I think fire is so critical in the wild. You can cook with it, you can make tools, you can deter a predator, you can dry your clothes and you get that element of morale that matters so much when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Above all, I feel a quiet pride that for the rest of my days I can look at myself in the mirror and know that once upon a time I was good enough. Good enough to call myself a member of the SAS. Some things don’t have a price tag.

Being brave isn't the absence of fear. Being brave is having that fear but finding a way through it.

You're not human if you don't feel fear. But I've learnt to treat fear as an emotion that sharpens me. It's there to give me that edge for what I have to do.

Don't be scared to dream big, and don't be afraid to be close to people. And never give up! It's the tenacious not the talented that win.

All my life the only thing I've been good at has been climbing and throwing myself off big things.

The SAS Reserve tends to be made up of former paratroopers and commandos who still want a challenge, but it is open to civilians.