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The Team
Inspire was formed in 2008 by Beth Chapman and Mike Lamb. Both Directors have extensive experience in the expedition sector and have worked as overseas Expedition/Project Leaders and as senior level Operations Staff in the UK.
Beth Chapman (Managing Director)
She has extensive experience of working and travelling in sub-Saharan Africa and has worked and travelled in the following countries: South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Peru, Chile and Bolivia.
She has a long history of working with partner organisations overseas and has set up three community projects for volunteers in Tanzania, Malawi and Swaziland as well as working as a Project Leader on these sites.
In her position as Managing Director of Inspire Beth is responsible for managing all our volunteer teams- ensuring they are well prepared, fully informed and take part in high quality projects and expeditions overseas. She manages relationships with our charity partners in Africa and other project sites.
Beth is also responsible for the safety and security of all participants and has developed Inspire’s operational and safety procedures to ensure all our expeditions are run in line with the newly recognised British Standard 8848 for Overseas Expedition Providers and best practice guidelines set down by the Young Explorers Trust. She has qualifications in Off-Site Safety Management (and is an accredited OSSM Trainer), Summer Mountain Leadership Training and Wilderness First Aid.
Mike Lamb (Technical Director)
Mike is a highly experienced expedition leader having led expeditions in Peru, Brazil, Kenya, Swaziland, Malawi, Madagascar, Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique. He has qualifications in Mountain Leadership, Wilderness First Aid, Mountain Biking, Kayaking, Quad-biking and Power Boating.
Mike has worked as an Outdoor Instructor for 3D Education and Adventure in Dorset, an educator at the Natural History Museum and has run educational programmes in several schools in Africa.
Mike is also a qualified teacher and currently works as a Biology and Psychology Teacher at Hurstpierpoint College in West Sussex. Mike’s experience in the education sector enables him to manage our Teacher Skills Exchange Programme and develop educational materials for our school/university/youth groups.
Ken Chapman (Educational Adviser)
Ken Chapman (M.Ed, B.A. PGCE, FIfL) has had over forty years experience in teaching in both the U.K. and also in Nairobi, Kenya. He started teaching as a secondary school Geography and Environmental Science specialist and left secondary school work at senior management level some time ago to work in the Further Education sector.
In recent years he was in charge of teacher training at a large Birmingham (U.K.) college and currently works in a part-time capacity in the Education Faculty of one of the city's universities. He has extensive experience of curriculum design and innovation and education project management.
In his role as our Educational Adviser Ken provides advice and support to our groups ensuring that each trip is a success for the group as well as our community partners.
Dr Jon Dallimore (Medical Adviser)
MB BS (Lond) MSc (Travel Med) MRCGP MCEM DCH DRCOG Dip Mount Med (UIAA) FFTM RCPS (Glasg)Dr Jon has spent a total of two years on 20 expeditions as doctor and/or leader. These expeditions have varied from the jungles of Sulawesi, Belize, Thailand and Ecuador to the deserts of Sinai, Namibia and Kenya and to the high mountains of East Africa, Arctic Greenland and the Himalayas.
Jon completed the UIAA Diploma in Mountain Medicine in September 2004 and is now a member of the UK teaching faculty. Jon has an MSc in travel medicine, is a member of the RGS medical cell, a contributing author to the RGS handbook 'Expedition Medicine' and a co-editor of the new OUP Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine.
Jon has developed a portfolio medical career, working as a staff grade doctor in the Emergency Department at Bristol Royal Infirmary, as a part-time GP an also a lecturer at Bristol University and advises medical students on their overseas electives. In addition he is an ALS and ATLS instructor.
Fred Simkins (Technical Adviser)
Fred currently works as Director of Outdoor Education and Educational Visits Co-Ordinator at Hurstpierpoint College, West Sussex. He is responsible for implementing and overseeing the health and safety requirements of all outdoor College activities including the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and any adventure activities (e.g. ski-ing, kayaking, mountain biking).
Qualifications: MLTT - Mountain Leader Summer , MLTT – Single Pitch Award (Climbing), BCU Level 3 Coach Inland or Sea, Alpine Ski Course Leader & CSIA/PSIA L2 Ski instructor, BSCA MTB & Trail leader, First Aid at Work – St John Ambulance First Aid Instructor & Assessor, OCR Off-Site Safety Manager RGS – Educational Visit Coordinator.
Alan Pattinson (Legal Adviser)
Alan has 20 years’ insurance industry experience and is a specialist in the field of travel and tourism. In addition to running his own liability scheme for Campbell Irvine, he is also provides bespoke advice on the individual needs of tour operators and travel agents and has access to a wide range of associated experts, including solicitors and investigators.
Qualifications: Cert CII, M.Inst.TT, IRIB
Sarah Charlton (Leader Malawi and Tanzania 2011)
Sarah has been working with Inspire since 2008 and led some of our first teams out to Malawi and Tanzania. She is an experienced leader and has run many expeditions and community projects across southern and eastern Africa.
As well as her wealth of overseas leading experience, Sarah has also worked with young people in the UK - running volunteer schemes for young people in Wales and captaining various sports teams at University. Sarah is currently completing her PGCE and will be starting her first year as an NQT teacher in 2011, after leading Inspire's trips to Malawi and Tanzania this summer.
Jenny Owen (Leader - Swaziland 2011)
Jenny has been working the the development sector for several years in different contexts - from working as a logistics officer for Raleigh International to helping students develop basic numeracy and literacy in Ecuador to Project Officer at the HIV/AIDS Alliance where she developed volunteering links between local NGOs and the corporate sector.
Jenny has worked as an Assistant Leader on several Inspire trips, including the Swaziland, Malawi and Uganda Projects and she can't wait to return to Swaziland this year. She loves being outdoors and completed her first marathon in Zurich last year. She has worked with volunteers in inner-city London as well as on youth development projects in South America and regularly takes part in various activities with the Territorial Army.
Geri Burton (Assistant Leader - Swaziland 2011)
Geri has worked for Inspire since 2010 and has worked as an Assistant Leader on both the Malawi and Tanzania projects. This year she will be heading out to Swaziland to experience the wildlife of the Lubombo Conservancy and the welcome of the Shewula Community.
Geri first set out to Africa in 2009, working for 6 weeks on a community project in Malawi and has since notched up work and travel across eastern Africa. She is studying for her degree in Economics, Politics and International Studies at Warwick University and currently captains the Hockey team. Her passion lies in working with young people in the development sector and she helps develop this interest by volunteering with READ international.
Tom is our newest Inspire recruit and we know he is going to be a fantastic Assistant Leader. Tom first visited Africa in 2009, where he spent 6 weeks working on a community project in Tanzania, followed by travel across South Africa, Malawi,Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, where he spent another 3 weeks volunteering on a second community project.
Tom is currently studying for his degree in History from Cambridge University and is looking forward to getting back out to Africa to assist Sarah lead our teams in Malawi and Tanzania this summer.
Andy caught the travel bug early on when he spent 2 months compiling species data in Madagascar whilst on a GAP year. While studying Zoology at University he continued his travels through Europe and South America. In 2007 Andy lead his first team on a community Project in Tanzania and has since gone on to lead numerous community projects and Expeditions throughout Eastern and Southern Africa as well as managing to squeeze in a 3 month adventure from Mexico City to Panama.
Andy enjoys keeping fit and recently took part in the gruelling 8 mile grim challenge and Brighton half marathon.
Rob Harris (Project Leader - Uganda 2010)
Rob studied a BSc in Biology and Geography, which let him loose in Africa for the first time and he fell in love with the people, places and wildlife. A subsequent MSc in Conservation Biology saw him roaming the plains of Kenya and Tanzania.
After a short stretch at Chester Zoo, Rob was offered the chance to lead trips for GAP volunteering organisation Quest Overseas; undertaking community and conservation work in Swaziland and Malawi and leading expeditions throughout Southern Africa.
Rob has also notched up trips to Central and South America, travelling and volunteering on a wildlife rehabilitation project. He currently works for conservation charity Fauna & Flora International in Cambridge and loves any excuse to put his rucksack back on and head out to Africa with Inspire.
