Bushcraft and survival has been in my heart for as long as I can remember. For me it has grown and matured as I have. I have learned many skills over years, many of which were taught to me by my Father.

During the second world war my Father who was polish fought with the partisans against Germany’s occupation of Poland, it was during this period that he learned to survive the bitter Eastern European winters with little or no resources. So when I was born in 1958 he insisted teaching me these skills from an early age. He is no longer with us but I would thank him from the bottom of my heart.

We were lucky enough to live with a wood at the back of our house, where we would practice our skills, lighting fires, building shelters, foraging for food, my Mother would often despair at the weather conditions we would go out in. My father showed great patience with me when I wasn’t tall enough or strong enough to carry out a particular task and would spend many hours trying different ways to solve the problem. I never felt pressured or belittled by my failure but was taught and encouraged to treat it as a challenge. These times were very special to me and I look back on them with great fondness.