South West Survival

South West Survival is a British outdoor education and survival training company based in Plymouth, Devon, operating across the South West of England. It was founded by Steven Kelly, a former British Army soldier with 23 years of service, including time in 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, who is also known as a television survivalist and podcast host under the name "Survival Ste." The company delivers real-world survival, bushcraft and outdoor education programmes built around practical skills, confidence, resilience and leadership. The business serves a wide range of clients: schools seeking outdoor learning, companies looking for team-building, families and individuals wanting adventure or genuine outdoor capability, and women's groups and private groups. Its courses are positioned as hands-on, safe, challenging and memorable, with a deliberate emphasis on practical outdoor skills, calm decision-making, problem-solving and controlled exposure to challenge rather than gimmicks. The founder's military background — including operating and training in jungle, desert, mountain and Arctic environments — is central to the brand's identity and marketing. Beyond training courses, South West Survival sells a small range of outdoor and survival-related products through its website, including digital downloads such as an "Everyday Survival Core Pack" and a free "72-Hour Survival Blueprint," as well as physical fire-lighting and tinder blends (Kindling Blend, Bushcraft Blend, Fuel Blend, Primitive Blend, Tinder Blend and Wilderness Blend). It also runs ticketed experiences and events, such as "Lost Adventurer Navigation From A To B," "Corporate Survival Training Events" and "Operation Bare Instinct." Steven Kelly's television appearances, which the company highlights as evidence of real-world testing, include Discovery Channel's Naked and Afraid and Naked and Afraid: Apocalypse, E4's Naked, Alone and Racing to Get Home, BBC's Bear Grylls: Wild Reckoning, and Soldier Magazine. He also hosts The Survival Debrief Podcast, interviewing survivalists, adventurers, military veterans and TV survival personalities. The company is privately owned and closely identified with its founder.

South West Survival was founded by Steven Kelly, a British Army veteran with 23 years of service, including time in 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery. During his military career he operated and trained in demanding environments such as jungle, desert, mountain and Arctic conditions, developing expertise in fieldcraft, navigation, survival training, resilience under pressure and leadership in austere conditions. After leaving the military, Kelly became known publicly as a television survivalist and podcast host under the name "Survival Ste." He built South West Survival to deliver practical, confidence-building survival and bushcraft training for schools, families, corporate teams, women's groups, private groups and the public across Plymouth, Devon and the wider South West of England. The company's training is explicitly framed around practical outdoor skills, calm decision-making, problem-solving and controlled exposure to challenge rather than gimmicks, with the founder's military background positioned at the heart of the brand. Kelly's television work, which the company cites as evidence that its training comes from someone tested in real conditions, includes appearances on Discovery Channel's Naked and Afraid and Naked and Afraid: Apocalypse, E4's Naked, Alone and Racing to Get Home, BBC's Bear Grylls: Wild Reckoning, and coverage in Soldier Magazine. He also hosts The Survival Debrief Podcast, speaking with survivalists, adventurers, military veterans, TV survival personalities and people tested in extreme environments. The business has expanded beyond course delivery into ticketed experiences and events — such as Lost Adventurer Navigation From A To B, Corporate Survival Training Events and Operation Bare Instinct — and into a small product line sold through its website, including digital downloads (Everyday Survival Core Pack, 72-Hour Survival Blueprint) and physical fire-lighting and tinder blends. The company remains privately owned and closely identified with its founder.

• Steven Kelly serves 23 years in the British Army, including 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.

• Kelly appears as a TV survivalist on Discovery Channel's Naked and Afraid and Naked and Afraid: Apocalypse.

• Kelly appears on E4's Naked, Alone and Racing to Get Home and BBC's Bear Grylls: Wild Reckoning.

• South West Survival is founded by Steven Kelly to deliver survival and bushcraft training in Plymouth, Devon and the wider South West.

• The company offers ticketed experiences and events including Lost Adventurer Navigation From A To B, Corporate Survival Training Events and Operation Bare Instinct.

• South West Survival sells digital downloads and fire-lighting/tinder blends through its online store.

Commando-led, practical survival and bushcraft training focused on real-world skills, confidence, resilience and leadership, delivered across Plymouth, Devon and the wider South West of England.

• Everyday Survival Core Pack – Digital Download

• 72-Hour Survival Blueprint (FREE)

• Kindling Blend

• Bushcraft Blend

• Fuel Blend

• Primitive Blend

• Tinder Blend

• Wilderness Blend

1. 1Home | South West Survivalsouthwestsurvival.co.uk
2. 2About Steven Kelly — Founder of South West Survivalsouthwestsurvival.co.uk
3. 3South West Survivalwikidata.org