Former student returns with globetrotting tales

A former Gower College Swansea Performing Arts student recently returned to the Gorseinon campus to give an inspiring insight into the television and film industry and the globe-trotting opportunities it can provide.

Andrew Price, the business brain behind Dryad Bushcraft, is part of the Welsh Government's Big Ideas Role Model programme, which enables young people to meet up with successful local figures from a range of industries.

Since setting up his company, Andrew has been actively involved in the promotion of outdoor education and bushcraft throughout the UK, running courses for organisations including the Princes Trust, Groundworks, Mind, the Swansea Youth Service, YMCA and numerous schools, colleges and universities.

“Andrew is the perfect role model," says Enterprise Officer Lucy Turtle, who organised the event. "He has built a diverse career that saw him work as an outdoor pursuits instructor and television documentary researcher for the BBC and other media companies in London and Cardiff before establishing Dryad. During his talk with the Level 2 and 3 Performing Arts students, Andrew was able to demonstrate how to 'think entrepreneurial' while working in the industry and also emphasised the educational and creative aspects of the outdoors experience."

While participating in a Raleigh International expedition to Malaysia, Andrew became involved with several projects including the establishment of an Agro Forestry Farm Project in Sabah Borneo, which was intended to demonstrate sustainable farming methods in areas where 'slash and burn' were the traditional approach to land management.

Other aspects of this expedition included trail cutting in the Dannum Valley Wildlife Reserve and an irrigation project in the Cameron Highlands of peninsular Malaysia. This was the first of many experiences Andrew had of living with 'hunter gatherer peoples' - in this case the Orang Asli - learning about their fast disappearing lifestyle and the techniques that make it possible for them to live off the land.