Bronze 5 Mountaineering

At 19, I joined the Army and built my life around service and the mountains. In 2012, a non-combat spinal injury in Afghanistan ended my career — and for years, I thought it had ended my passion too.

Nearly a decade later, I’ve rebuilt my confidence, passed my Mountain Leader (Summer) assessment, and got back on skis.

Establishing Bronze 5 Mountaineering as my freelance guiding business is a key milestone on this journey of recovery — restoring my sense of self, resilience, and purpose.

In UK policing, “Bx” means Bronze – the radio call-sign for a public order commander.

During Operation London Bridge (the funeral of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II) I was honoured to be Bronze 5, leading the policing of Sector 5: the route Her Majesty’s coffin took into and out of London. I was also the “on the ground” commander of the operation at St Paul’s Cathedral for her Platinum Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving.

This inspired the name of my business – Bx5 Mountaineering