Chris grew up in Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands. After obtaining a degree in Chemistry at Birmingham University he spent much of his youth travelling the world seeking out new experiences. He was an English language teacher, teacher trainer and author for many years and has visited over 40 countries.

Chris has been an active environmental campaigner and donor since the mid-1980s, when a trip to the Daintree Rainforest in Australia opened his eyes to the environmental destruction that was taking place around the world. Over the years he has supported a variety of ground-breaking conservation initiatives, such as training environmental lawyers in the Congo, establishing tree nurseries in Cameroon, setting up community mapping projects in Africa, developing real-time mobile technology to prevent illegal logging in Peru, and purchasing land to create wildlife corridors in threatened areas.

Chris and his wife, Adela, helped to establish Rainforest Trust UK in 2016 and now dedicate their time to spreading the message of rainforest conservation across Britain.

He is a keen nature photographer and enjoys feeding the birds, squirrels and foxes that visit their overgrown suburban garden.