One of Oldham's top teachers whose quest to raise money for local and international causes has taken him all over the world has been recognised as one of the "most inspiring explorers" of the year.
The deputy head of St Joseph's school in Shaw, Steve Hill MBE, has made his mark in education, having raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for causes close to his heart - and overseas through building a school and other facilities for a village in Uganda.
Steve has won countless accolades for his services to education and has travelled the globe to complete expeditions and challenges to raise money.
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He is also the author of a book, "What's Next Sir?", which he wrote to inspire his students about his travels and the founder of the Team Hill Charitable Trust.
Steve's efforts even saw him meet the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 and more recently a "points of lights" award from Downing Street.
Now, Steve has just completed the Uganda marathon for the sixth time, where he also sits as chair on its board of trustees, and last year completed a mega "month of marathons" through the tough terrains of Costa Rica and Tajikistan.
He will soon be embarking on yet another mammoth challenge - this time in Mongolia and Guatemala as he takes on the "ring of fire" through five mountains, completing five marathons in the process.
With no signs of slowing down, the Top Explorers List has named Steve as one of the most inspirational explorers of the year.
The top explorer list honours the most influential, inspiring and accomplished explorers, adventurers and athletes.
All the explorers come from a variety of disciplines and have excelled through inspiring expeditions, incredible records and powerful personal achievements by pursuing their dreams.
The World Explorers Collective said it picked Steve as he is "first and foremost a teacher, but a teacher with a difference".
The Collective continued: "He takes on immense challenges each year, raising to date over £200,000 for good causes as he pushes the boundaries to help inspire others.
"Steve is also the founder of Team Hill Charitable Trust and is an Ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards.
"He has been awarded an MBE for services to Education and Charity – along with multiple other awards including a National Teaching Award, Inspirational Teacher of the Year, National Happiest School Person, and Adventurer of the Year amongst many others."
His profile on the website lists some of Steve's most impressive expeditions, including several mountaineering and trekking expeditions between 2009 and 2014, where he took on Mount Blanc, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus and Kinablau and trekked through the Borneo jungle and 200 miles of the Sahara desert.
In 2014, he took on the Tenzing-Hillary marathonin Nepal, followed by the North Pole marathon in 2015 and Petra Desert Marathon in Jordan the following year where Steve ran past tombs, mountanside carvins and caves.
Then in 2017, hetook on a 230km self-sufficient ultra marathon through the amazon rainforest in Peru, followed by another ultra marathon in Sweden across the arctic circle in 2018 and the Great Norse Race in Iceland in 2021.
Reacting to the recognition, Steve said: “Wow! It’s such a huge honour to be selected onto the Top Explorers List as one of the 10 most inspiring explorers of 2024.
"Not bad for a primary school teacher from Oldham.
"Hopefully this will help to further plant the seeds of adventure amongst my pupils and inspire them to follow their own dreams.
"I look forward to continuing to explore the world and taking on future adventures - starting with my upcoming challenges this summer in Mongolia and Guatemala.
"I’d like to thank everyone who supports and encourages me in my challenges and fundraising - your support is greatly appreciated and means a lot."
Got a story? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk
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