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Neil Hopkinson - Expedition
Leader |
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Manley Hopkinson - Expedition Leader |
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Louise Hopkinson Louise has guided and cajoled Neil during the development of Impala Adventures as she is able to channel his exuberance for life and adventure in the right direction. Her business and interpersonal relationship skills are second to none and she is often the "Agony Aunt" for our clients if they have any concerns both before and during their adventure. Louise's is a very competent off-road driver in her own right having crossed Lac Iriki by herself once or twice!. Her cooking and camp organisation skills are very welcome by all of the support because she will always have a ready meal and our tents prepared for us after a hard days support. |
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Alec Stoner- First String Support Alec joined Impala in the summer of 2001 after enjoying two adventures with us to Morocco and Lybia. He has become a firm friend and is one of our best support teams. His expertise lies in his leadership, navigation and search and rescue skills, Alec is a trained cartographer so reading maps is second nature. His caring support, motivation and enthusiasm are skills which enhance every adventure. Alec can always be relied upon to make the right decisions when confronted with a problem on route. Alec is supported by Mel in much the same way as Louise supports Neil. |
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Steve Pitt-First String Support Steve has supported adventures to Morocco and Russia with Neil and is another one of our irreplaceable support teams who has become an irreplaceable friend. His quiet confidence and guidance enhance any adventure with Impala. Steve has excellent interpersonal relationship skills which all of our clients appreciate when confronted with a sand storm or crossing a Russian bog in the Kola. Kirste Pitt(and Thomas) Kirste has supported her husband Steve in Morocco. She has fantastic corporate skills and we have enjoyed many a glass of wine at their desert camp over an evening meal. She is at the moment taking a couple of years out of supporting as a small boy called Thomas has appeared and in two years will become the youngest Impala Support to venture into the Sahara. |
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Johnny Dover and Nicole-First String Support Both Johnny and Nicole are first and foremost friends who have become Impala support. They completed their training last year in the soft sand of the Plage Blanche on the Moroccan Atlantic Coast. They both come from a flying background and the discipline and quick thinking needed in the air is put to good effect as Impala Support. Johnny is always smiling and would so to the ends of the Earth. Nicole is an excellent driver in her own right and she understands the bush as she hails from South Africa. |
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John Knights-First String Support.
John has supported Impala in The Lake District, Wales and Devon over the last few years. He has an immense amount of experience traveling the Mohab Desert in America as well as in Namibia. John is another one of our team who just gets on with the job and is always in the right place at the right time. He also spends a lot of his time as a senior instructor with The Landrover Experience in the Lake District. |
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Robin
Dalton-First String Support
I first met Robin in Namibia at the Cardboard Box backpackers lodge whilst I was running a reconnaissance for our first Namibian Adventure. He asked if he could join us and quite frankly has never looked back. He has a quiet strength which clients find very comforting when the dunes are difficult or the day is long. His driving skills are far above his own perception. |
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Jamie Preston and Helen-First String Support Jamie has supported our adventures to Morocco a number of times as well as running a couple of Greenlane days here in England for Impala. His Off Road driving skills are second to none and it is always a pleasure to watch him pilot his Landrover 90 across the dunes of Lac Iriki. James and Helen(we all have these strong girls as our support) specialise in opening a route and very much enjoy finding that special wild camp site, normally requiring a challenging off road drive to get the last hundred meters or so!. |
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Mark Birch-First String Support I met Mark in the eighties while I was instructing at Palmersport when he had just left school. He has entered very successfully a number of our Off Road Competitions including the 24Challenge. We have trained Mark in Wales and also Morocco where he was ably tested and came through extremely well, it will not be long before he becomes a fully fledged support for Impala. For 2008 Mark is supporting me in Russia where his Off Road Challenge skills will come to the fore. |
Simon Streeter-Second String Support Simon has supported Impala admirably in England and Wales on our Greenlane events. He can often be found with his Discovery perched in a recovery position on some narrow rocky and slippery track in Devon or Wales. He has a knack of knowing exactly where he should be to assist our clients in their progress through the roadbook. He will shortly br supporting in Morocco and Russia. |
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| Carl Pedlay-Second String Support Carl supports Simon Streeter, they complement each other and have become an excellent dependable support team in England and Wales. They have been friends from school and as is so often the case came to Impala as clients first. Carl is a qualified Arborist and we have used his chainsaw skills a few times already in the forests of Russia and the woods of England and Wales. They will be supporting Impala in Morocco for 2009. |
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Peter and Lizze Bacon-Second String Support Peter and Lizze are our newest support team and are undergoing training over the next year or so. They have joined Impala on an adventure to Morocco as well as Greenlane adventures in England and Wales. It was in Morocco where I asked them to become support because they have all of the qualities needed to be an excellent Impala Team. |
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Will 'Berber Billy' Renwick -Second String Support Will is a recent convert to off-roading and would normally be found on the sea rather than in the desert - up until now. A former commander in the Royal Hong Kong Marine Police and a keen sailor, Will's leadership and navigation skills are vital for off-road expeditions, as well as his background in engineering. During a recent trip to Morocco, we almost lost Will to a Berber tribe, and you will find him sleeping under the stars on most nights (except in Wales!)
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Meet
the Team