Welcome to another blog here at Liquor Studio!

Whilst we have been busy planning the re-opening of our doors to the masses, we have also been personally preparing to deal with all the pressures of returning to ‘normal work’ and re-affirming our old routines. This month Liquor Studio teamed up with the fantastic Mountain Leader Mark (aka Charlie, aka The White Fox) to be educated on the importance of finding balance and enjoying our downtime to ensure we are doing everything we can to take care of our Mental Health.

Within Leeds hospitality the man really doesn’t need an introduction, he is one of the most reputable Doormen in the industry, working hard to keep our venues, staff and customers safe. 

For all our wonderful readers, we will let him guide you through his story and the amazing opportunities Mark is providing to those throughout the UK.

Enjoy!

Owen @ Liquor Studio

…

Hello, I’m Mark!

I’m an International and Winter Mountain Leader, Rock Climbing Instructor, Mountain Leader Award Course Director and owner of Your Mountain Adventure and White Fox Walking, I love the outdoors! Most people actually call me Charlie due to an ‘unfortunate’ mullet hair cut in the 1980’s (you can Google ‘’Charlie Nicholas mullet’’).

In spring 2000, I was diagnosed with both PTSD & depression. I found myself unemployed for a period of time until I accepted temporary work as door security, or as it’s sometimes referred to: ‘Ejection Technician’ work, in and around Leeds. Now this ‘temporary work’ continued for an entire 18 years during which I met and worked with many people securing their venues.

Around 7 years after the diagnosis, I discovered the path towards improving my own mental health was through spending periods of time in hill & mountain environments. From here on, I pursued a career in the outdoor industry and followed my ambitions to help others improve their mental health. With the support of businesses like Liquor Studio campaigning and spreading my story, we are really seeing fantastic results and are hoping to get more and more people involved. For this type of exposure, I am truly grateful.

My story was made into a short film called ‘The White Fox‘ (Click to view) by Filmuphigh.

Initially only a small project, the film has since gained huge support from Mountain Training and is at the forefront of their ‘improved mental & well-being’ campaign. It has been included in many Outdoor Film Festival programs and promoted widely throughout the ‘outdoor experience’ world.

I was inspired to offer White Fox Guided Walks as an opportunity to share with others the outdoor environments and educate about the positive impacts this can have on physical and mental health. The stresses of everyday life and then the past year of Covid restrictions and their adverse effects; taking care of our mental well-being has never been more important. By joining a professionally organised and guided walk, open to all, it is a great way to experience hill walking and really reap the benefits of breaking away from it all.

Your Mountain Adventure is proud to collaborate with the Liquor Studio, providing current staff members with an exciting opportunity to experience a guided walk as part of their commitment to staff mental health and well-being.  We would like to offer all Liquor Studio customers to take advantage of a discounted rate of 20% off for any of our White Fox Guided Walk events.

Discount code ‘LIQUOR20′ can be added at the checkout* – I look forward to meeting some of you in the Great Outdoors!

Charlie x