An all-action adventurer, who developed his love of the outdoors growing up in the Sid Valley, has teamed up with Bear Grylls for a new television show.
Tim Treloar is stepping in front of the camera to assist the famous survival expert in CITV programme Bear Grylls’ Survival School, which aims to help youngsters get to grips with the wild.
Tim, 33, is an outdoors instructor who was active from a young age, taking part in the Ten Tors with Sidmouth College and attending 1st Sid Vale Scout Group.
Tim has worked for Bear over the last few years running his survival courses around the UK and abroad.
He said he very much shares Bear’s philosophies and values about the outdoors.
“Bear is a great role model for children to get more active and motivate young people to get outdoors,” said Tim. “The amount of time he gives for everyone, he is a great person to work for.”
The 12-part series is on ITV1 and will show the youngsters getting to grips with nature and learning to survive in the wild.
Tim said: “When I was growing up, I didn’t have a mobile phone until I was 14. Today, children use their mobiles for everything. The children on the show asked if they could take a selfie, but they didn’t have their mobiles. It was a challenge for them to be without their phones at the start.
“Being outdoors is a real leveller - when it comes to the wild and outdoors everyone is equal.”
The former Sidbury resident said he faced a tough choice to carry on pursuing a career as a mountain leader after his brother Richard died in an adventure accident.
Tim, who now lives in Cheltenham, said: “It was very traumatic for myself and my family. He was doing what he enjoyed and I continue to keep his memory alive through my work.
“It’s about experience. On a mountain, weather can quickly change. In this situation, experience and training is crucial to stopping things from becoming an accident.”
During the show the participants, who are aged between 12 and 15, will learn how to approach risk through a range of difficult tasks.
Tim said: “It really shows how capable young people can be.
“They were not all active - they were not your typical sporty boy or girl.”
Bear Grylls’ Survival School will be shown on ITV1 at 8.30am on Sunday.
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