Regular donor stories: Invenio Training, outdoor first aid provider
Meet Bruce Petty, owner of Invenio Training, who donates £1 per client to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust.
Bruce Petty, paramedic and founder of Invenio Training, an outdoor first aid, safety and skills provider based in Buckinghamshire, now donates £1 per client to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust, starting this year, 2026. Thank you Bruce!
Read on for our interview with Bruce to find out why he has chosen to support the BMC's path repair, access and conservation charity, and why he thinks more outdoor businesses should give something back.
What is your job, Bruce?
I wear a few hats. I'm the founder of Invenio Training, where I deliver outdoor first aid, safety and skills training to individuals wanting to be safer on their adventures. Alongside that, I keep clinically current by working two ambulance shifts per month and a half day a week in primary care. With a background in outdoor education, mountain leadership and climbing instruction, I try to work on a few trips and adventures per year. I'm based in Buckinghamshire, although my work takes me across the UK. Much of my training is delivered in the Chilterns, the South East and Eryri (Snowdonia).
How did you get into the outdoors yourself?
The outdoors has always been part of my life. I went to school in North Wales; I could see Eryri from my window. Having grown up around horses, I found a new interest in all things outdoors: walking, climbing, kayaking and sailing. Later, serving in the British Army, I spent a great deal of time working and training outside and took every opportunity to travel and experience new things. Over the years that developed into hill walking, climbing, mountain biking, paddle sports, skydiving, bushcraft, off-road driving and expedition travel. Professionally, I was an instructor at Outward Bound, managed outdoor education centres and volunteered for Mountain Rescue. I've always been happiest when learning new skills and spending time outdoors.
What are your current favourite outdoor hobbies?
Walking in the mountains remains my favourite. I also enjoy climbing, mountain biking, adventure travel and spending time outdoors with my family. More recently I've set myself the challenge of training for a triathlon, which has added swimming and more cycling to the mix.
When did you set up Invenio Training and what is it?
I launched Invenio Training in 2013. Originally providing a wider range of first aid and safety training, in 2025 we refocused the business on outdoor, wilderness and adventure training. We predominately provide training to outdoor professionals, schools and adventure enthusiasts. Our courses are for anyone who pushes their boundaries and experiences in wild places. Our aim is simple: to help people build the confidence and competence to look after themselves and others when things don't go to plan. I believe that we don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training. Training should be memorable, functional and support rescue efforts. As a first aider, you are the first and very important link in a chain of survival that stretches from the point of injury through Mountain Rescue, Ambulance Services and A&E to definitive care. Each link builds on the work of the previous one. Our training focuses on helping people become a strong first link in that chain.
Why did you join the BMC?
Over the years I've been a member of the BMC and the Alpine Club, and I continue to support a number of professional organisations within the outdoor sector. The BMC does a huge amount of work that many people never see. Access, conservation, safety campaigns, representation and supporting the future of our outdoor spaces all require time, effort and funding. The places we work in and enjoy don't stay accessible by accident. The BMC represents many of the values I hold dear and helps ensure my children, and future generations, can continue to enjoy wild places for years to come.
When did you decide that Invenio Training would give £1 per client to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust?
The decision was made while reflecting on what was important to me and my family. I wanted Invenio Training to contribute something positive beyond commercial success. For all our face-to-face courses, we donate £1 per participant directly to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust. We chose a simple, transparent model that is easy for customers to understand and easy for us to administer. As the business grows, our contribution grows too.
Why was that important to you? What motivates you to give back?
The outdoors has given me opportunities, friendships, challenges and a career. Many of the places where I work and spend my free time rely on ongoing conservation and access work. Supporting those efforts feels like the right thing to do.
Do you think more businesses should invest percentage of their earnings to charitable causes and why?
I think every business should consider how it can make a positive contribution. That doesn't always have to be financial. It could be volunteering, sharing expertise, supporting community projects or fundraising. Businesses benefit from the communities and environments around them, so it's reasonable to give something back.
Are you keen to get more involved in BMC Access & Conservation Trust campaigns?
The donation is only part of the picture. I'm always interested in opportunities to support campaigns, raise awareness and help people understand why access and conservation matter. The more people who value our outdoor spaces, the better chance we have of protecting them.
What's next for you personally in the outdoor world?
I want to continue learning. The outdoors offers endless opportunities to develop new skills and explore new places. One immediate challenge is broadening my campfire cooking skills - I recently acquired a Dutch oven. I'm also looking forward to completing a triathlon and spending more time introducing my children to more adventurous activities as they get older.
What's next for Invenio Training?
We're expanding our Adventure Ready pathway, developing free and inexpensive workshops, an advanced course for people travelling further afield and working with partners across the outdoor sector to make quality first aid and safety training more accessible and encourage people to consider training. People are often happy to spend hundreds or thousands of pounds on equipment and adventures, yet first aid training can be overlooked. We're trying to change that. Our goal is to help more people enjoy adventure with confidence while keeping training practical, realistic and relevant.
Anything else you'd like to share?
One of the phrases I often use in training is: "Tell the story, don't be the story." Adventure should be about creating memories, learning new skills and exploring incredible places. A little preparation, good judgement and the right training can make a huge difference. If supporting organisations like the BMC helps preserve those opportunities for future generations, that's something worth investing in.
Support us through 1% for the Planet!
If your business is keen to help the BMC Access & Conservation Trust repair paths, conserve upland landscapes and habitats and restore the moorlands in our Mend Our Mountains and The Climate Project campaigns, support us via 1% for the Planet here!
Protect the Eastern Moors
We have already raised £50,000 to fund a dedicated Wildfire Ranger to protect the Sheffield Moors area from wildfire this season. Please now help the BMC Access & Conservation Trust raise a further £50,000 to support the team with equipment and restore the moorland for future generations.
£10 funds a roll of 20 sphagnum moss plugs
£25 fully restores 1m2 of moorland
£50 stabilises bare peat with cut heather
£100 funds ten educational social media posts
£200 builds a 2m dam to rewet an eroded gully
£2,000 hires one wildfire-prevention road sign
£10,000 buys a wildfire-detection drone
Donate to us for FREE!
Did you know that you can donate to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust entirely FREE simply by shopping online as you usually would, at any time of the year with Easyfundraising? It only takes two minutes to set up, here's how.
Donate to us (not for free!)
If you want to contribute to upland and mountain access and conservation causes like the above, then simply click here to donate to The BMC Access & Conservation Trust via The Climate Project or Mend Our Mountains campaigns at any time. One-off or regular donations of any amount are always most welcome.
Volunteer
Fancy fixing footpaths in the Lake District, placing stepping stones in Eryri or planting sphagnum in the Peak District? Sign up to one of our Get Stuck In events here. And if you can't volunteer, why not gift us the amount you would have spent in fuel or on a train fare getting to a volunteer event?
Leave a legacy
A wise person once said, the most noble thing you can do is to "plant trees under whose shade you will never sit" and, likewise, fund path repair projects on which you will never walk and moorland restoration projects which you will never see. If you'd like to make a lasting impact on the landscape long after you've left this world, please consider leaving us a legacy.
Related Content
Mynediad Newyddion
Anima from Adventures with Amina and Beck from Beck Goes Solo joined 13 other volunteers to build and maintain 600m of footpath south of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) this June.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC Access & Conservation Trust sponsored Wildfire Walk fundraisers raised an incredible £11,146 to protect and restore the Sheffield Moors area from wildfire.
Volunteering News
This 1-7 June is Volunteers' Week and we'd like to say a colossal THANK YOU to all of our incredible BMC volunteers for making the organisation run smoothly and effectively - your impact cannot be underestimated!
Mynediad Newyddion
A prize bundle of £895 worth of outdoor gear and courses awaits the person who raises the most for the BMC Access & Conservation Trust wildfire appeal by the end of 2026.
Mynediad Newyddion
Meet Stuart Cox, aka Peak District Viking, a YouTuber and social media influencer raising money for the BMC Access & Conservation Trust by getting sponsored for our Wildfire Walk.
Mynediad Newyddion
Fifteen BMC volunteers built 30 metres and maintained 4km of footpath south of Yr Wyddfa with the new BMC Access & Conservation Trust-funded apprentice ranger, Arwyn Parry.
Mynediad Newyddion
Wildfires are devastating for our beautiful UK landscapes, here's what you can do to help protect them at high risk times - warm, dry spells.
Mynediad Newyddion
BMC volunteers were thrilled to be part of Clare's BBC Radio 4 programme, Ramblings, during the latest Get Stuck In path repair event in Eryri.
ACT articles
Meet Alex Ekins, a director of Beyond the Edge, one of the UK's leading outdoor training providers, that donates annually to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust.
Mynediad Newyddion
Thirteen BMC volunteers repaired footpaths in the Lake District with rangers from Fix the Fells, and gifted the organisation 100 pairs of work gloves.
Mynediad Newyddion
Find out more about Damian, the new Wildfire Engagement Officer for the Peak District's Sheffield Moors area, funded by the BMC Access & Conservation Trust.
Mynediad Newyddion
Meet Emily Taylor, the BMC member who has chosen the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Mend Our Mountains campaign for her trig point challenge this year.
Mynediad Newyddion
Meet Clive Allen, a long-time BMC member who since 2005 has been donating to the BMC Access & Conservation Trust through his 1% for the Planet commitment.
ACT articles
Meet Gregory Perdon, the BMC member who chose the BMC Access & Conservation Trust for his annual mountaineering fundraising challenge and raised almost £7,200!
Mynediad Newyddion
As part of The Climate Project from the BMC Access & Conservation Trust, £15,000 has been granted to the Seagrass Ocean Rescue to extend the role of Living Seas Project Officer, Rhys Bowen, by over a year.
Mynediad Newyddion
A grand total of 42 volunteers braved the cold, wind and rain to plant thousands of trees and sphagnum moss plugs to restore the Peak District moorland this winter.
Mynediad Newyddion
Thanks to your generous donations, the BMC Access & Conservation Trust are funding a two-year apprenticeship role within the National Trust path repair team in Eryri, part of the 2026 Mend Our Mountains campaign.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC Access & Conservation Trust are delighted to fund a new Wildfire Engagement Officer for the Peak District's Sheffield Moors area.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC Access & Conservation Trust have donated four heavy duty cargo nets to Fix the Fells to help them move large stones during path repair work.
Mend Our Mountains Articles
The BMC Access & Conservation Trust are helping to fund the repair of badly eroded paths on Roseberry Topping in North Yorkshire as part of our ongoing Mend Our Mountains campaign. Here's the latest update.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Get Stuck In path repair and upland conservation events are going from strength to strength, with eight new path repair dates now available this year in Cumbria and North Wales.
Mynediad Newyddion
Volunteers are the beating heart of the BMC so it's tremendous to celebrate almost 200 of our fantastic members coming together to repair paths, restore the landscape and carry out conservation work in 2025. Here are the latest stats.
Mynediad Newyddion
In addition to welcoming four new trustees, the BMC Access & Conservation Trust has been busy in 2025, securing grants and creating fundraisers to support crag and mountain path repair, moorland restoration and landscape conservation in hill walking and climbing areas. Here are this year's highlights.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC had a strong presence at Kendal Mountain Festival this year, with the BMC Access & Conservation Trust charity stand, Women In Adventure film competition and workshop, a local hike, talks by staff members and one BMC volunteer winning a prestigious award.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Access & Conservation Trust has donated £15,000 to the Seagrass Ocean Rescue programme in the popular climbing and hiking location of North Wales as part of The Climate Project.
Mynediad Newyddion
This October, BMC and Mountain Training Association volunteers joined forces with the National Trust to cut down faster-growing, competitor trees to protect native oak trees in the Upper Derwent Valley of the Peak District.
Mynediad Newyddion
Storms and heavy rain couldn't dampen the spirits of the eleven volunteers who tackled the clogged drainage ditches below the famous Cuillin Ridge in a collaborative project with Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS).
Mynediad Newyddion
At the end of this summer, the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust donated 10 pairs of safety boots to Fix the Fells which will be free to borrow by volunteer path workers.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Access & Conservation Trust is thrilled to confirm a hugely generous £30,000 donation to our Eryri Apprentice Ranger fund from Athletic Brewing Company's Two for the Trails grant programme.
Mynediad Newyddion
At the end of September, twelve members of staff from the Lancashire Group volunteered on a Get Stuck In event in Eryri (Snowdonia) arranged by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust as part of the Mend Our Mountains campaign, hosted and instructed by rangers from National Trust Cymru.
Mynediad Newyddion
This September, a team of 12 BMC volunteers laid stepping stones through boggy ground, planted acorns and collected hawthorn berries in Eryri (Snowdonia) as part of the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Get Stuck In programme.
Mynediad Newyddion
This August, eight Get Stuck In volunteers, funded by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust, cleared invasive rhododendrons on the edge of Kinder Scout with the National Trust.
Mynediad Newyddion
This August, a team of 12 BMC volunteers helped to protect the mountains of the Glyderau, Eryri (Snowdonia) as part of the BMC Access & Conservation Trust's Get Stuck In programme.
Dringo Creigiau
Access improvements, funded by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust mean the new owners can reignite the popular MassonFest, a 'weekend of dry tooling fun' scheduled for 17-19 October 2025.
Cerdded Bryniau Newyddion
This August, 12 BMC volunteers spent two days on Scafell Pike, Lake District, making a 20m 'megabund' in the latest Get Stuck In event, funded by the Mend Our Mountains campaign from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust.
Mynediad Newyddion
The British Mountaineering Council and Peak District National Park Authority – working through Moors for the Future Partnership – have received a prestigious award for our work to conserve the moorlands of the Peak District and South Pennines.
Mynediad Newyddion
This July, eight Get Stuck In volunteers, funded by the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust, removed 400m of barbed wire fence at Dalehead, near Edale, as part of the National Trust's Dalehead Nature Recovery Project.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Access & Conservation Trust has registered with the Charities Trust to allow you to donate pre-tax via your payroll.
Mynediad Newyddion
Moors for the Future Partnership have been featured on the latest episode of Countryfile, raising awareness of wildfire risk and damage to the moorlands the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust have been helping them to restore in our longterm partnership.
Mynediad Newyddion
This June, 13 BMC volunteers completed an 80m section of previously heavily eroded path below Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and cleared vast amounts of invasive Himalayan balsam in the Ogwen Valley in North Wales.
Mynediad Newyddion
This June, 11 BMC volunteers took on a particularly boggy section of path along St Raven's Edge, above Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District.
Mynediad Newyddion
The BMC's Access & Conservation Trust has joined the 1% for the Planet Environmental Partners network.
Mynediad Newyddion
Cotswold Outdoor invite you to round up your payment at the till in aid of The Climate Project: Seagrass from the BMC's Access & Conservation Trust until 30 June 2025.
Mynediad Newyddion
Last summer's Get Stuck In event placed 187 stepping stones along a 50m stretch of footpath in Eryri (Snowdonia). Event creator Steve Charles reports on how the path is looking eight months later.
Mynediad Newyddion
BMC volunteers have been using sheep fleeces to make sustainable footpaths below Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), North Wales. Why?
Mynediad Newyddion
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Eryri Apprentice Ranger fundraiser on Big Give this spring, the BMC's Mend Our Mountains campaign raised a grand total of £14,000!
Mynediad Newyddion
BMC volunteers have planted a grand total of 55,845 sphagnum plugs in the Goyt Valley, Peak District, since our Get Stuck In volunteer events started planting this peatland restoring moss, in February 2024.
Mynediad Newyddion
Quick, buy that new pair of summer walking boots or waterproof you've been needing for ages and round up your payment at the till in any Cotswold Outdoor store to fund peatland and seagrass meadow restoration with the BMC.
Mynediad Newyddion
This week you have the chance to DOUBLE your impact towards fixing eroded footpaths in the beautiful Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park by donating via the Big Give Green Match Fund.