INTERVIEW

Full name: Debra Louise Searle

Date of birth: 8th July 1975

Describe yourself: I’m not very complex! I’m a tryer (that is, I try hard at the things I do, as opposed to being trying on people’s patience!). I love my family, the great outdoors and achieving stuff. I’m not very good at time keeping but that’s because I hate wasting time so I leave it to the last minute to go for trains and planes. I usually just make it.

Describe your family:  I am married to the gorgeous Tim

who is a composite engineering consultant (www.compositeinnovations.co.uk) and we have a beautiful daughter called Heidi Grace.  I have an identical twin sister called Hayley who is also my business partner.  Most of the time our husbands can tell us apart!  Thankfully Hayley’s husband Leigh is Tim’s best friend so they are pretty understanding about any mix ups.  We have two older brothers called Simon and Matt who live near our mother in Teignmouth.  Our father died in 1999 of cancer.  I still miss him massively but thankfully I have a new dad now called John Searle (Tim’s Dad) and a large extended family through the Searle clan. 

Tim and Debra with John Searle

Where do you live: I moved into Tim’s house in Plymouth after we were married in 2005.  I have a very small fisherman’s cottage in Cornwall that I was living in pre-marriage which we love but unfortunately it is too small for us and our huge collection of surfboards, kayaks, boats and other adventure toys so we have had to resort to renting it out.

Spare time: There doesn’t seem to be much spare time these days but I prefer to go cycling, surfing, skiing, climbing, kayaking... in fact

anything adventurous.  It’s getting harder these days to separate my hobbies from what I do for a living which can only be a good thing.  However spending time with Heidi is the best hobby in the world.

How did you get into adventures:  I went to a school on the edge of Dartmoor where they gave us heaps of opportunities to put a rucksack on our backs and go yomping across the moors, including taking part in a great team event called Ten Tors, which I did twice.  After completing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition I was totally hooked on the idea of being an adventurer.  Reading books by explorers such as Ranalph Finnes and having a number of friends in the Royal Marines fanned the flames of my desire to make a living out of doing expeditions.  So I found the one university in the country where I could do a 4 year secondary teaching degree that specialised in PE and Outdoor Education.  I spent a lot of time climbing and kayaking and learning from friends who would push me to reach new levels.

Me, Mum, nephew Oscar and brothers Matt & Simon

What do you always take when travelling: My mobile phone (my huge bills are worth it to keep in touch with Tim and Hayley), my MacBook laptop, my bible and my iPod.  My iPod has thousands of photos on it so when I get homesick or I am stuck in an airport lounge I scroll though photos of my friends and family which always makes me smile.  I have become an expert at finding plug sockets in random airports, stations and restaurants so that I can recharge the battery on my laptop while I am on the move (vending machines are usually the answer if you can squeeze your arm behind them).  When I am away on an expedition I buy the best possible equipment and clothing I can afford and then meticulously maintain it.  I believe that if you look after your kit then it will look after you. 

               Kayak Surfing in the Maldives

Most memorable moment: I have a few.  The first time I ever put on my Great Britain uniform when I was selected for the GB Dragon Boat Team for the European Championships was really special.  I had always wanted to represent my country in a sport.  Also, rowing into the marina in Barbados after 3 months alone crossing the Atlantic will be a moment that will be hard to beat.

Scariest moment:  I haven’t had many as I seem to be missing the fear gene.  I guess when I nearly got run over by a super tanker off the Cape Verdi Islands while in a rowing boat made of 6mm plywood. I was pretty worried then!

Happiest moment:  With Tim on Polzeath beach in Cornwall. We were the only two people left out in the surf as the sun was setting.  The waves were the most perfectly clean two footers and the colours on the water were amazing.  As we carried on surfing in the dark I remember thinking that I had met my match.  Not only could he put up with me surfing in the dark but he wanted to be out there in the water with me. 

                                                                                                            Mum, me and Simon at the World Championships

Favourite food: It depends on the country I am in.  For home cooked comfort food I love sausage and mash and chilli con carni.  I also like Greek salads, steamed veggies and all types of cheeses with crusty french bread.

Favourite drink: Red wine and sparkling water (not in the same glass).

Favourite clothes: I love looking feminine so I am often in dresses and skirts but when I’m at home in Devon I mostly wear Roxy and other surf brands. 

                    With friends in Plymouth

Favourite music: Tim and Hayley tease me about being into ‘young people’s music’!  I keep telling them that I’m too young to start listening to Radio 4 so I’m currently listening to 50 Cent, Ciara and Kelis.  I also love my brother-in-law’s album.  You can listen at www.leighbarnard.com.

©2010 Shoal Projects Ltd. All rights reserved

My desire is to see the public’s perception of the DofE changed as too often people think that it is only for rich white kids from public schools.  If they could see the look of pride on the faces of those I have had the privilege of meeting in Northern Ireland who have achieved their Awards through the Probation Service they would realise how this charity has moved on in the past 50 years and how vital it is for future generations.  Lots of these kids have lost their way but the Award can help put them back on track through its focus on serving the community.

Most unexpected opportunity:  Working as a BBC presenter on Grandstand and getting my books published (my English teacher never would have believed that could happen!). 

Favourite place:  Hmmm – tough one because I have lots and it depends on what I am doing.  I am privileged to travel a great deal with my job so in many ways being at home is my favourite place. For surfing and fun days out with my family I love Polzeath in North Cornwall.

Favourite websites: I’m quite an obsessive internet user and I think it is the most awesome tool.  I use Google to research every company or individual I am going to come into contact with.  I use multimap.com and theaa.com to help me get to where I need to be.  I use ba.com to book my flights, thetrainline.co.uk to book trains, laterooms.com to book hotel rooms and also bank online. My most obsessive internet activity is following all the round the world sailing websites and tracking the yachts – be it a race like the Vendee Globe or a solo world record attempt.  I love the way that these websites bring the adventure to life for the land-locked public. 

Favourite Book: I don’t really have a favourite but the one that has had the biggest impact on my life is called “What’s so amazing about grace” by Philip Yancey.  At the time I was not a Christian and I guess I couldn’t really see how having Big G in my life could possibly make it any bet

ter.  I was annoyed at the church for their hypocritical ways and was confused about a lot of it.  This book painted a realistic view of the church and admitted that it had made lots of mistakes and that Christians can be some of the most ungracious people you could meet.  Finally I thought someone was telling the truth and being realistic.  But what is so brilliant about the book is that it goes on to explain that there is a big difference between mistakes the church has made and what having a belief in God is all about.  

Me and Annabel away filming Grandstand (obviously!)

Favourite quote:  I have loads and I take great inspiration from them but I think the following well known Theodore Roosevelt quote is spot on:

 “It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who,

at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."  ‘Citizenship in a Republic’ Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

What makes you happy: Watching Heidi giggling, going to the Coffee Shack overlooking Plymouth Sound with Tim and Heidi, listening to music on the train to London (especially during the bit that goes along the seafront between Teignmouth and Exeter), when my cats sleep on my desk while I work at my laptop, and my speaking clients and sponsors being pleased with the job I am doing.

Maverick & Goose chilling out on my desk

What makes you sad: Not being able to find sufficient sponsorship for a project, being misunderstood, white middle-class ignorance (I hate myself for slipping into this too often), clothes shopping and going to the dentist.

What inspires you: Wow - so many things and people that I shall have to try to be succinct or this answer could go on forever.  My Dad for his incredibly positive attitude, even while he was dying.  Hayley for the way she manages being a mum with running our business and sitting on numerous boards and committe

es.  Seeing people achieve…  I always get very emotional when I watch people stepping onto a podium to get a gold medal because I know how hard they will have worked to get there and it inspires me to work harder.

Most challenging time: During my divorce from Andrew Veal.  I remember thinking that rowing the Atlantic seemed easy compared to the pain of divorce.

What do you want to achieve before you die:  I have quite a long list but I gave up being driven by what I want half way across the Atlantic during the rowing race when it hit home that God has it all wrapped up.  I firmly believe that God has a plan for me (and everyone) and that he gives us the right talents and opportunities when the time is right for us to use them, if we trust in him.

Me & Hayley aged 11 (Nice dresses!)

Most privileged opportunity:  Being a trustee of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.  I sit on a board with two members of the Royal Family and some of our country’s most successful businessmen and educationalists. Eleven of us in total.  I have learnt so much from them and feel incredibly honored to be involved with the DofE Award.  I believe in the DofE. It is without a doubt the leading programme of personal development for our young people.  I love the work we are doing with young offenders and for those with special educational needs and with those from minority groups. 

Debra and Tim surfing in Polzeath

With Prince Philip at a DofE event at Buckingham Palace