Life After PGL
Each year, a number of our staff team move on to bigger things and find themselves all over the world, often utilising the skills and experiences they discovered and developed at PGL.
Sue Hornby came to work for PGL as an 18 year old Group Leader in 1971. Working on the banks of the River Wye, Sue developed an interest in canoeing. She later joined her local canoe club and quickly progressed up through the sport to represent Great Britain and win medals at the World Championships. Sue was also the first woman to kayak down the notorious Fraser Canyon in Canada.
Now the Youth Development Manager at the British Canoe Union, Sue spends her time introducing more young people to the sport she first fell in love with at PGL.
Ian Officer left his native New Zealand to work as an Activity Instructor for PGL in 1987, seeking a job that would enable him to work with children in the outdoors. After several years spent working for PGL in the summer and as a Ski Instructor in the winter, Ian progressed to be the Centre Manager of Segries then Tregoyd before joining the team at Head Office.
Ian has worked in the UK, French and Ski operations teams and is now PGL’s Operations Director, responsible for overseeing delivery of our products and ensuring our customer service levels are meet and exceeded.
Anna Zakotti joined PGL as an instructor for the work placement element of her outdoor education course at Hartpury College and is now a lecturer for the course she was once a student on.
Anna says, 'I had always wanted to get into sailing, but thought it was an expensive sport and I'd have no chance. PGL trained me from never having sat in a boat before to being an RYA-qualified Chief Instructor three years later. I worked in France and Spain during the operating season and in the training team at PGL's Head Office during the winter.
'I've used everything that I learnt during my time with PGL to get me to where I am now. The confidence, practical skills and teamwork I gained help me everyday in the job I have now. I loved every minute of my time with PGL - I've never looked back and I'd do it all again.'
Rhett MacDonald originally came from Australia to work for PGL as a Group Leader and progressed to take on a role as a Training Officer at our Head Office. In 2006, Rhett opted to fulfil his wish to take his group leading skills to Africa.
Based in Sierra Leone, he worked for Right to Play, a humanitarian organisation that uses sport and play programmes to encourage the healthy physical, social, and emotional development of refugee children, former child combatants, and young people at risk of, or orphaned by HIV and AIDS. Rhett now continues to work with young people in Africa, utilising the skills he first gained as a PGL Group Leader.
Dave Knaggs was looking for a good stepping stone into the outdoor industry and wanted to meet fellow people who enjoyed the activities he loved when started work as an instructor with PGL in 1999. During the four years he worked for PGL, Dave gained numerous RYA and BCU watersports coaching awards. Today, Dave is a tutor in outdoor education at Falmouth Marine School and, like Anna, many of his current students come to PGL for their work placements.
Adrian Gough worked as a Group Leader at Beam House and PGL's former centre Cwrt-y-Prior in the late 1990s. Adrain says he 'learnt to sing loads of silly songs and generally make an idiot of myself – surprising how often this comes in handy in life!'
More seriously however, Adrian saw first-hand at PGL the impact that outdoor education can have on the lives of young people. This has come in pretty handy as he is now Policy Advisor for the Government's Department for Children, Schools and Families, with responsibility for government policy on Learning Outside the Classroom.
Dani England had been on a PGL holiday when she was younger and loved it. She says, 'When I left school after my A Levels, I didn't want to go to university but still wanted to move away from home, so I decided PGL was a good start. Four seasons later I was still there and had discovered that I loved cooking.'
Dani worked her way up from Catering Assistant to Cook then Head Chef thanks to PGL's Apprenticeship Programme, gaining her NVQ Level 2 in Hospitality, Level 3 in Kitchen Management and her A2 Assessor award. Dani moved on from PGL in 2006 to become Chef de Partie at the Three Choirs Vineyard Hotel in Gloucestershire. She says, 'PGL helped me to get my career off to a great start as I'm now in charge of my own section of a restaurant with two AA Rosette awards.'
Alistair Swift came to work for PGL as a Tour Leader at Chateau de Grande Romaine near Paris in 2005 after graduating in French and German. He discovered how much he enjoyed working with young people and gained a valuable insight into school life from talking with the visiting teachers. Alistair is now joining the long tradition of PGL staff moving into the teaching profession, but we’re sure he’ll be back soon as a school party leader!