Meet the team

Head of Walking Leader Operations Cat Altounyan joined HF Holidays in 2011. She has worked developing volunteering strategy with the City Farms and Gardens movement and most recently with the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside. Whenever she has time, Cat loves walking, road and mountain biking, scrambling and rock climbing in the Lake District, activities which bring her a range of perspectives to the fells. She has also enjoyed walking in more far flung destinations overseas including Morocco, India, Borneo and China.

Gillian Mininch, Walking Leader Recruitment & Training Manager, joined HF Holidays in 1992, following two seasons as a voluntary walk leader.  She has always been a keen mountaineer and hillwalker, and her enjoyment and experience of leading parties in the UK hills has led to her gaining the summer Mountain Leader award and completing the winter ML training course.  She has been a member of Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team since 1997 and is in her second year as the Team’s Training Officer.

Kathleen Doidge-Harrison, Walking Leader Recruitment and Training Officer, has been with HF Holidays since 2002. Kathleen lives in “the garden of Eden”, the lovely Eden valley area of Cumbria, and enjoys walking in this relatively quiet part of the county with her two lively collies. She and her family have enjoyed HF Holidays’ self-guided trails in the Dordogne and Cevennes, the latter in the company of a gentle and obedient donkey, Muscad! 

Chris Wingrove, Walking Leader Services Manager, joined HF Holidays in February 2012. Chris has moved to Kendal after ten years of living and working in London and is already enjoying the relative peace and quiet! Previously he worked for the Ramblers, managing volunteers for an urban walking project. When not in the office, Chris enjoys travelling, walking and cycling.

Walking Leader Services Executive, Dave Brooks, joined HF Holidays in 2006 and is responsible for managing 250 volunteer leaders as well as being our IT and intranet guru! He lives in Brampton, close to Hadrian's Wall and is actively involved in the Brampton Walkers are Welcome initiative. He came with an outdoor background, working first for the Youth Hostels Association and then The Outward Bound Trust.

Dave has completed the round of Lakeland's Wainwrights and is now looking further north to the Munros of Scotland although with only 6 peaks 'bagged' so far, it could take a few years to complete!

Walking Leader Services Executive, Adrian Taylor, is a new recruit to HF Holidays, having previously worked for Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery in Carlisle and as a charity volunteer. Adrian grew up on the edge of the Lake District and has been a keen fellwalker since childhood, although he also has a particular fondness for the Peak District, the quiet hills of the Scottish Borders and the occasional Scottish Munro. And just before joining the team in the office, he successfully completed the Guidelines assessment to become one of our volunteer walk leaders!

Walking Leader Services Officer, Fin O’Suilleabhain, has been with HF Holidays for 10 years now. He’s a regular cyclist, highbrow author, a Man United fan and an aspiring blogger. He is well on the way to refining his interests down to just music!!  Fin provides leaders with their pre-appointment information, processes post appointment expenses and supports our Leader Services team.