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From school trips to the top of the world
MOUNTAINEER Alan Hinkes is hoping to help inspire teenagers follow in his footsteps.
The Northallerton-born climber won his place in the record books three years ago when he became the first British man to conquer all 14 of the world's highest peaks.
Now the former teacher wants to help others in their search for adventure and has become patron of North Yorkshire County Council's outdoor education service.
The 54-year-old said the course of his own life changed when, as a schoolboy at Northallerton College, he was taken to Great Fryupdale, near Danby, one of North Yorkshire's four outdoor centres.
"I don't think I would have ended up climbing the highest mountains if that hadn't started me off," he said.
When he worked as a teacher in the North-East, he would take pupils away for outdoor activities as often as possible.
"You could see the change in some kids in a week. They would come, having never been away from home and you could see them come out of themselves and develop," he said.
"Outdoor education gives children something else in life, a set of social values, a sense of adventure, an ability to hold their own in a totally different environment.
"It's good for youngsters to be out in the hills, to have to sit and eat together, manage in teams, be with teachers in a different context than at school."
He said he hoped that by becoming patron of the centres he wanted to raise their profile further and champion the cause of outdoor adventure.
3:36pm Tuesday 13th May 2008
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