Group Members

Here are the leaders and venturers for the Poland 2008 expedition!





Ruth Norman Name: Ruth Norman (group leader)

Date of Birth: July 1982

Occupation: Graduate Civil Engineer

Bio: I'm from Hawick and was a venturer on the BEG expedition to Mongolia in 1999. After finishing 6th year at Hawick High School in 2000, I spent 6 months teaching English at a convent boarding school outside Warsaw and I was bitten with the Poland bug! I've been back a couple of times since then, and each time the country offers new surprises and places to explore. I studied Civil & Environmental Engineering at Edinburgh Uni and am now working in the river engineering team of a consultancy in Edinburgh. I also got involved with the Duke of Edinburgh's award at school, and have been an award group leader in Edinburgh for almost 6 years now. I'm not very good at doing nothing, so I also play fiddle in a ceilidh band and teach Saturday morning music classes. And in my spare time (?!) you might find me doing a spot of DIY as I've recently moved to a house that's still in need of a wee bit of TLC.

Hobbies: Reading, cooking, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, ceilidh-ing, trying to improve my Polish!

On my iPod: Five for Fighting, Kate Rusby, Taylor Swift, Mika, Paul Simon, Dougie MacLean, Myslovitz and 2,000 words of intermediate Polish vocabulary

Favourite form of Relaxation: Making soup or lying looking at the sky in the countryside on a sunny day

If I was an animal, I'd be...: A sheep – they can't possibly be as stupid as they seem – I suspect they are trying to lull us into a false sense of security before unleashing their supreme intellect and staging a global coup. Only joking about that bit, but I do think they're kind of cool.





Name: Adam (venturer)













Name: Ailsa (venturer)













Aimee Mallin Name: Aimee (leader)

Date of Birth: March 1989

Occupation: Student - Biological Sciences

Bio: Don't take anything seriously (as you can see). I have just moved up to Edinburgh from Hawick and am in my first year of university. I'm studying Biological Sciences and my Honours is in Neuroscience. Last summer I went to Zambia with BEG as a ventuerer and had an ace time. It was a once in a lifetime experience. And that's why I'm back this year for a second expedition!!

Hobbies: Distracting people, making a mess and just having fun

On my iPod: Too much random music to even start listing it.

Favourite form of Relaxation: Just sitting around chilling out, maxin', relaxin' all cool, and y'all shootin' some b-ball outside of the school....

If I was an animal, I'd be...: Kangaroo - because I'm a wee bit excitable and literally a bit bouncey.





Name: Charis (venturer)

Date of Birth: March 1991

Occupation: Student at Selkirk High School

Bio: Currently in 6th year, taking Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Survival Cookery (as dramatic as it sounds, believe me). Hoping to study medicine at uni later this year.

Hobbies: Walking Talla (mon chien), playing various instruments and a recent convert of cardio-boxing. Speaking franglais. Not adverse to the odd rave.

On my iPod: Everything from Rammstein to Mika via Pink Floyd and Prodigy, my music taste is best described as eclectic.

Favourite form of relaxation: Watching so-cheesy-it's-funny movies or reading a good book in front of the fire.

If I were an animal I'd be...: A mountain goat – likes climbing and a kid at heart (heh).













Name: Charlotte (venturer)

DOB: November 1990

Occupation: student to be

Bio: having gap year to make up for the last 6.

Favourite form of relaxation: listening to music.

What's on your ipod: fall out boy, foo fighters, killers, manic street preachers, hoosiers, mika...

If I was an animal I would be...: a cat (no cliche)













Dan Simmonds Name: Dan Simmonds (leader)

DOB: Aug 1960

Occupation: Firefighter

Bio: Grew up in Hertfordshire, joined the Royal Navy at 16. Fireservice at 19. Moved to Scotland in 2001.

Hobbies: Walking, mountain biking, running and motorcycling.

What's on your ipod: Arcade fire, Air, Pink Floyd, anything Rave/Trance

Favourite form of relaxation: Walking in the hills

If I was an animal I would be...: a mongoose













Name: Hannah (venturer)

Date of Birth: December 1990

Occupation: Student at Hawick High School

Bio: Just moved up from England, and loving the Borders so far, despite the weather.

Hobbies: Dancing and singing around the bedroom, watching endless movies, and making computer graphics.

On my iPod: The Shins, Doves, Coldplay, Sigur Ros, Snow Patrol, Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Foo Fighters, Fightstar and so much more.

Favourite form of relaxation: Snuggled up on the sofa with my water bottle.

If I were an animal I'd be...: a wild horse... running free in the forest... away from all harm.





Name: Jessica (venturer)













Nancy Anderson Name: Nancy (leader)

Date of Birth: May 1956

Occupation: Paediatric Ocupational Therapist

Bio: Born and brought up on hill farm in Perthshire. Studied in Edinburgh. Married to Les with two grown up children. Member of Peru leader team and chief leader on the Norway expedition in 2006.

Hobbies: Hill walking,swimming, keepfit, skiing, reading, travel, meal at home with good friends

Favourite form of Relaxation: A good hill walk or a gin and a good book

If I was an animal, I'd be...: I would be a golden retriever - not particularly clever but soft and reliable!





Rachel Elliot Name: Rachel (leader)

Date of Birth: February 1985

Occupation: Biology Teacher

Bio: Currently I am working as a Biology Teacher at Jedburgh Grammar School. I have however also been turning my hand to English, Maths, French, Home Economics and Religious Studies! A former Hawick High School pupil, I graduated from Stirling University in 2006 with a degree in Biology and Education and spent my first year of teaching at Linlithgow Academy. At the moment I'm trying to save up enough money to go to a Film School in Africa so I can make wildlife documentaries. I blame too much Really Wild Show as a child.

Hobbies: Mountain biking and running, although lately it seems I spend more time washing mud off my bike and trainers than actually using them! On better days I like taking pictures. Of anything and everything. I also like board games but have scared everyone off by being far too competitive!

On my iPod: This week, I have mostly been listening to bands beginning with the word "the". The Kooks, The Feeling, The Magic Numbers, The Fratellis, The Young Knives, The Zutons and The View. Also on my iPod are Razorlight, Franz Ferdinand, Scouting for Girls, Rifles, Frou Frou, Regina Spektor, Angus & Julia Stone, Klaxons, Mystery Jets, Royksopp, Switchfoot and Wallis Bird. To name but a few!

Favourite form of Relaxation: Going out for a run with my iPod. Failing that a bottle of Grenache never goes wrong! (I had a great Fresh Prince lyric lined up for this answer but, well, Aimee beat me to it.)

If I was an animal, I'd be...: A Raccoon. They have it sorted. Eat for half the year, sleep for the rest! They also have stripy tails. And inspired a cult 80's cartoon show!





Name: Robbie (venturer)

Date of Birth: November 1991

Occupation: I go to Selkirk High School. Its a strange place.

Bio: I'm Robbie. I love music, my friends, my baby (he's my dog btw not an actual baby..no, i'm not insane!), and Dave Grohl (mmm). I've just forgotten my Bebo password. I think I've developed an allergy to my dog. I'm gonna read this later on and just think "why did i write that?" I don't understand people that like tomatoes in sandwiches - they total ruin them! and i don't understand people that don't like cheese. it. is. AMAZING! o yeah and I use that word far too much. Everything is "amazing". I need new shoes. But not new laces! And now im warbling... my hero is David Attenborough (but I didn't know how to spell his name haha I had to Google it) and my favourite song is my hero by Foo Fighters.

Hobbies: Moooosic! (playing and listening). Hanging about Selkirk/Gala/Hawick with friends and randoms. and Bebo, sadly. It just becomes kinda ingrained into weekly routine eh?

On my iPod: MUSE! who im just minorly obsessed with. Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Radiohead, Bloc party etc etc + Missy Higgins, Damien Rice, Elliot Smith blah blah blah + dancey stuff too actually...like Mylo, Ddaft Punk, lcd soundsystem, Pendulum, HADOUKEN! *rave* :D:D OH! and u know what I want? did anyone hear The Feeling in the Radio 1 live lounge a little while ago? They did that Kelly Rowland song, Put It In. It was soooooo amazinn! So camp and they were really feelin it. haha so to speak. I'm luvvin snoop dogg's new song too. s'well gud!

Favourite form of relaxation: cuppa tea + duvet + skins/peep show/love actually :P

If I were an animal I'd be...: a big blubbery seal! one of them that looks like they're always smilin away... skimmin though the water, happy as a clam... until a shark comes. but i wouldn't live in shark infested waters. that'd just be silly.





Ron Sutherland Name: Ron (leader)

DOB: Once upon a time

Occupation: The instruction of youngish people in the geomorphological scheme of things.

Bio: It makes me itch if it's the Ariel kind.

Hobbies: A piscatorial waste of time.

What's on your ipod: A couple of batteries.

Favourite form of relaxation: Three whiskies in a row.

If I was an animal I would be...: A medium sized giraffe that would never eat off the ground because that is when the lions can get them.









Name: Sophie (venturer)

Date of Birth: November 1990

Occupation: Student at Selkirk High School. As disorders go its fairly temporary. And hopefully there won't be any nasty long term affects.

Bio: It begins on the 10th May. (And some people accuse me of being pessimistic?)

Hobbies: Listening to music on repeat. Walking round in circles. Writing 'novels' without any endings. Reading novels without any plotlines. Having conversations I've had ten times before for the eleventh time. Having conversations I've had eleven times before for the twelfth time. Watching 15 minutes of a film just so I can complain all the way through the next ten minutes. Having to get someone else to explain to me what's happened in the ten minutes I was talking through. Complaining about that...Really I never get bored. Apart from in the advert breaks. And when somebody else has had the cheek to do the complaining for me. Or when actually it's not that rubbish a film...
Oh wait - this is supposed to be an 'outdoor'-y-kind of expedition...
Today, also, I cycled down a hill just so I could cycle up it. Sometimes I walk up even bigger hills just so I can get sore feet walking down the other side.

On my I-pod: It was decided long ago - back when the earth was smaller, colder, slimmer and unbothered by roaming celebrities and those people that complain about other people being politically correct all the time - that I am never to be trusted with any form of technology more complex than a kettle (and I even broke one of them today), least of all a technology that prides itself on being more losable, more breakable, more expensive and more awkward than any other. So I don't have an i-pod. I have a fluorescent pink CD player. No laughing. It's been six months and its still working. On my Fluorescent pink CD player (I often play) (in no particular order of embarrassment): Foo fighters, Linkin Park, Razorlight, Amy McDonald, Amy Whinehouse, Snow Patrol, Artic Monkeys, Mika, Evanescence, KT Tunstall etc. etc.

Favourite form of Relaxation: Finding a spot (like the spare room) far, far away from mankind or any other kind that constitutes the human race, and the rest of the world, where I can contemplate what a marvellous thing the human race, and the rest of the world, is, and how I really should make more of an effort to go see it occasionally. While walking round in circles. Listening to music on repeat.

If I were an animal I'd be: ...a salmon, that secretly wants to be a butterfly, but knows it'll never be more than a caterpillar, and more often than not ends up feeling a bit like a slug.