Paul Marshall

Chief Operating Officer

Paul started as the part time Chief Operating Officer for BAPA in March 2022.  Previous to this role Paul has worked in the outdoor industry for over 35 years working for a variety of outdoor adventure providers and achieving a range of qualifications, trainer / provider roles.  Paul has worked for a National Governing Body in the sector and managed quality assurance schemes. Paul has his own small adventure business since 2005 delivering activities and offering a technical safety auditing service. Paul has been a BAPA inspector since 2004 and inspects for other schemes within the adventure sector. Paul still enjoys running activity sessions to a range of clients both on and off the water and can be found on a river or a hill in his spare time.

Ben Wire

Chair of BAPA

Company / sector you represent: Château Beaumont Ltd: Residential activity centre with cultural visits in France

Why you volunteered to be a Board member: I wanted to help extend and maintain standards in the activity sector
Best Activity memory: Designing the moulded climbing wall with Entreprises at the Château; it’s not high but it still delivers challenge and achievement for every level.
One thing you can’t live without: My wife… or cricket
Bucket list adventure: Drive a group of 4x4s from Alexandria to Cape Town. Can’t see it happening any time soon though!

Kate Lodge

Company Secretary

Company / sector you represent: Leisure and Recreation

Why you volunteered to be a board member: To ensure good industry representation, stronger partnerships, and improved quality standards
Best Activity memory: No single one, but lots of fun times, challenging times, and adventures that constantly change
One thing you can’t live without: Good coffee
Bucket list adventure: Heliskiing

Paul Kenwright

Board Director & Treasurer– Predominantly Safety and Compliance including the Code of Practice and Accreditation. Represents BAPA on Adventure UK Board

Company / sector you represent: PGL

Why you volunteered to be a board member: Personally committed and supported by PGL to ensuring experiences for young people are safe and match expectations.
Best Activity memory: Kayaking some big water on the Ganges in India, best and most terrifying.
One thing you can’t live without: Travelling and exploring new places.
Bucket list adventure: Raft the full length of the Grand Canyon.

Matt Smith

Board Director

Company / sector you represent: JCA – Compliance & Operations Manager – as well as the DSL for JCA and it’s sister companies.

Why you volunteered to be a Board member: It felt the right time for me to join BAPA both personally and professionally. I want to help BAPA members to create new partnerships and network with other Activity and Leisure providers to aid them with their own operations. I would like to be able to provide forums for members to ask questions and share best practices, this way BAPA is able to strive to have members that want the highest standards and the best for the whole sector. I believe that we all understand the successes and difficulties that we have throughout the operational period are similar across many of our members, but by sharing these successes and difficulties will hopefully create a stronger activity and leisure sector and an organisation that strives to support all its members.
Best Activity memory: I have been involved in training activity and leisure staff for many years and over the years have seen the development of some amazing staff. Some of my best memories have been of watching someone who arrived very nervous and the being away from home for the first time delivering an amazing session or being able to engage with large groups of people and standing there speaking to them all and holding their attention. Some of the staff that I have had the pleasure of working with have now moved on into other areas of the sector and have progressed into managers or directors of organisations that provide amazing experiences for young people.
One thing you cant live without: People, I enjoy being in other people’s company and talking/learning about their life and what they enjoy etc.
Bucket list adventure: I would like to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef with my wife and daughter.

Matt Rawlingson Plant

Board Director

Company: Mill On The Brue Activity Centre

Why you volunteered to be a board member: To represent the smaller centres within the organisation, up hold high standards in the industry and to ensure that our collective voice is stronger.
Best Activity memory:  One recent outdoor memory was on a 8 day trik in Nepal with my wifte and two teenage daughters.  Being in the mountains is my happy place.
One thing you can’t live without:  I really enjoy one good cup of coffee every day, life would simply be not as enjoyable!
Bucket list adventure:  Travelling from East to West coasts in South America using the most amount of modes of transport.