'Alex Staniforth is a record-breaking adventurer, ultra-endurance athlete, author and charity founder from Chester who is no stranger to overcoming challenges. By the age of 19 he had already survived the two biggest disasters in Mount Everest history, in two consecutive years. However, his biggest challenges have been closer to home: with mental ill health, epilepsy, stammering and bullying since school. He is the fastest person to climb all 100 UK county tops - covering 5,000 miles by human power in 72 days - and has raised over £100,000 for charity, being awarded the Pride of Britain Granada Reports Fundraiser of the Year 2017 and a Points of Light award from the Prime Minister in 2023. Alex has authored two books ‘Icefall’ and ‘Another Peak’, and in 2020 founded a national charity, Mind Over Mountains, to restore mental well-being through nature.'
Gilly McArthur describes herself as "a cold water swim coach, presenter, writer, and illustrator with a passion for ice, climbing, community and well-being." Throughout the past 20 years of Gilly working in the outdoors industry, she has mastered a fine skill of bringing people together. Whether it's a tight-knit men's swimming club, or a grand get-together of trad-climbing women, big or small, Gilly is a complete expert on creating warm, friendly, safe spaces for people to assemble and enjoy the outdoors.
From sailing the Atlantic Ocean solo, to swimming the length of Britain, we asked Jasmine Harrison what drives her to take on these monumental challenges, plus how she's prepping for her biggest adventure yet: a solo sail across the world.
For the final Q&A in our Rewilding series, we caught up with James Shooter; Lynx ambassador for SCOTLAND: The Big Picture and host of the Rewild Podcast. Read on to find out more about the benefits of having the lynx integrated back into nature, their history within the Scottish landscape and how we can help aid Scotland’s rewilding mission.
Sammantha Kinghorn is an internationally renowned wheelchair racer, having competed in the Paralympics, and the Commonwealth Games. Not only that, she is now one of the newest additions to the fantastic team of Countryfile presenters. Read on to find out how Sammi began on her racing journey, what it takes to prepare for championships like the Paralympics, and how she’s finding her new role with Countryfile.
