Woodland Survival Skills - Lighting a Campfire

Survival Bootcamps, Training Courses & Talks

EXPLORE – DISCOVEr – SURVIVE

Our highly trained & experienced survivalists motivate people of all ages and from all backgrounds to learn the art of survival in unfamiliar surroundings.

Courses Contact

Skill up: shelter-building, fire-lighting, navigation, knot-tying, water source, search & rescue, positive mindset

survival training courses & Talks for:

School Survival BootCamp (Students trusting their classmate with a blindfolded navigation exercise)

Schools, colleges & children’s organisations

Lost Explorer Away Day (Corporate team building shelter in beautiful hotel grounds)

Corporate team building / away days

Adults having a fun experience day with X shot blaster darts, in the woods

Special events, stag do’s & kids birthday parties

View All Survival Courses

Your Survival Adventure Host

john sullivan

Hi, John here

Thanks for stopping by. If you are looking for an adventure, I can’t wait to share my knowledge and inspirational stories with you as its my passion! I’ve been navigating the globe since the 1990’s exploring the natural environment and teaching others how to survive harsh conditions.

My mission? To ignite the spirit of adventure in people of all ages and backgrounds, teaching the art of survival in the wildest of places! I’ve experienced and survived the extremes of the cold Arctic, the humidity of the jungle and the heat of the desert. This experience makes me and my dynamic fully trained team perfect for your school, company or organisations next motivational adventure!

Picture this: School kids building dens in woodlands and rescuing their school mates, adults conquering snake pits (ok, so no actual live snakes used here!!) or work teams bonding in the great outdoors. We deliver motivational team-building survival adventures, craft unforgettable heart-pumping stag and hen weekends and we host fun, inspiring end of term activities and bootcamps for schools in the UK and across the globe.

In addition to survival training camps, we also deliver motivational talks at schools and companies to inspire children and employees to be the best they can be and to have a positive mindset. You can also find us at festivals and public events.

Whatever adventure you dream up, we’ll custom-tailor it to fit your needs. Let’s make your next escapade an unforgettable one!

Corporate Elite Survival Training (2 ladies proudly showing the campfire they have created)

Elite Survival Training - Lost Explorer Away Day (Team building through a search & rescue exercise with the injured party being carried to safety on a stretcher)

Elite Survival Training - Lost Explorer Away Day - Snake Pit Challenge (Adults navigating a path littered with snakes....whilst blindfolded)

Corporate Elite Survival Training (Lady building a shelter in the woods made from branches, twigs & leaves)

what our client adventurers think:

An inspiring day that left an impression!

John’s experiences in the Royal Marines and his role working for TV companies in the jungle that they realised they could be just like him. By working hard, broadening their horizons, learning new skills and believing in themselves they too could achieve anything they put their heart into. An inspiring day that left an enduring impression – fantastic.

Adrian Barber, Project Manager

Project Manager at Bigger Picture Arts

Fantastic instructors

I knew that the day that our Year 11 students was going to be good even before I experienced the activities myself. The activities were real and challenging – they stretched theYear 11 students and demanded that they work as a team. The instructors were fantastic – confident, funny, enthusiastic, patient and thoroughly professional. The students could relate to them and were inspired by them. The level of detail in the planning was exceptional. A great experience for all!

John Mason

Head of Year 11 at Kettering Buccleuch Academt

Inspirational leadership & encouragement of young children

Having worked with John for a number of years and witnessed his inspirational leadership and encouragement of young people I wholeheartedly recommend that any educational organisation should use his talents to create opportunities for students to experience learning beyond the classroom.

Simon Brooks

Deputy Head of The International School of The Hague

A perfect Mix of Fun & Learning

I just wanted to say a big thank you for the great time we all had at last weekend’s survival training.
The activities you planned were a perfect mix of fun and learning – the children are still talking about eating fish eyes and carrying Mr Lander on the stretcher! We were extremely inspired by your presentation in the evening and are looking forward to ‘Feeding the Rat’ over the coming months and years. Thank you.

Carl Lander, Assistant Headmaster

Assistant Headmaster at St. Aubyn’s School

How do you top that!

At the end of each Speech Day, I am always asked “how I am going to top that” for next year’s event. I would wholeheartedly recommend John to anyone looking for an entertaining as well as inspiring guest speaker.

Chetwynde School

Johns motivational talk inspired students!

John focused his talk on ‘Feeding the Rat’. Essentially the passion that lives inside of us needs to be fuelled whether that is sport, art, adventure, music and science. He shared the virtues that people need to do that e.g. self-belief, hard work, persistence. ISH is hopefully certain that John’s motivational talk inspired students to do something extraordinary in their future.

Head of Year 10

International School of Hague, Holland

Extremely positive feedback

Thanks again for your inspirational presentation , the feedback we’ve had from the girls has been extremely positive.

Lisa Spiteri

Head of Sixth Form at Jersey College for Girls

The best speaker we have had in many years

Just wanted to say a big thank you to John Sullivan who came to our school to deliver a speech at our awards evening for Year 9. He did a fantastic job, his speech was an excellent balance of motivation humour and inspiration. He kept us all gripped for 20mins. Many of out 300 guests have spoken to or contacted me since to say that he was the best speaker we have had in many years.

Caroline Bradshaw

Assistant Headteacher at Gartree High SchooI

The best speaker i have witnesses in over 30 years of teaching

An inspirational talk from a jungle explorer, John Sullivan. The best that I have witnessed in over 30 years of teaching.

Teacher

Brislington Enterprise College

The instructors were professional & inspired total confidence in staff

John and his team delivered survival training to our entire Year 10. Their experience of school groups and their expertise in their fields were strongly in evidence.
By the end of the activities we noticed that many students were mixing more freely and expressing the value of what they had learned. A lot of positive feedback has been received from staff, students and parents.

Jane Barnes

Head of Year 10 at The International School of the Hague Holland

Brilliant training & motivation

Just returned from a wonderful 24 hours in the wood in solitude. Just me, an axe, a billy can and a fire-striker. At 2am this morning I missed my sleeping bag, but the bacon butties for breakfast were the best. Thank you John for your brilliant training and motivation. Next stop Borneo!

Alison Attwood

Delivered exactly what was promised!

It is rare that a company delivers what they promise but Elite Survival did exactly that, taking the trouble to meet us for a pre-site visit, meticulously planning a programme tailored to the needs of our pupils and delivering a memorable experience to all concerned.

We would highly recommend you to any School who would like to use your company in the future.

Jane Di Sapia

Assistant Head of Years 5 & 6 at Bedford School