Lowland Leader chat with Abdul Janjirker, Assistant Regional Volunteer for England, Central and London North

Hi Abdul, could you tell us a bit about your background and why you decided to become a Lowland Leader?

I was born and brought up in Kenya. Until retirement, I worked as a Financial Controller in various companies. Back in 2014, I joined a Meetup walking group  and my interest in the outdoors grew. Later on, I did a lot of back-marking on walks  and led a few too. However, I decided I wanted to learn more about navigation and map reading so looked in to finding a local provider of navigation skills. I chanced upon “Wild Heather” run by Mountain Leader, Heather Mitchell in Marlow. This led me to read up on the Mountain Training Lowland Leader qualification which immediately caught my interest and so registered for the qualification. 

 

How did you find the process of going through training and assessment? 

 

I was apprehensive at first but took it up as a challenge. Heather, my training provider, was helpful in guiding me through the process of joining the Association and using the DLog etc. I found the training course an enjoyable experience. We tackled the various aspects of the syllabus and applied the knowledge on walks that followed. Navigation and compass usage was an interesting and enjoyable part of the sessions. It was a good confidence building exercise and helped me to lead and plan more walks for the Meetup group.

My assessment followed quickly as I was keen to complete the course. Logging another 10 walks and Quality Lowland Days was a challenge and I went to other areas around the country, during my consolidation period,   to vary the experience of terrain, environment, route planning and navigation. All this helped towards getting ready for the assessment. Heather was excellent in ensuring the whole process was kept stress free.   

 

How did you first become involved with the Association? What made you decide to become a volunteer? 

 

I got involved with Association soon after qualifying through night navigation workshops and regional events. Meeting and talking with regional co-ordinators and members gave me an opportunity to learn more about the Association’s ongoing CPD workshops and courses. 
I had some encouragement from David Tainton, the Regional Co-ordinator for England, Central and London (North) at the time, to become a volunteer for the region. The desire to get more people from minority communities involved in the outdoors also formed a large part of why I chose to do it. 

As a volunteer I attend and support the regional meetings and events whenever possible that we put on. I also regularly participate in the Association’s regional bimonthly meetings and get involved with the Lowland Leader working group, which helps promote the qualification across the UK. I have run a networking and walking day in the Chilterns and plan to do some more to get more members involved.

 

How do you use your Lowland Leader? 

 

I use the qualification to help promote the benefits of spending time outdoors and enjoying the countryside. It’s great that I get to meet other people who share similar interests, whilst also raising money for charities through my Meetup group “Chiltern Charity Walks” at the same time! I use the knowledge from my qualification to organise, plan and run weekend walks throughout the year.  

 

Do you have any exciting plans for the future? What events do you have coming up with the Association? 

I will continue raising money for charities via my Meetup group and organise more networking events for the Association with the intention of helping newly registered, trainee or qualified Lowland Leaders. 

Focusing on the above, we have “A skills day in the Lowlands” on 16th August 2025 from 10.00am to 5pm in the beautiful Chilterns countryside, meeting at Ellesborough Parish Hall, Butler’s Cross, Aylesbury. HP17 0XA.  Further details can be found on the Mountain Training workshop page.

 

Thank you