Meet the Office Staff
Meet the Medics
Meet the Guides

"Is there a company out there that is made up of charity event managers and outdoor professionals who will understand my needs as a charity?"

Yes - at Across the Divide Expeditons, both the founding directors used to be event managers at major charities, and our Events and Operations team is headed up by another.

What is it that makes us so different? Our staff are taken from all walks of life- because that is where our clients come from, we choose them for their ability to operate under pressure, work as a team and for their boundless enthusiasm - they are what makes Across the Divide so different, and why our clients keep coming back to us.

It is a requirement now that all Across the Divide's expedition doctors and medics complete the Expedition Medicine Course run twice yearly in the Lake District. This course is the most comprehensive of its type in Europe.

Mark Hannaford

Mark is the founding director of Across the Divide along with his wife Karen Hannaford. Mark has been involved with charity challenges, CSR projects, expeditions and corporate solutions for over 23 years and has lead expeditions in all of the worlds continents and he is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society

Establishing CSR Projects, part of Across the Divide's corporate solutions area led to him being awarded BT's Essence of the Entrepreneur Award in 2008 and made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

He is also a senior instructor on the Expedition and Wilderness Medicine Courses www.expeditionmedicine.co.uk and a widely published photographer, you can see more of his work here Mark's online photographic library.

He helps to facilitate the raising of over £4.5 million for charities each year.

Karen Hannaford

Founding Director of the company Karen has been involved for over 17 years in expeditions, event management and charity work.

Karen studied agriculture at Wye College in Kent which is part of Imperial College, London before heading off into the charity world. Karen worked as an event organiser for ICAN, one of Britain's oldest charities that help children across the UK with speech and learning difficulties.

Karen eventually found her calling running expeditions both large and small around the world and, with her husband Mark, set up Across the Divide Expeditions in 1996. They now have 2 children, Jamie and Freya, who by the age of 6 months, had already lived for a month under canvas in the Namib Desert.

Karen & Mark were one of the first people to volunteer and become First Responders in the UK. Local units in remote areas in the UK called onto the scene first to a 999 medical response. Karen is an instructor on the Expedition and Polar Medicine Courses click here

Jamie Hannaford

One of the newest additions to the team and training for an EL's position. Jamie has already been part of 8 ATD charity challenges in Namibia, South Africa, Brazil and the BIG Foot Challenges in the UK, and dog sledding in the Arctic and has thoroughly enjoyed them all.

Freya Hannaford

Freya joined our team relatively recently and has trained on our Namibia and our Dog Sledding challenges in Norway and is always keen to join in as she prepares for her first guiding position.

Jenn Chidley

After completing an art foundation course Jenn briefly taught English and art in India before starting at an IT company in technical support then later order processing. During a 6 month sabbatical Jenn travelled from India to Fiji via the normal places (Thailand, Malaysia, Bali, Oz, New Zealand). Whilst in Oz she learnt to rock climb and have been climbing at home ever since.

Jenn is our Events Development Coordinator and is the main contact for charities.

Steve Clark

Steve obtained a BA Hons in History from the University of West of England and after graduating travelled around the world before starting work at WEXAS International, the UK's leading Travel Club, as the Group's Team Supervisor. It is here where Steve came into contact with Across the Divide as their account manager.

Steve is now our Operations and Development Director, and deals with all new enquiries from new and existing charities wishing to run exclusive events.

Tony Ford

Tony spent his childhood in the countryside of Somerset, which instilled in him a deep love of the outdoors.

After travelling throughout Africa and Australia his enjoyment of meeting new people combined with the chance to share his passion for nature led him to ATD, where he is our UK Europe Director.

Claire Langford

As Flights Manager, Claire looks after the travel arrangements for both participants and staff.

Claire studied History at the University of Sussex and the Universitaet Freiburg in the Black Forest. After graduating, she lived in Vancouver, Sydney and London, before heading west to Exeter.

Claire has worked in travel since 1999, starting out at Trailfinders, then working as International Reservations Manager for Oz Experience in Australia. On her return to the UK, Claire worked with Steve Clark at WEXAS before joining Across the Divide in 2005.

Claire's travels have taken her on a road trip from Canada to Guatemala to the jungles of Borneo the peaks of Peru and - most recently - to deepest darkest Thorncombe.

Tara Manley

Married to Scott and been with him since 1991. I have 2 children, Jessica age 10 and Alfred age 5. I went to College and trained as an NNEB. On leaving college I started working for the Bourne family as a Nanny for their boys Simon (now 18) and Nicholas (now 16) from 1991 for 6 years.

Then worked at Perrott Hill School as a Nursery Teacher at the same time as nannying, for 4 years from 1996 - 2000. Then due to redundancy I changed careers and became an administrator working for Cadbury's.

Then in 2004 became a bookkeeper working for a carpentry company until feb 2008 when I started work for ATD as Finance Assistant

Susan McDonagh

Born in Wales and brought up and educated in Somerset, Susan has worked in a variety of administrative roles over the past 20 years in between bringing up 2 children.

For several of these years she trained and specialised in exporting manufactured goods all over the World - in her new role here at ATD she is now enjoying exporting people all over the World as our Own Events Participant Co-ordinator!

Gemma Phillips

Gemma joined ATD in 2007. She is a member of our UK team and works with Tony on all our UK Europe events.

Gemma graduated from Oxford Brookes University before travelling to Australia. She then worked at Blenheim Palace organising large events.

Luci Ridout

After studying Tourism at uni, then spending time travelling the world, Luci is now settled in Somerset. Following the birth of her daughter, Luci took some time out, but is now back with us as our Office Administrator..

Julie Thomas

Julie is one of the freelance team who joined ATD in April 2004 and looks after all advertising, marketing and PR. Julie studied economics at University before setting off round-the-world.

On her return she worked at STA Travel for 6 years as Senior Marketing Executive, before moving down to Somerset with her husband Steve (who also works for ATD).

Jo Waite

Jo started her career as a Cordon Bleu Chef. However, she found that there was a larger call for Bookkeepers since leaving London in 1992, getting married and moving to Somerset.

A number of years later, having had two children and finishing her exams, Jo started working for Across the Divide.

Jo’s husband and two children are passionate about sailing and try to spend as much time as possible afloat. They have explored most of the South West of England coastline and done passages to the Channel Islands. They are planning a longer trip in a few years time when the children will hopefully be a more handy crew and Jo can climb the mast! She is also a keen skier and having spent six months in the Alps now returns every year.

Max The Dog

Max is our company mascot, when not with us in the office he lives with Tony & Lucy Ford. He accompanies us on most of our UK events joining his first at the age of 10 months by walking 200 miles in a fortnight working on the MS Society's BIGFOOT charity walks in Cheshire and Wiltshire.