About Jon Ridgeon

I have lived in the countryside all my life with acres of land to roam free in. At a very early age i was interested in nature and spent most of my time exploring woodland and playing outside in the fresh air. I hated school because i always knew that i had much more interesting things to do back home amongst the trees.

Because i was outdoors for a lot of time i began to look at the natural resources around me and when i got my first knife i began to carve wood and explore materials further. Watching some of Ray's programs was also a great inspiration.

At a very young age i never realised that fire could be achieved by 'rubbing sticks', i assumed it was a myth. When i saw it on TV i was amazed and was excited to try this for myself. It became a personal mission to achieve fire in this way! After a hell of a lot of hard work i managed it and i still have these skills today.

Practicing my skills throughout most of my spare time over the years has paid off and now i am extremely pleased with the crafts that i make.

I also have a strong interest in photography. I mainly take photos of the natural world, in particular trees and macro shots of the miniature world around us.

At present i am studying Art and Design at college and hope to peruse this interest at University.

I mainly practice the crafts part of 'bushcraft'. My interest and skills in art and design go hand in hand with my work as a bushcrafter.

I am always eager to learn more about bushcraft. The subject is never ending and that is why i love it so much.

Picture of Ray, brother and me. 2005 (I'm on far left)