After a 6-year career as a Royal Marines Officer, Bruce left the Forces and headed into the jungles of Indonesia with the founder of Swaletreks - the precursor to Trekforce - Wandy Swales. After a successful expedition, Bruce returned to the UK and signed up for a University course, but went back to Trekforce the following summer to lead another expedition. Later that year, the lure of the jungle and the attraction of expedition life proved too much and Bruce quit his University course to work for Trekforce full-time.
Based in Indonesia, Bruce led all of Trekforce’s expeditions into the jungle for the next 6 + years. After one arduous but ultimately successful 3-month expedition, the documentary Cannibals and Crampons was born, which was immediately snapped up by the BBC as part of their Extreme Lives series. The film went on to win a number of awards at both the Banff Mountain Film Festival and the Kendal Mountain Film Festival.
Shortly after this, a new partnership developed between Trekforce and the BBC, which marked the beginning of Trekforce’s new role as an expedition consultancy to television production companies. Bruce was to play a key role in this initial partnership. As expedition leader for the CBBC series Serious Jungle, he and fellow Trekforce leader Emma Jay led a team of eight young people into the jungles of Borneo, where they worked with endangered orangutan. From here the BBC series “Tribe” was created, living with remote communities. Tribe is now in its third series.
"Trekforce really inspired me, this is what expeditions are all about. An organisation with a great ethos for making a difference where it is needed most, and a true spirit of raw adventure."
Bruce Parry, Trekforce Leader, Explorer and BBC TV Presenter
