cumbria and the Lake District National Park.
He has worked professionally in outdoor education and training for over 25yrs and is currently the Centre Director at Derwent Hill Outdoor Education Centre.
Matt is regularly asked to speak at local, regional and national events and has been a presenter at numerous high profile conferences and seminars. He is a full member of the Outdoor Education Advisors Panel and a long standing member of the Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres. Matt has been expert witness on several occasions and has worked extensively as an external consultant and advisor. He has had several articles published in outdoor magazines and professional journals and believes passionately in the value of outdoor and experiential learning.
Matt is a British Canoeing Level 5 Coach and the former Regional Coaching Organiser and Chair of Cumbria Canoeists. He was a member of the original group who together with Professor David Hopkins set up Adventure Learning Schools.
Matt has recently become a British Canoeing Endorsed Guide he has completed the Guide's Scheme because he believes in the leadership and guiding pathway that is now available through the British Canoeing range of awards.
Nigel has been a lifelong mountaineer and Paddler (Kayak & Canoe) since the age of 16, that's now 37 years ago! For most of that time Nigel has also been a keen, Fell Runner, Ski Mountaineer and Mountain Biker.
After gaining a PGCE in Geography & PE Nigel taught in schools for a while before working full time in Outdoor Education from 1987 in a variety of Centres and also as a Freelance Instructor. Nigel has held the Mountain Instructor Award since 1996 being active both in personal climbing and Instructing on the Scottish Winter climbing scene.
For a number of years, Nigel worked part time at Derwent Hill allowing 12 full winter seasons up North to feed his passion for the Scottish Winter hills, both for personal climbing and work with a wide variety of clients including working at Glenmore Lodge, Scotland's National Mountaineering Centre.
Nigel has considerable experience of delivering training & assessment on Mountain Training Award courses from SPA Climbing to Winter Mountain Leader.
In 2014, Nigel returned to work full time at Derwent Hill as a Senior Tutor and Educational Visits Advisor, utilising his wide experience. He retired from this role in 2020 but has remained on the Freelance Associate Tutor list.
In the pursuit of climbing, skiing and paddling adventures, Nigel has travelled widely throughout Europe, Scandinavia, N America and N Africa. In the last year Nigel has been Rock climbing in Morocco and Ice climbing in Arctic Norway both in little visited areas.
Sue has worked at Derwent Hill for almost 8 years and holds a wide range of outdoor qualifications, including The Mountain Instructor Award. She has a BA (Hons) in Sport, Health & Physical Education from Bangor University.
Sue began her working career in 1997 as a trainee Instructor at Howtown Outdoor Education Centre. She then went on to work for Dundee City Council for 6 years. She is proud of the contributions she made whilst working with disengaged young people and delivering Outdoor programmes to members of the public. Sue also acted as advisor for The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and established a highly successful and ongoing women's only group. More recently, she has worked in Norway with groups of young people, canoeing and trekking through the Stetesdal Mountains.
To enhance her practice, Sue has been studying part-time since September 2015 and has almost completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Outdoor Education at Moray House, University of Edinburgh. She takes her inspiration from the educationalist and environmentalist Patrick Geddes and his philosophy ‘Learning by doing' (hand, heart, head). Effective learning requires the individual to be both physically and emotionally engaged, experiencing both success and failure in order to learn about and develop themselves. Geddes also wrote "By Leaves we live" which for Sue cements the reliance of nature on human existence.
Sue finds her inspiration in the mountains where she will be found climbing or riding her mountain bike. She has followed her passions throughout the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, Africa and America, and this year fulfilled a dream to climb on the granite in the Lofoton Islands, Norway. Sue has ‘enjoyed' various mountain bike endurance events, winning the infamous Strathpuffer 24. She is also a secret Munroe bagger having less than 80 of the 282 left to summit!