SURVIVA JAK’s are to be deployed to help the earthquake affected area in Southeastern Turkey.
Current temperatures in the seismic zone around Van are hovering around 2 Degrees and dropping below freezing at night. The SURVIVA JAKs are to be handed out to those who are struggling to keep warm in the aftermath of the quake.
Where will SURVIVA JAK’s be turning up next?
Every year on the 3rd Sunday in September crews from all over the UK converse on Lincoln for the Boston Marathon. A 31 mile rowing race down the river Wytham in Lincolnshire. It’s the longest flat water rowing race in the UK and a race that I completed in a single scull last year.
Due to lack of fitness this year I was ready to cox (steer and shout) X-Press rowing club’s womens’ crew to what we hoped would have been a course record. read full article
You may have noticed that we haven’t posted in the last few months – well we’ve been rushed off our feet! Here’s a quick update on what we’ve been up to…
We’re really pleased to announce that we’re launching a new product – the SURVIVA BAG.
Made from the same strong metallised polyester as the SURVIVA JAK, the SURVIVA BAG uniquely incorporates heat reflection with high visibility lettering and direction arrows for visibility in low light conditions and under search lights. Ideal for a wide range of emergency situations and for keeping in the car in case of breakdown.
Trading for just two years, SURVIVA is looking forward to bringing the manufacturing of the SURVIVA JAK and the latest product SURVIVA BAG to Wales from China in late 2011. The relocation of manufacturing coincides with some very interesting opportunities on the horizon… more to follow at a later date.
We’re also moving the office at Heather Crescent to the new factory in Swansea.
Mushing; a sport or transport method powered by dogs.
For most of us, dog sledding is synonymous with the Arctic but it is possible to enjoy the sport in Britain from Kent to the Cairngorms. As participant, competitor or spectator it offers plenty of enjoyment and excitement. read full article
On average 30-60 people are struck by lightning each year in the UK, a hand full are unlucky enough not to survive.
But what are the best ways to minimise the risks?
When you’re the only super-conductive object on top or a ridge or mountain top the chances of being struck are far higher than if you are in a city.
Lightning occurs when positive electrical charges forming at the ground stream upwards to try to make contact with advancing downward negatively-charged ‘leader’ in the atmosphere. Lightning does not always follow, as not all of the upward discharges make contact with the leader but when the two meet a lightning strike will happen.
Surviva’s top tips for avoiding possible strikes:
Surviva Company directors appeared on hit BBC2 programme Dragons’ Den in August.
Letitia Valentine and Alex Lewis, the inventors of the Surviva Jak™– the jacket designed to prevent and treat hypothermia and shock – were looking for an investment in their company Surviva™. They Faced the fearsome dragons in a tense and nail-biting pitch and tamed one Dragon – Deborah Meadon who saw the potential of both the product and Surviva as a Brand.
The pair came up with the idea of the Surviva Jak™ a year ago and the story behind the invention is an extreme one. They were cycling up in the Brecon Beacons when hypothermia struck. It was this brush with death that led to the invention of the Surviva Jak™ and the business has grown from there.
“Facing the Dragons was a truely terrifying experience, but I would love to do it again!” said Letitia.
“It got extremely heated in the den and was perhaps more personal than it could have been but on a number of occasions Deborah stepped in to defend us which at lease gave us a bit of respite.” said Alex. When the Dragons got angry they also started arguing to each other and it was very hard to get a even a sentence in without being interrupted.
But in the midst of all the fire there was one dragon who saw the potential to develope the brand as we do and Deborah Meadon eventually gave Surviva their sought after investment.
So the sky is now the limit for Surviva. The response has been incredible so far and we love to hear where it has been or is going!
After the den Letitia and Alex have been incredibly busy with a huge amount of interest. They were also interviewed for BBC Wales Today the day after broadcast and are continuing to explore new opportunities.
This year Steve Hammond will be running from Land’s End to John O’Groats BAREFOOT.
We caught up with him and found out about his reasons behind doing such an immense challenge…..
What are you planning to do?
The idea is to run from Land’s End to John O’Groats barefooted – seems like the mileage is 847 (Unless I get lost, which with my sense of direction I probably will!)
Who are you raising money for?
Hoping to raise a huge amount for Cancer Research – 50 K is the target
It was a sucessful launch for the Surviva Jak at this years Outdoors Show at the NEC. Not only did the product get a roaring response but we used the opportunity to get some feedback from our customers direct.
We found that almost everyone we spoke to thought that the product was a good idea and we sold a lot more than expected. It was particularly popular with the walkers at the show and we sold most to replace the traditional foil blankets.
One thing we did find out from talking to people is that a lot of you carry a blanket but very few of you know that unless it is vacuum packed (and not many are) then it will degrade over time and if left for years in a backpack or pocket, you might come to use it and find that it has degraded and is in peices – not much use if you havent used it yet! Another advantage over the foil blanket: the Surviva Jak™ is vacuum packed so it does not have a shelf life. You can leave it for years in a dark place and know that when you need to use it, it will work (and work better than a blanket!).
There were some great talks – we were particularly impressed by Joe Simpson (of Touching The Void fame) and even more impressed when he visited our stand to enter the competition to win a kayak! He was very freindly and had a great sense of humour – his response to the Surviav Jak was, ‘Ive given up surviving!’.
The show was smaller than on previous years but because its the last year at the NEC it will be interesting to see what effect it will have on visitor numbers at its new location in Excel in London. What do you think? Have you been going for years and will you continue if the show moves to London? We would love to hear your views!
Yes, we will be giving away an Advanced Elements Advanced Frame Kayak at this years Outdoors Show.
These kayaks are truly brilliant, they’re small enough if you live in a flat to stash under the bed or in a cupboard, unlike a more traditional kayak. No need for a roof rack, you can fit it in a hatchback, or even take it on holiday: kayaking in Venice anyone?
Other than the size advantages these kayaks perform really well too: they slice through the water allowing you to reach superb speeds with very little effort.
As reviewed on The Gadget Show, they are also great in rapids and despite being partially inflatable can cope with rocky areas due to the three layer puncture resistant construction.
Click here to see advanced elements kayaks
All you will have to do to be in with a chance of winning this great Kayak is come and see us at the show and enter by giving us your name and email address. It really is as simple as that, so there’s no excuse to enter!
