Simon Chapman (SIM) (35) teaches Physics in a high school in Lancashire and makes jungle expeditions whenever he can. His travels have taken him to tropical forests all over the world, from Borneo and Irian Jaya to the Amazon. The story of his explorations with a folding canoe in the Bolivian rainforest, 'The Monster of the Madidi' has recently been published by the Aurum Press (March 2001).

He has also had numerous articles and illustrations published in magazines in Britain and the US, including Wanderlust, BBC Wildlife and South American Explorer, has written and recorded for BBC Radio 4 and lectured on the organisation of jungle expeditions at the Royal Geographical Society, of which he is a fellow. He lives with his wife and his two young children in Lancaster.

Derek Roddenburg (DEX) (40) finished school and went onto to work as a bookbinder for fifteen years. During this time he subsidised his wage as a semi-professional football player. Leaving his job in 1991 to go travelling he spent two years exploring India, South Asia, Australia and the USA. On his return he completed a Geography/ P.E. degree and went onto teaching at a Lancaster secondary school.

Since his major trip he has made two subsequent journeys to the Middle and one through Central America. The first of these trips he worked on a documentary video with Dave Clark. Since then they have been planning to work further together.

Dave Clark (DJ) (36) graduated with a theatre studies degree and went onto working with a youth theatre group, mainly making films. In 1989 he took up photography and, after travelling around the world, became a photojournalist based in Jerusalem, covering the West Bank and Gaza strip. After two years he returned to England and set up a photography and video agency working world-wide for or with British Charities.

In 1995 he started lecturing part time in photography/video at Lancaster University and in 1998 took a full time lecture post at Bolton Institute as head of the Photography-Video degree. Dave has taken two trips to Brazil with students from the course. Dave is publishing his first photography book this June.