Meet our ambassadors
Our Orienteering Foundation ambassadors provide a vital role in keeping in touch with clubs and individuals in their respective regions.
All our trustees also act as ambassadors for their regions, and you can find out them on our Meet the Board page. Here you can find out about our other ambassadors. You can find contact details for all our board and ambassadors at Getting in Touch.
We are always intersted to hear from new potential ambassadors - for more information please see our Vacancies page.
Alun Jones - South Central
Alun has been orienteering off and on for some 40 years, always with Thames Valley Orienteering Club. Since giving up work some years ago, Alun has had spells as Chair of TVOC and of SCOA. Alun is a keen runner as well as orienteer, and despairs at the reluctance of most runners to sample the pleasures of orienteering. Within TVOC, he leads the club's results team; he also helps to produce the club's weekly newsletter.
Alun is keen to ensure that members of the orienteering community are informed of the work that the Orienteering Foundation does in supporting the sport of orienteering. Similarly he wants orienteers to be aware of the opportunity for them to support the Orienteering Foundation's work.
Caroline Mackenzie - North East
Caroline started orienteering with her husband Alastair in November 1991 – about six weeks after returning from their honeymoon! They were quickly “bitten by the bug”, and orienteering has been their main sport ever since. She describes herself as a middle-of-the-road / average W60, not going to be challenging for the podium, but enjoys the mental and physical challenges, and the opportunities to get out in beautiful countryside, visiting interesting and diverse places, in the UK and overseas.
Caroline is currently CLOK Chair, enjoying the diverse challenges it throws up – coordinating willing orienteers, liaising with neighbouring clubs and British Orienteering, promoting orienteering to local councils, dealing with landowners, etc., etc. – and glad to have the opportunity to put something back into our sport. She has also organised events from local to major, including organising the 2024 British long champs.
Caroline believes orienteering is a fantastic sport that can be enjoyed by just about anyone, but is often surprised how few people have tried it... or even heard of it. She appreciates Orienteering Foundation’s role in encouraging orienteering clubs to experiment with a range of ideas for taking our sport forward, which in the case of CLOK included part-funding a Club Development Officer. She looks forward to working with all the NEOA clubs to raise awareness of what the Orienteering Foundation has to offer and help facilitate the process of accessing its expertise, ideas and funding.
Wilbert Hollinger - Northern Ireland
A retired schoolteacher, Wilbert has orienteered for some 50 years, from way back in the days of black and white maps and red biros. He was a founder member of the Northern Ireland Orienteering Association (NIOA) and is a past chairman. He is a member of Lagan Valley Orienteers (LVO) and has, over the years, competed widely throughout the UK and Ireland, and further afield.
In addition to Foot O he competes in Trail O and in this discipline is a GB selector. He was controller for the JK Trail O at Ampleforth Abbey in 2016, and planner for Day 2 of the JK at Tyrella in 2011.
Wilbert has seen many changes in the sport over the years but is more than ever convinced that it offers something for everyone. With so many possibilities for outdoor recreation he is keen to ensure that all orienteering clubs maximise the opportunities for their development and are fully aware of how the Orienteering Foundation can assist.
Lyn West - East Anglia
Lyn is a member of Essex Stragglers and has been since starting orienteering 30+ years ago. She regards herself as a middle of the field orienteer and does prefer to run longer courses. A regular at local events, she also enjoys orienteering tourism travelling to Euro City Race weekends. The POM and JK also feature in the diary.
Lyn regularly organises events, has served on club and regional committees and was chairman of British Orienteering for 3 years.
Lyn is keen to see wider recognition of the Orienteering Foundation and its work among the orienteering community.
Ian Gamlen - West Midlands
Ian is a keen orienteer who has participated in the sport since being at school. He has been the Secretary of the City of Birmingham Orienteering Club for many years and helped promote the sport particularly to newcomers through COBOC’s Beginners, Families and Schools Events. He is also the Vice Chair of Harlequins Orienteering Club and Treasurer of the WMOA. Ian is keen to promote the work of Orienteering Foundation supporting individuals and clubs to attract new participants and retaining their interest in all aspects of orienteering.
Philip Jenkins - Wales
Philip started orienteering whilst at secondary school in the 1970s ‘navigating’ on the early 3 colour orienteering maps and can still remember his first event at Symonds Yat. Since then, he has been a long-standing member of Swansea Bay Orienteering Club and held many club positions including WOA Chairman. Over this time, he has planned, controlled and organised many regional and club events and when his children joined the Welsh Junior squad he supported the squad managers by coaching and mentoring members.
Philip is eager to promote the work of the Orienteering Foundation in supporting individuals and clubs’ development and for orienteers to be made aware of the opportunity to support the Orienteering Foundation's work.
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