Rosie Stancer Expand Some of Rosie's achievements: She was part of the first all-women relay team to reach The North Pole (1997); a member of the world's first all-female team to reach The South Pole; she conducted a solo expedition of 1,000 miles with no resupplies and a sledge weighing in excess of 120 kg to The South Pole; she smashed all previous speed records reaching the Pole in 43 days (fastest previously some 64 days); as well as, an epic, record-breaking expedition which has yet to be bettered. Rosie walked alone on the treacherous and violent arctic frozen ocean for 84 days before the ice disintegrated beyond any possibility of continuing. She had gone further than any other solo female attempt by several hundred nautical miles – setting another world record. Rosie uses her public profile to help charities. To date, those have included Special Olympics & The War Veteran Society. Historically, her expeditions have enjoyed the privilege of the Patronage of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. On each of the expeditions, Rosie undertakes research – meteorological, environmental and physiological. In the Arctic, she has supported Inuit Community project work.
Darren Gough Expand Darren, nicknamed the 'Rhino', is a retired England cricket player and former captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. The spearhead of England's bowling attack through much of the 1990s, he is England's second highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals with 234, and took 229 wickets in his 58 Test matches, making him England's ninth most successful wicket-taker of all time. In December 2005, Darren took part in the BBC television show Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with British National champion Lilia Kopylova. Gough noted that this would keep him fit while allowing him to spend the winter with his family and, visibly at least, had the support of his England colleagues. He went on to win both the main series and the 2005 Christmas Special. Two years later he returned to win the 2007 Christmas Special. Did you know that before joining Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Darren was a professional footballer at Barnsley!
Anna Gough Expand Anna grew up in a large family of six children, and from an early age, her love of animals grew. Sports were also a big part of Anna's life, and she was a very keen gymnast having represented her county. Weekends were filled with horse riding, show jumping and mounted games. Anna has a fierce competitive streak and set herself high standards in everything that she does. Anna worked in finance, the oil and gas industry and spent four years abroad in San Francisco after leaving school, which she says was hugely beneficial for her self-confidence. After spending many years being at home with her children, as Darren was away for many months of the year, Anna got herself back into education and qualified as a counsellor. Anna is very passionate about helping people with mental health issues and currently runs a holistic wellbeing business. Anna and Darren have run and organised four golf days and gala dinners for The Brain Tumour Trust and raised just short of 500k. The couple then took a two-year break from events, and it is during this time that they came across Veterans for Wildlife. And the rest, as they say, is history! What I find particularly rewarding is that it helps rehabilitate veterans and gives them purpose whilst tackling the huge problem of endangered species threatened with extinction. My love of animals has always been endless, especially when I see cruelty or neglect and have rescued dogs over the years and reaped the rewards of giving them a loving home. I look forward to raising as much awareness as possible and giving veterans and wildlife conservation the support they deserve.
Jason Fox Expand Foxy joined the Royal Marines at 16, serving for ten years, after which he passed the gruelling selection process for the Special Forces, serving with the Special Boat Service (SBS). During his time with the Special Boat Service, Foxy reached the rank of Sergeant. Planning and leading numerous operations including hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, counterinsurgency, surveillance, close protection as well as counter-narcotic missions. Foxy trained as a combat swimmer, demolitions expert, Special Forces dog handler and jungle survival expert. He left the Special Forces in 2012 and embarked upon a career in the corporate world. He began working for a facilities management company as a project manager, before leaving in 2014. He then went on to combine his expertise from the Special Forces with his experience in the business setting to conduct close protection details for many high-profile clients. 2015 saw Foxy move into the TV and Film industry, initially by using his wealth of experience in the Special Forces to support production crews who were working in hostile and remote areas, such as the jungle, the arctic or the desert. It was during this period that Foxy was part of the team that found the lost treasure of Captain Kidd – one of the most prolific pirates of the 17th century – just off the coast of Madagascar. Foxy went on to work both in front and behind the camera in 2015 for Channel 4’s first series of the prime time hit show, ‘SAS: Who Dares Wins’. He was one of the instructors who both starred in the show and designed the course for the candidates. Foxy is also one of the main contributors of a new book ‘SAS Who Dares Wins: Leadership Secrets from the Special Forces’. With his broad range of experiences, Foxy regularly leads and motivates teams in pressurised environments for the corporate world. He also designs and tailors specific packages for the ultimate team building exercise; where corporates are put through challenging and gruelling Special Forces drills. As if all these achievements weren't enough, Foxy has also undertaken a double world record-breaking row, unsupported, across the Atlantic ocean as part of Team Essence.
Aldo Kane Expand Aldo served for a total of 10 years, operating around the globe in many diverse environments. Including the recent campaigns in the Middle East. Since leaving the Royal Marines, Aldo now provides safety services for some of the world’s most important TV and film productions, often operating for long periods in some of the world’s most hostile and extreme environments. Aldo can often be found hanging about on ropes in places where the UK Foreign Office have banned all travel. As if all these achievements weren't enough, Aldo also formed part of Team Essence, which undertaken achieved the double world record-breaking row across the Atlantic Ocean.