Kingswood Jobs: Meet the team: Gavin Seymour

Qualifications Obtained:

NPLQ life guard, climbing, Abseiling, Zip line, High ropes, GNAS Archery, BFA Fencing, First aid at work, NSPCC Safe guarding children, NSPCC Training for trainers, IOSH Managing Safely, All in house activities, MIC Ropes trainer, Life skills tutor, Pool plant operator

I have delivered the Life skills Programme to adults/kids and have also been involved with in-schools.

Kingswood & I

I enjoy working for Kingswood so much I have stayed for nearly 6 years. Kingswood for me has been very constructive.

Starting out as an activity instructor. I was promoted to a senior instructor in April 2000. I was then offered the opportunity to depart from the company and travel in Australia for a year with the friends I had met through the organisation.

I then returned to Kingswood a year later and worked my way up to an activity co-ordinator at the Isle of Wight centre. In 2004 I was lucky enough to become a centre co-ordinator and work closer with the centre management team. After 6 months of learning within this role I was offered the opportunity to work with Ian Bell as programme manager at the Overstrand centre in Norfolk.

I stayed at overstrand for a year and now work down the road at the West Runton centre as a programme manager

Favourite activity

My favourite activity has to be nightline. It was the first session I had as an activity instructor. It has so much educational content which most people don’t realise.

I also enjoy problem solving, again a session with many benefits to the participant if you approach it in the correct manner.

Worst bit about Kingswood

Worst part of Kingswood for me would be watching people leave. You spend so much time with new people and you get very close as the months / years go by.

Best bit about Kingswood

The best bit about Kingswood for me is watching people progress. Watching them mature into more senior members of the team is very rewarding for the individuals.

Progression is the key to any organisation and if you put in the hard work you have a great chance of going far within the organisation.

The next step?

My next step in a ideal world would for me to become a centre manager at a new centre in Hampshire or on the south coast. As a cork head from the Isle of Wight I am very keen to move to a centre on the south coast!

My advice to anyone who is thinking of joining

If you are even slightly interested in working with children or want to meet and work with all types of people then you would be silly to miss out on the opportunity that Kingswood provides.