Meet the Team: Fee Chandler, Freelancer

Welcome to the next instalment of our ‘Meet the Team’ series! This time, we are introducing Fee, a new recruit to Wilderness Expertise this year.

Hi Fee, tell us a bit about yourself.

I am an outdoor instructor, former geography teacher, mountain-obsessed, am somewhat caffeine-dependent and I am definitely more comfortable in hike boots than work shoes!

Ever since I was little and pitched my own two man tent in the garden for sleepovers, Living a Life Full of Adventures has been my game plan – and a massive part of that is about exploring Britain’s wild places and the world! At times, I’ve been a scout leader, a canoe instructor, a caving instructor and now an outdoor instructor for DofE. But this latest phase began really when my marketing career took me to Oxford Brookes University, where I developed a passion for education and developing young people. I re-trained as a Geography teacher – combining my love of the world with my passion for developing students – and yes, I was that teacher who went on every school residential and always had maps and mud in their schoolbag!  It was a privilege to lead our school’s expeditions to Iceland, Morocco, Croatia, Eswatini and Albania.

These days, you’ll find me hanging about on footpaths or somewhere wild – sharing my passion for adventure…

What do you love about working for WE?

Easy. I saw how they helped my students develop when I was a teacher and we worked together on DofE Bronze, Silver and Gold expeditions  – they’re safe, inspiring, and with a serious amount of experience and expertise. Now I get to be part of the transformative magic!

What do you enjoy about working with young people and their DofE award?

The DofE is more than just a badge.  It’s empowering. As a scout, my own DofE Gold had a significant impact on my life. It taught me to plan and develop my own adventures – not just sitting around waiting for something to happen, but about making it happen. It’s about finding confidence, self-esteem and problem-solving, plus it’s fun and brings an array of lifelong memories.

What are your passions and hobbies?

 I love an adventure, whether that’s exploring new routes on my bike locally, discovering a new-to-me mountain in the national parks or undertaking world travel – but I also make a mean chocolate cupcake.

Best Adventures so far…
• Favourite wild camp: Makalu Base Camp, Nepal (5,250m of snowy bliss!)
• Favourite UK climb: Tryfan – always epic.
• Places I’ve roamed: Iceland, Morocco, eSwatini, Croatia, Albania, Nepal, The Dolomites, The Austrian Alps, Rockies… In terms of continents travelled, I’m only missing Antarctica!
• Best mountain snack: chocolate chips only from the trail mix and a cheeky mini pork pie.
• Best life decision: starting my “Re-wilding Project” and chasing my Mountain Leader qualification!

Anything else you’d like to share.

 Qualified in all the useful stuff: DofE Supervisor/Assessor, Outdoor Remote First Aid, Mental Health Awareness, SEN pastoral support.

#OutdoorEducation #DofE #WildPlaces #YouthDevelopment #WEteam #MountainLife #RewildingMe #AdventureEducator #TeacherGoneWild

We are so excited to have Fee join our amazing team of freelancers and am sure you will love sharing your adventures with her too.