Dwayne Fields and Caroline Pantling

"This sketch of a butterfly contains the outline of a fortress, and marks both the position and power of the guns. The marks on the wings between the lines mean nothing, but those on the lines show the nature and size of the guns, according to the keys below."

"A smart piece of spy-work. Veins on an ivy leaf show the outline of the fort as seen looking west. (Point of the leaf indicates north)."

Dwayne is an explorer, presenter and the United Kingdom's Chief Scout. He is an advocate for encouraging people to get outdoors and explore the world around them – with a particular focus on encouraging young people growing up in inner cities to get out and experience nature and a life with which they have not previously been engaged.

Born in Jamaica, Dwayne grew up in the UK from the age of 6. He has been the victim of both knife and gun crime and as a result of his experiences of the effects of gangs and crime, he decided to change his life. In 2010, Dwayne was the first black Briton to walk over 400 miles to reach the Magnetic North Pole.

Dwayne is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 2018, he was presented with its ‘Geographical Award’ for empowering young people to explore the world.

At the end of 2019 Dwayne and his expedition partner Phoebe Smith, travelled the length of mainland Britain as part of their mission to engage young people to realise there are epic adventures on their own doorstep, to highlight environmental issues close to home, and to turn the spotlight on wildlife conservation. Their inaugural trip taking a group of under-privileged young people to Antarctica was completed in 2022 through their #WeTwo Foundation, and their next trip is to the Galapagos Islands in late 2024.

For his latest television series, Dwayne and Ben Fogle have undertaken an extraordinary journey stepping back in time, to wear the clothes, eat the food and using the same kit as their Edwardian heroes, Scott, Shackleton, and Amundsen. Their adventures were broadcast in the Channel 5 series “Endurance: Race to the Pole”.

Dwayne is also one of the explorers guiding two-time Academy Award® nominee Will Smith on “Welcome to Earth”, a Disney+ original series from National Geographic. This is an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world to explore Earth’s greatest wonders and reveal its most hidden secrets.

Find out more about Dwayne and his inspiring projects here.

Joining Dwayne to discuss the history of the UK Scouting Association, and their Heritage Collection is Caroline Pantling, Head of Heritage Services.

Caroline leads a brilliant team who look after the collection which tells the story of the foundation and development of the Scout Movement in the UK. You can find out more about the Scout Heritage Collection here.

She studied Educational Studies BA Hons at the University of York followed by an MA in Heritage Education and Interpretation at Newcastle University. Her career has seen her work for numerous heritage organisations including the National Trust, the National Army Museum and Norfolk, Sheffield and West Berkshire Museums.