Travellers UK Team Biographies

TRAVELLERS UK TEAM

	Jennifer Perkes: Managing Director and Co-founder
	Jennifer and her husband, Phil, set up Travellers together back in 1994, driven by their mutual enjoyment of travelling (between them they had lived and worked in many different countries) and also their love of animals and their desire to help disadvantaged children. When Phil died unexpectedly in August 2004, Jennifer carried out Phil's wish and set up a non-profit Trust whose objectives are to help threatened animals and to improve the lives of disadvantaged children.
	The photo is of camera-shy Jen showing excited children on one of Travellers' projects in South Africa the photo she had just taken of them. Jen's hobbies include messing around on computers, music, writing, playing with her dog and trying to find time to smell life's roses!
	Countries visited: Australia, USA, Europe, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia, Angola, Malawi, Sudan, Tenerife, Minorca

	Mike Ecclestone: Director of Operations
	Joined Travellers: 2002, after having completed a Travellers project in Sri Lanka
	Continents & Countries Visited: Africa: Egypt, The Gambia, Morocco, Tunisia., Asia: India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand., Australasia: Australia., Europe: Over 20 and counting! The Americas: Cuba, Guatemala, USA, Brazil, Paraguay
	A Few Favourites ... Country: Pass, that's just too hard as I love them all! Island: Sri Lanka/Borneo/Team GB! Beach: Raleigh Beach (Krabi), Thailand. Town: Antigua, Guatemala / Chang Mai, Thailand. Mountain: Le Grande Motte, French Alps.
	Hobbies: Snowboarding/Scuba/Sport in general...
	Ambitions: To gain my pilot's licence (PPL). To conquer the Himalaya's. It might take some time!

	Avin Garemogg: Director of IT and IS
	Avin joined Travellers full-time in 2005 but had previously looked after Travellers IT and IS ever since the organisation began thirteen years ago. Prior to joining Travellers, Avin was an IT consultant specialising in large scale Citrix deployments. He also has more IT qualifications than we could possibly fit on this page!
	Avin has a wife and two children and did start to learn to play guitar... but we haven't heard any more about it so we assume he's given that one up! His weekends are often taken up on motorcyling around the local countryside. He also enjoys reading (loves science fiction), music, tech geek stuff - and all things Brazilian, including one particular lady (whom he has now married)!
	Countries Visited: Avin has visited Bognor Regis. (He has also been to the USA, Brazil, Morocco, Egypt and a significant amount of Europe.)

	Mark Johnson: Marketing Manager
	Mark joined in September 2010 and comes from an extensive Marketing background. He is tasked with getting the great projects that Travellers has to offer under the noses of as many people as possible and to highlight why Travellers Worldwide really is the best of it’s kind – worthwhile projects with unrivalled ground support for volunteers in country and at home.
	Having gotten the long distance travel bug out of his system, Mark likes to holiday with his young family closer to home now and is on track to conquer Europe!
	Countries visited: Cyprus, Greece, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, Sicily, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar, Majorca, Menorca, Malta, Morocco, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Morocco, USA, Nassau, Antigua, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Saint Martin

Liz Tratt: Project Co-ordinator and Office Manager

Liz joined Travellers in 2005 and joint co-ordinates the placements in Australia, New Zealand, China. She was recently promoted to Office Manager and uses her not inconsiderable organisational skills to keep the office (and us) all in line. Liz is very well liked by staff and project members alike, and very much loved by the children in the schools she deals with in her destination countries.

A fair chunk of her day is spent trying to stop Travellers' Head of Security stealing papers out of her wastepaper bin and chewing the fluffy blue slippers she likes to wear in the office!

She recently visited the Travellers project at eMakhosini primary school in a small Zulu village in South Africa. She was overwhelmed by the welcome she received from the kids at the school and tears still come to her eyes when she thinks about them (Liz is a big softie!).

Countries visited: Thailand, Singapore, Bali, Belize, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, USA, Canada, South Africa, Egypt, Zambia and Zimbabwe

	Kelly Day: Administration
	Kelly joined Travellers in 2004 and joint co-ordinates the placements in Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe. She cooks a mean pasta which she often shares around at lunchtime. Kelly also organises our social events, which we all thoroughly enjoy and can't thank her enough for.
	Her skills and knowledge (and also her sweet smile and infinite willingness to help anybody do anything) have made her a very valued and well liked part of the team, but she's shy and modest and so she blushes furiously every time we tell her that!
	Ambitions: To see the wildebeest migration, and to climb Mount Kilimanjaro eventually.
	Countries visited: Cyprus, Mexico, Kenya, India, Malawi, Tanzania, Egypt, USA, Barbados, The Gambia, Tunisia, Turkey, Malta, and amongst other countries in Europe, the Ukraine.

Katie Gray: Project Co-ordinator

Kate joined Travellers early in 2006.

She enjoys wakeboarding, snowboarding, surfing and being outdoors. She's recently taken to riding a huge motorbike, which scares all of us to death!

"I haven't done that much travelling but I have been lucky enough to visit Ghana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa over the last couple of years and have now fallen in love with Africa, the people, the scenery, the culture and the amazing wildlife"

Ambitions: To run the marathon one day "(although I am not sure if this will ever happen!)"

Countries visited: America, Barbados, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Egypt..... so far.

Kate recently got married to Jamie (and about time too!) and acquired an adorable puppy called Smudge who she's really hoping is going to stop chewing up everything. Good luck with that one, Kate!

Letitia Hardy: Marketing Executive

Wanderlust took Letty to Sri Lanka on a Travellers conservation placement after Uni and hanging with elephants whilst eating juicy pineapple on red dusty roads made her long for more! Making friends for life on her placement she set off around the world, losing herself amidst wandering babas, chai fuelled meditations, beaches and mountains.

Returning wanting to tell the whole world to travel, Letty started working for Travellers for four happy years before jumping on a plane to Tokyo to teach English for a year in Japan, eat noodles, struggle to be vegetarian and amaze herself with supertechno toilets, rampacked trains and an overriding sense of zen.

Back to Travellers Letty now answers emails from enquiries and helps with marketing and and joint co-ordinates the placements in Australia, New Zealand, China. A Capoeira enthusiast, Letty is delighted to be back in Brighton and is awaiting her first baby! [Baby has now arrived and she's adorable!]

Countries visited: Europe, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Bali, India, Australia, USA and Japan.

Andrew Kemp: Overseas Development Manager and Project Co-ordinator

Andrew's first volunteering placement with Travellers was in South Africa, teaching English and Design Technology at Percy Mdala School. His love of Africa has taken him back there over eight times.

Andy is in charge of our Overseas Development. He also co-ordinates placements in Australia, Cambodia, Morocco, Peru, Thailand. He assists in many other areas, too, including Marketing, and generally turns his hand to a host of other essential work.

Andy loves travelling - and he falls in love with every country he goes to. His latest passion is the Middle East, Northern Scandinavia, plus a few other regions.

Countries visited: South Africa, Ghana, China, Egypt, Cambodia, Colombia, Swaziland, Argentina, Bolivia, Indonesia, Peru, Tanzania, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Morocco, India, Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe

He's also spent a few years in Australia and New Zealand as Acting Manager and Volunteer Liaison.

Andy has recently got married to Amber, a terrific Australian girl he met while living over there.

	Kath Mortimore: Project Co-ordinator
	Kath has recently joined Travellers to co-ordinate projects in Malaysia and joint co-ordinate projects in Ghana, Kenya, Malaysia, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Having grafted hard since leaving education (many years ago!), unlike many of her fellow-colleagues, she has not been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to take time out to travel, but tries to journey far afield on her holidays. Kath is a huge ‘foodie’ (obsessively so!) and when not eating or cooking, enjoys photography, as well as trying to burn off her indulgent calorie consumption at the gym. Countries visited: China, Thailand, Cambodia, Bali, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Nepal, South Africa, Kenya, Eqypt, Morocco, Turkey, Greece, USA, Canada and much of Europe.

Stephanie Mueller-Davis: Project Co-ordinator

Stephanie joined Travellers in June 2009.

Originally from Germany, Stephanie moved to the UK in 2006 and has now settled down with her husband here in Worthing.

She has a degree (Diplom, German university degree) in Business Studies with a major in Tourism Management and Marketing.

Countries visited: Australia, Thailand and various European countries

Ivy Nimako: Intern / Administration

Ivy Nimako is studying Tourism Management at Bournemouth Uni. As part of her placement she is required to do a 40 week work placement, hence why we are lucky enough to have her!

Ivy helps with all sorts from dealing with Ghana to general administration and phone calls. You may well hear from Ivy as she helps out everyone in the UK office! Ivy has a passion for shopping and is a bit of a book worm with a particular love for Crime thrillers.

Countries visited: Originally travelling from her home country of Ghana she would love to travel more when the opportunity presents itself.

Elizabeth Nolan: Marketing

Elizabeth had her first taste of the travelling bug when she taught English on a Travellers project in China. This began her love affair with all things Eastern, particularly noodles and the hairstyle of one particular Yak she met. She then journeyed around Asia, spending time meditating up a mountain in Tibet, befriending camels in the Gobi Desert and teaching a bit more at an orphanage in Cambodia (pictured here with some of the children). She sees China as her soul-home, has lived there for over a year altogether and is currently trying to master Mandarin Chinese.

She loves going to music festivals, writing & photography and being outside. Back at home in the UK, she discovered Capoeira, which changed her life to such an extent that she ran over to Brazil as soon as her pennies would allow. It was here that she truly discovered the meaning of the word ‘relax’ and was won over by the Brazilian axe (energy), while learning Capoeria on the beach and sipping caipirinhas under the sun!

Elizabeth has gone back to Uni and now works part-time helping with Marketing and general assistance.

Countries Visited: Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Laos, Paraguay, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Tibet.

	Shappa Perkes: Head of Security
	Shappa, the Dog - our resident Head of Security, a loveable Doberman who insists on running off with our shoes, papers, and anything he can get his teeth on!
	Shappa's security instincts are appreciated by everyone - except the postman, delivery men, meter readers, Kate's chickens ......
	His hobbies are varied and include eating, walking, exploring, chewing stolen shoes and testing equipment, such as the heaters.
	Countries Visited: England. Shappa would love to visit more countries, but they would make him fly in a box and, as he says, "If I can't sit on a seat like everyone else, I just ain't gonna do it!"

Ben Pryce: Marketing, Design and much more!

Ben studied Photography at university and enjoys all things creative. He is part of the Marketing team and is our expert on tubes, spaces, pods, etc.

He loves cooking and can rustle up a mean veggie curry (even if he does say so himself!). Another of Ben’s passions is Music and and watching live performances and going to music festivals.

Ben also designs a lot of our materials and processes the videos that we receive from our volunteers for our website.

Countries visited:, Cyprus, India, Tunisia, Europe and the USA. He would like to have the opportunity to travel and see more countries.

Suite 2A, Caravelle House, 17/19 Goring Road, Worthing,
West Sussex, BN12 4AP, England
Tel: +44 (0)1903 502595 Fax: +44 (0)1903 708179
Email:info@travellersworldwide.com