After studying BSc (Hons) Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology at Plymouth, Thom went on to become one of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Three Hungry Boys, along with fellow Plymouth alumni Tim Cresswell and Trevor Brinkman. This experience inspired Thom to set up his own business, 7th Rise, on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall.
“What we’re doing here is offering people a chance to step away from their screens, from their lives in the city or wherever they are, and to come and experience the outdoors through fishing, foraging, hunting, wild swimming,” Thom says. “It’s not a commune; it’s not ‘hippy-fied’; it’s not a military survival camp. It’s a place for people to recalibrate, and to undergo a digital detox.
Plymouth’s reputation for marine biology was a huge part of my decision to come, but I also wanted to go to a place that would inspire me as a location. At Plymouth I had some of the most amazing coastline, moorland, and forests right on my doorstep. And now, with 7th Rise, I share my office with deer, grey seals, fal oysters, an otter, and some tawny owls. This is a place to inspire people – and if we can do that with the young people of the South West, hopefully we can retain more young talent in the future.”
