Mark Wood (explorer)
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Mark Wood | |
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![]() Mark Wood south pole solo | |
Born | Coventry, Warwickshire, England | 8 December 1966
Nationality | British |
Education | Stivichall Junior School,[1] Coventry & Finham Park School[2] |
Occupation(s) | British Army Firefighter in the Royal Berkshire, Fire and Rescue Service; expedition leader, expedition leader, professional speaker and author |
Awards | Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, United Nations Medal |
Military career | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Rank | Fusilier |
Unit | Royal Regiment of Fusiliers |
Website | www |
Mark Wood FRGS (born 1966), is a British explorer, professional speaker, expedition leader, and author. He served in the British Army in the Second Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and as a firefighter in the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. He subsequently became an explorer, and expedition leader where he has trained and led teams for major Polar and mountain expeditions in extreme environments such as the Arctic Circle, the Himalayas, Antarctica, Alaska, and the Canadian and Norwegian High Arctic to raise awareness of climate change and creates very large virtual classrooms in order to talk to schools and children about these issues.[3]
Early life and education
Mark was born in Coventry and attended two local schools: Stivichall Junior School[4] and Coventry Finham Park Comprehensive School.[5] Both schools are in Coventry, Warwickshire, England.
Military
Mark served in the British Army in the Second Battalion, of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, UK. He was in the military for a number of years and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal.
Firefighter
Once he left the military he became a firefighter in the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Expeditions and exploration
As an expedition leader and an explorer he has since 2003 been to various Polar regions ranging from reaching the Magnetic North Pole, the Geomagnetic North Pole twice, and solo expeditions to both the Geographic North Pole and the South Pole. He has worked with the BBC and Channel 5 on various documentaries, having trained teams of people to undertake expeditions,and led expeditions in the extremes of the planet. His documentaries range from: the life of dog teams in Alaska, surviving solo in the Polar extremes, the reality of global warming and its effect on the Arctic Ocean en route to the North Pole.[6] [7] More recently the aim of his expedition is to explain, to children in their classrooms, using the medium of Skype combined with film and sound, during his expeditions, the effects of global warming in the Polar regions where the effects of climate change and global warming are clearly evident.[7] As all of his expeditions are connected with climate change[6] and to empower the younger generations he works with the The Prince's Trust, he's a scout leader[8] for the 1st Pillerton Scout Group,[9] a patron of the Children's University,[10] an explorer for IGGY.[11]
Positions and awards
- Chair of the Great Britain and Ireland Chapter, The Explorers Club[12]
- Member of The Explorers Club, Norwegian Chapter[13]
- Royal Geographical Society Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society, London, England
- Explorer for IGGY[14]
- Polar Explorer for Warwick University[15]
- Ambassador of The Prince's Trust
- Scout Ambassador[16] to 1st Pillerton Scout Group[17]
- The Peoples Moon[18] Ambassador - Apollo 50th anniversary[18]
- Ambassador[7] to Sporting Equals[19]
- Patron of Children's University
- Patron of Patron for Hire A Hero[20]
Selected Publications
- Wood, Mark (2020). Rock & Ice: Expedition Photography (1st ed.). UK: Words by Design. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-909075-53-5. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Wood, Mark (2020). Solo Explorer (1st ed.). UK: Words by Design. pp. 162pp. ISBN 978-1-909075-52-8. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
References
- ^ "Stivichall Primary School". Stivichall Primary School. Stivichall Primary School. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ "Finham Park School". Finham Park School. Finham Park School. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ "Polar explorer Mark Wood reaches South Pole". BBC News. BBC. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Stivichall Primary School". Stivichall Primary School. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "Coventry Finham Park School". Coventry Finham Park School. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Coventry man's solo polar expedition for climate change". BBC News. BBC. 19 October 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
- ^ a b c "North South Solo expedition in association with SportingEquals - My life in a freezer" (PDF). Letter. 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "Scouts Stratford-upon-Avon - Ambassadors". Scouts 2020 Stratford upon Avon District Scouts. The Scouts. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ "Scouts Stratford-upon-Avon - Ambassadors". Scouts 2020 Stratford upon Avon District Scouts. The Scouts. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "Children's University". Children's University. Children's University Trust is the charity at the heart of the Children’s University network. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ IGGY is an international network of the brightest and most creative young people aged 13-18. "Smart Connections: Mark Wood". Warwick University. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "The Explorers Club: International Chapters". The Explorers Club. The Explorers Club. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ "Norwiegan Chapter, Explorers Club". Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ IGGY is an international network of the brightest and most creative young people aged 13-18. "Smart Connections: Mark Wood". Warwick University. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Warwick University - Polar Explorer". Warwick University. Warwick University. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- ^ "Mark Wood". stratfordscouts.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Scouts Stratford-upon-Avon - Ambassadors". Scouts 2020 Stratford upon Avon District Scouts. The Scouts. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ a b "Partners, Supporters and Ambassadors - The People's Moon 2019". The People's Moon. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Sporting Equals". Sporting Equals. Sporting Equals. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "Mark Wood - Patron". Hire a Hero. Hire a Hero 2019 :: Registered as Charity number 1143606. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
External links
- Mark Wood – Explorer
- Coventry man's solo polar expedition for climate change
- Coventry explorer Mark Wood reaches North Pole
- Wood, Mark (2020). Rock & Ice: Expedition Photography (1st ed.). UK: Words by Design. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-909075-53-5. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Wood, Mark (2020). Solo Explorer (1st ed.). UK: Words by Design. pp. 162pp. ISBN 978-1-909075-52-8. Retrieved 1 May 2020.