VIDEO: Reporter Hayley O’Keeffe learns how to survive in the wilderness

And for the first time ever an elite team of survival and bushcraft experts are offering classes in how to get to grips with nature, and it’s fun for all the family.

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Bear Grylls and Ray Mears is Jason Ingamells, director and principal instructor at Woodland Ways, World of Bushcraft which opened its doors in Priory Marina on Saturday.

Jason was an outdoorsy sort of kid and learned many basic survival skills by himself on woodland trips before realising that there was a market for this sort of knowledge.

He said: “When I was young I used to run away from home a lot and was great at building dens, lighting fires and learned a lot of the skills that survival experts use quite naturally.

“I then realised that I had the skill set at a very young age and I then went through to my adult life working as a survival instructor with several companies and travelling extensively.”

He added: “The main business is for adults and people who have seen the skills on TV by Bear Grylls and Ray Mears and want to have a go themselves.

“We have been doing this since June 2006 and our team are well respected in the industry, there is not a facility like this in the country and we are very excited to come to Bedford.”

And the centre is much more than just a homage to the tv stars, the experienced team have first hand knowledge of a range of survival situations both in the UK and overseas. Jason recently won the prestigious title of Best Bushcraft Instructor at a trade awards ceremony last year and Kevan Palmer, who is also an instructor at Woodland Ways, has worked behind the scenes as a safety advisor or numerous TV shows including Bear Grylls Born Survivor.

As well as offering tips and courses for adults planning a trek or wanting to learn more, the centre also caters to younger parties including families and Scouts and Guides.

Jason added: “The concept of the centre is that even those people who are not comfortable about coming out on a course or survival experience can still learn the skills.

“With the centre we have brought the woodlands inside.”

To find out more about Woodland Ways, World Of Bushcraft visit www.woodland-ways.co.uk