About Us | BEE Adventures CIC
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ABOUT US

Who are we?

 

BEE Adventures CIC is a not-for-profit outdoor activity company which provides a range of outdoor adventures for adults and children. We originated with the idea of providing affordable, accessible mountain walks, that can challenge your day to day lives. We use any surplus we generate from our adventures to offer free adventures to people in our community that face barriers to getting outdoors. Click here to learn more about our community projects!​

 

BEE Adventures' mission is to create ethical, personal, honest adventures in an environment that promotes well-being and inspires everyone to get outside more often.

 

We are proud to facilitate your adventure.

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What's a CIC?

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CIC stands for Community Interest Company – a type of social enterprise company. They’re not-for-profits – the purpose of a CIC is to benefit a community. As a CIC we don’t have shareholders and we don’t pay dividends – any profit we make is put towards our social purpose.

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Why the BEE?

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We chose the BEE to represent our company as a symbol of community, strength and togetherness. A single BEE cannot survive alone, but a community of BEEs are a crucial force that play a part in keeping the habitats of nature alive. BEE Adventures exists because of and for the community.

Trees and Mountains

Media Exposure

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BBC North West

In 2021 BBC North West Covered Ryan's story, click the link above to read the full article.

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Lancaster Guardian

In 2024 The Lancaster Guardian covered our news of being rewarded from the Westminster Foundation. 

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Lancaster Guardian

In 2023 The Lancaster Guardian covered our news of being rewarded £10k from Lottery. 

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Ryan Bond

Co-Founder / Trustee / Mountain Leader / MD & Sales

"Growing up in North Manchester from a working class family I didn't have many opportunities to get into the outdoors. I faced barriers such as experience, transport, money, time and family issues such as addiction and homelessness.  I got into the outdoors as a teenager whilst in College, I was given an opportunity and sponsored to join an expedition in Scotland and I am eternally grateful to the charity that allowed me to join them as it changed my life! I'm now a fully trained mountain leader and have guided thousands of people safely in the mountains.

 

I've travelled all over and love being outside! I'm a great believer in positive thinking and want to share my passion for the outdoors with everyone. That's why me and James created BEE Adventures. It's not been an easy journey but we are here we are today!"

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Anthony Patterson

Trustee / Trainee Mountain Leader / Manchester Community Lead

"I've been friends with the founders Ryan and James for 27+ years. Like them I had many barriers to accessing the outdoors and I took a very different path to them. In recent years I've ended up following a program to help me recover from alcohol addiction.

 

BEE Adventures helped me use the outdoors to aid my recovery and improve my mental health, I started volunteering for them, taking out groups from rehabilitation centres as part of the well-being projects, now I'm training to become a mountain guide and they've taken me on as a director to help grow the community projects.

 

I can relate to what the people we're helping are going through. It's been a difficult few years but if I can come this far anyone can!"

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James Melia

Co-Founder / Trustee / Mountain Leader / MD & Logistics

"From an early age going on family trips to the Lake District, Peak District and Scotland, really started my passion for the outdoors. I joined the Scouting movement from age 6 working up until becoming a leader running camps, hikes and more fun activities for those involved. The adventure continued when I went travelling visiting 20+ countries.

 

I have worked as an outdoor instructor in the Brecon Beacons providing a great time for all who visited. My experiences and love for the outdoors have made me want to continue giving outdoor opportunities to everyone, even those who think they can’t, this is why BEE Adventures has started!

 

With BEE Adventures we've now guided thousands of beginners up mountains safely all over the UK and Ireland."

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Chelsea Harrop

Trustee / Volunteer Marketing Manager / Trainee Mountain Leader

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I started booking on trips with Bee Adventures in 2022 to try something completely new and visit places I didn’t have access to without transport. 

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Now I’ve completed the UK’s national three peaks and Ireland’s highest mountain. I’ve also camped for the first time and gained the confidence to plan self-navigated hikes thanks to Ryan and James. 

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I’m buzzing to join the Bee Adventures team as a volunteer Marketing Manager to help more people benefit from their work like I have.

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Adam Ordonez

Trainee Mountain Leader / Lancashire Community Lead

"I first found my love for exploring nature and the outdoors at a young age through family holidays, camping and hiking. I was part of the Girl Guiding community for 9 years, where I found my passion for running fun activities outside.

 

All my studies have been based around my love and passion for the environment and nature - Animal Management, Animal Conservation Science, PGCE with Environmental and Experiential learning, and Forest School Leadership.

 

I am proud and honoured to be a part of the BEE Adventures team, delivering forest school sessions to young children and aiming to give everyone the opportunity to get outside and connect with nature!" 

"I first found my love for exploring nature and the outdoors at a young age through family holidays, camping and hiking. I was part of the Girl Guiding community for 9 years, where I found my passion for running fun activities outside.

 

All my studies have been based around my love and passion for the environment and nature - Animal Management, Animal Conservation Science, PGCE with Environmental and Experiential learning, and Forest School Leadership.

 

I am proud and honoured to be a part of the BEE Adventures team, delivering forest school sessions to young children and aiming to give everyone the opportunity to get outside and connect with nature!" 

"I first found my love for exploring nature and the outdoors at a young age through family holidays, camping and hiking. I was part of the Girl Guiding community for 9 years, where I found my passion for running fun activities outside.

 

All my studies have been based around my love and passion for the environment and nature - Animal Management, Animal Conservation Science, PGCE with Environmental and Experiential learning, and Forest School Leadership.

 

I am proud and honoured to be a part of the BEE Adventures team, delivering forest school sessions to young children and aiming to give everyone the opportunity to get outside and connect with nature!" 

" I first encountered BEE Adventures through the treatment centre, I was in for drug addiction when they came to take us out for an adventure. From the first day out, I absolutely loved it, it was a new experience for me and something I could never have imagined doing, but from doing these walks I found a new love for the outdoors and I’ve not looked back since.

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I've been working with BEE Adventures for coming up to 6 months now, I love working with all the groups that we take out. Seeing the positive impact and changes that it has on the people that join us is the biggest reward of all. I’m super appreciative to be apart of BEE Adventures and excited to see what the future brings."

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Sarah Bond

Forest School Manager / Primary School Lead

"I first found my love for exploring nature and the outdoors at a young age through family holidays, camping and hiking. I was part of the Girl Guiding community for 9 years, where I found my passion for running fun activities outside.

 

All my studies have been based around my love and passion for the environment and nature - Animal Management, Animal Conservation Science, PGCE with Environmental and Experiential learning, and Forest School Leadership.

 

I am proud and honoured to be a part of the BEE Adventures team, delivering forest school sessions to young children and aiming to give everyone the opportunity to get outside and connect with nature!" 

Our Environmental Duty &
Ethics

We aim to be as ethical and eco-friendly as possible, as should all businesses. We believe to achieve this we need to be honest and identify what we are doing right and what needs improvement. Below is our full disclosure. If you have any ideas you wish to discuss with us how we can improve our activities, adapt or change anything then please let us know.

What BEE Adventures does right:

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  • Our office is based at Halton Mill, powered by the river Lune hydro-power and solar panels.

  • We offset our carbon usage for all our expeditions, we calculate this by totalling our milage in the minibus, work out how much carbon is spent, then donate the total to The woodland Trust

  • We bought a newer minibus that emits Zero emissions standard Euro 6.

  • Our events can carry up to 15 people, we hope this is 10 or so fewer cars that need to travel to the same location.

  • We recycle everything and anything.

  • We vet all the companies we work with to make sure they have high environmental values, we also try to work with local companies where we can.

  • We promote and teach about a healthy environment on our walks.

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What BEE Adventures can do to be better:

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  • Our biggest pollutant is by far our minibus, although it emits Zero emissions it still runs on diesel. We looked at electric but there are none available in the UK currently and hybrid are currently unaffordable and only fixing half the problem, we are hoping Hydrogen Fuel will soon take off.

Supporting Partners

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