Meet the Team
After taking his young kids on a canoe trip in Suffolk Andrew realised that there were little to no opportunities for families to try paddle sports in the Kent and Canterbury area. So, with Andrew's passion for the great outdoors at its heart, from here Canoe Wild was born! Andrew built the business from scratch, starting with just six canoes on a trailer, but as word spread of the new must do activity in Canterbury Andrew soon found himself in need of a team! Canoe Wild is Andrews pride and joy so have a scroll below to meet the individuals that make it so and that Andrew is proud to call the Canoe Wild team!
Meet Lucy Mangnall-Green our Office manager and one of our paddlesport leaders. As the daughter of business owner Andrew, Lucy has always been part of the Canoe Wild team, from working part time around her studies to now working full time as a valued member of the family business. Lucy's passions are anything nature based whether that's thinking about what we can do to help nature and boost conservation efforts in our local area and waterways or encouraging more people to enjoy the beautiful river Stour and appreciate the bustling wildlife that lives there. Lucy is friendly, fun, knowledgeable and always up for a good laugh. Lucy's favourite Canoe Wild activity to run are the sea kayaking seal trips or the evening beaver tours!
Meet Kate Rutherford our Paddleboard Coach. Kate has been with Canoe Wild since 2020 and came to us from an outdoor activity background up in Northumberland. Joining the team initially as an Activity assistant and driver having spend many years driving tractors on her parents farm. However, kate quickly started mucking in with our water based activities and by the end of 2020 kate became a qualified paddlesport instructor. Her Geordie accent is often the source of many laughs and constantly confuses the team (and paddlers) but she has become a prominent member of the Canoe Wild family and is now one of the leadership group. Kate gained her Paddleboard Coach qualification in 2023 and since then it’s been hard to get her off the water. Kate will likely be one of the team out on the water with you, She’s friendly, knowledgeable, supportive, and really ensures you have an enjoyable experience paddling, if you can understand what she’s saying that is!
Ed has worked at canoe wild for 3 years and was introduced to the company by his wild older brother Tom. A member of the coaching team, Ed’s most at home in a kayak or canoe, but can often be found wobbling around on a paddleboard when the weather is warm and sunny. As well as paddle-sports, Ed is a keen cyclist and often cycles into work, keeping him fit for the many lessons, guided paddles and awards he leads in a typical working week. Ed’s favourite activity is sea kayaking, and he is one of the leaders on our seal watching sea kayak trips in the beautiful Pegwell bay.
In future he hopes to introduce more sea kayaking trips, as well as canoe camping and bushcraft trips.
Meet George, who is entering his 4th season with Canoe Wild. George started off as an activity assistant, then began to help with the administration and social media side of things. You may see him on the river from time to time, most at home on a paddle board, but mostly at the office in Grove Ferry to sign you in. George is a key member of the administration team ready to answer your queries, from phone calls to emails. George loves teamwork and is passionate about keeping the team spirit at Canoe Wild the best it can be! Aside from Canoe Wild, he balances his work towards a degree in Visual Effects.