Patrons
In 2010 Ed Stafford became the first man to walk the length of the Amazon River. The 860-day expedition earned him a Mungo Park Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and a Guinness World Record. Sir Ranulph Fiennes described the expedition as "truly extraordinary". Since then Ed has written four books and travelled the world making documentaries for Channel 4 and Discovery Channel.
In late 2023 Ed took a group of struggling British dads and their kids to the jungles of Belize as an experimental documentary for Channel 4. The aim was to see whether undergoing arduous challenges in an uncomfortable environment would help them, both as individuals, but also in their relationships. It was this project that brought MAN&BOY to Ed's attention as the parallels between Ed's program and the objectives and methods of MAN&BOY are evident.
MAN&BOY is a fantastic organisation that I'm very proud to be affiliated with. Their goal is noble and their tactics are common sense - it's a beautifully simple strategy to help boys reconnect with a male figure in their lives.
It’s clear that MAN&BOY is a brilliant concept, and being very well applied to help turn around the lives of boys. I hope it thrives and spreads worldwide. I am proud to be the patron of MAN&BOY.
Although Adam Byatt stepped down as a patron of MAN&BOY a few years ago to pursue a new patrons role within the restaurant industry, Adam remains a very passionate supporter of our work. This is evident in his hosting of our annual Founder's Lunch which brings together many of our strongest supports to celebrate our impact. We are hugely grateful for Adam's continued support.
Born in Essex, in Rainham into a working class family, Adam was exposed to the world of cooking from an early age as his grandfather was a cook in the army. From his mother, also a professionally trained chef, he experienced good home cooking, whilst he quickly learned from his window cleaner father the art of hard graft and integral work ethics. On the eve of his 16th Birthday, Adam was introduced to the Savoy Education Trust who in turn offered him a placement as an apprentice chef at Claridge’s Hotel. After 3 months, Adam started college at Bournemouth via an opportunity with the Academy of Culinary Arts and a scholarship with Claridge’s. Over the next 4 ½ years he spent time between Claridge’s and Bournemouth improving his skills and qualifying as a professional chef. He then moved with the head chef John Williams from Claridge’s to the Berkley Hotel before joining Philip Howard at the prestigious The Square restaurant in Mayfair during which time, The Square was awarded their second Michelin star and Adam was appointed Sous Chef. In 2001, Adam opened his first restaurant – Thyme in Clapham. Thyme was an instant success winning countless awards including ‘ Time Out Restaurant of the Year 2003’ , ‘ Best Newcomer Tatler Restaurant Awards 2003’ , ‘ Winner Remy Restaurant Awards 2004’ winner Carlton London restaurant of the year in conjunction with the evening standard.
In 2005 he launched the now Michelin starred restaurant, Trinity and in 2012, Adam opened a sister restaurant to Trinity in Clapham: Bistro Union. In 2017, Adam was awarded Imbibe’s Restaurant Personality of The Year 2017 for his commitment to passing on culinary knowledge to future generations and helping to create Michelin Star winners of the future. Adam has taken part in numerous TV and radio shows as a guest chef and presenter and has written a number of books.
