My name is Hayley…
I am a professional Outdoors and Adventure Therapist, Wild Swimming Walks Guide, Open Water Safety Specialist, and a young widow.
Before life was upended in July 2018 with the death of my beloved husband Rich at the age of 37, I had been working in high end law as an anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing specialist. Deciding to pursue my passions – having lived through all forms of abuse as a child, I had then moved into academic research on women’s experiences of trauma – with a Master’s degree (Distinction) in Violence against Women and Children. I am also a qualified ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Adviser).
Following Rich’s death, I instinctively turned to the walking and wild swimming that had bolstered me in ‘the before’, traveling throughout the UK and then further afield, to meet others who had experienced out of order bereavement, and were also using the outdoors to soothe their souls. In that time I’ve added to, developed and acquired the skills, experiences and qualifications that I now use in my work, here and through Little Blue Pootles.
