Dwayne Fields
FRGS
Dwayne Fields FRGS is a TV Presenter, Explorer, Adventurer and Naturalist
Born in Jamaica, Dwayne came to the UK at the age of six. His formative years in the UK were in inner city London and, wrapped up in the world of street gangs, he became a victim of both knife and gun crime. After a life threatening incident Dwayne made the decision to change his life… forever.
As a child in wild Jamaica, Dwayne loved nature and wildlife and wanted to reconnect to his early life in the forests and hilltops of Jamaica.
So in 2010, Dwayne set himself his first of many challenges, becoming the first black Briton to walk over 400 miles to the magnetic North Pole. On his return he was invited to Buckingham Palace, joining other polar explorers and adventurers and at a reception to mark the centenary of Scott’s expedition to the South Pole.
As a naturalist Dwayne also appeared as a special guest on BBC’s ‘SpringWatch Unsprung’ with Chris Packham, where he explored the wonders of the British Countryside.
Dwayne, how do you think getting outside improves mental health?
I think the outdoors improves my mental health for a couple of reasons; I feel less tressed when I am outside, I feel less claustrophobic when I’m out there, I feel less at risk, I don’t feel like I’m being bombarded by sound, traffic and the realities of everyday life. It’s an escape, its where Ii go to forget about stuff for an hour or two, to get some fresh air and exercise. Itswhere I go to meet some really cool people, I go somewhere like the lakes or the chilterns and ive got friends & people I know up there, its just a feel good place for me.
Do you consider yourself to have any mental health issues?
I don’t think I have mental health issues; some people may disagree! But I don’t think I’ve got issues partly because I get the opportunity to go out into the outdoors, I get to spend time in open air, I get to spend time in natural environments, and it genuinely is what makes me feel good.
Has someone ever initiated a conversation about their mental health with you and if so, can you tell me a little bit about this?
Quite a lot actually, pretty much every time I am out with a group the conversation usually starts with ‘I actually feel good being out here, its relaxing’.
The moment you open up that cannon it turns from ‘this is relaxing’ to how stressful everyday life is; at home, in the city, wherever it is at work. Then conversations start to pop up and when you start going down that path other people start telling you what stresses they have. They start to tell you about other experiences they had that impacted their mental health.
In fact, the last time I was out it happened was about 2 weeks ago. I was up in the Lakes and I was talking to a man about how the outdoors makes him feel and it brought him to tears. It was because he had an opportunity to vent in an environment where there was no judgement, no one looking down on him, no hierarchy. It was an environment where everyone was on the same standing. He started to tell me some of the things that he was worried about, some of the experiences he had and some of the challenges he had to overcome as well.
Do you have a favourite place to go when you need some downtime, if so where?
I think my favourite place to go to, it varies actually. I live pretty close to the Epping Forest, I was born in Jamaica and there were lots of forests around my house so for me the forests were the first environment, woodland, that I got to experience so for me Epping Forest is a good one, also its really close, easy to get to, no stress. I leave my house and within 4-5 minutes I’m walking in woodland. I could be completely secluded; I could be alone and that sense of just escape is what I feel when I am there. So that is one of my favourite places to go to.
I love the Lakes. I love the Peaks, I love mountains generally, I love anywhere natural. I think my favourite place is the natural environment I am in at that time because often the natural environment that I am in at that moment is the only one I can get to at that time so it’s always the place that I escape to.
Finally – What two items would you take with you if you were shipwrecked on a deserted island where all your food and water needs were taken care of?
Assuming I would have my family with me I would take a good pair of shoes because I like walking, I like getting around. Also I would take ….. this is really tough…..okay, a decent pillow.
I could find lots of things to occupy me on an island, I’m like a big kid. If there’s a rock pool I’ll easily spend a day exploring that. Or i’d be up a tree figuring out what lives there or spend a day looking out to sea. So, a good pillow and a good pair of shoes.
To find out more about Dwayne and the projects he is involved in go to his website…
www.dwayne-fields.com