11 min read

Being Listed In UK's Top 100 Most Influential People: Author Steve Hill MBE

Written by:

Becky Connolly

Steve Hill MBE’s career began as a teacher. Since then, he has become an adventurer, bestselling author, motivational speaker, founder of the Team Hill Charitable Trust and, if that wasn’t impressive enough, he has been listed in the 2026 UK’s Top 100 Influential People.

An incredible list of accomplishments. But what was the driving force behind Steve’s success?

Walking The Extra Mile: The Importance of Teaching

First and foremost, Steve is a teacher; holding decades of experience as both a teacher and a Deputy Headteacher, he says that his job is an honour. “I feel very privileged to be in the teaching profession - to be in a position where I can hopefully inspire the children, instil confidence in them and help enable them to develop themselves both academically and physically. The goal is for them to go out into the world with confidence and hopefully achieve their full potential in life, and being a part of that is something very special indeed, and that is what I strive to do everyday.”

The best way for Steve to teach them this is to try and lead by example. He’s constantly telling the children that anything is possible, and that they should never settle for anything less than their best as they pursue their dreams: and so inspired Steve’s incredible adventures, known to the pupils as “Mr Hill’s Challenges”. These adventures are in some of the most remote and extreme parts of the world, designed to push Steve beyond his limits, with the hope of inspiring children beyond the classroom.

Turning Challenges Into Charity Fundraising

It was these self-funded personal challenges that were the catalyst for his charity fundraising, in which Steve always involves his pupils, and in the last 15 years these challenges have helped to raise over £200,000 for a range of good causes. “I hope this helps to inspire the children further and adds an extra dimension into their lives,” Steve says.

The challenges have been varied, from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, to Trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp, to completing the UVU North Pole Marathon, Trekking 200 Miles in the Sahara Desert, and more.

This work has led to Steve becoming an Ambassador for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, leading him to giving talks and presenting awards at schools. He has also been invited down to Buckingham Palace and St James Palace to be a Gold DofE Guest Presenter, which Steve says is a huge honour, as well as becoming an Ambassador for the Scouts.

When time allows (alongside his teaching commitments), Steve would also like to deliver talks to other schools and youth groups about his challenges, to inspire the next generation to dream big, and teach that through self-belief, hard-work and determination, anything is possible.

Sir Steve Hill: Being Awarded an MBE

Steve was nominated for the Honour by some of the parents at the school for Services and Charity. “I knew nothing of this at the time!” He says.

“In mid-November 2014 I received an envelope in the post that looked like a tax demand, except it was from the Cabinet Office. Inside was a letter from a man who signed himself my Obedient Servant, suggesting that ‘The Queen may be graciously pleased to approve that you be appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)’. The Prime Minister, he said, would be glad to know if this would be agreeable to me, and the citation was ‘For Services to Education and to Charity’.”

Following this exciting letter, Steve was informed that his investiture would be at Buckingham Palace on the 19th March 2015. “On the day of my investiture, my family and I drove up the Mall and I could see that the Flag was flying over Buckingham Palace so I knew that the Queen was in residence and there was therefore a chance that the Queen could be leading the investiture that day. On arriving at the Palace, I overheard an elderly lady ask one of the footmen who was presenting the medals – he replied, “You’ve got the Queen.” That put a big smile on my face – it was the icing on the cake! The Queen would be presenting me with my medal!”

After being ushered past a magnificent staircase past a line of household cavalry guards dressed in full uniform, a member of the Royal Household entered the room. “They were all hung about with plaited gold braid, full of medals and wearing spurs,” Steve describes. “He told us we had to walk to Mr Foster and stand at his chest then turn 45 degrees and walk towards the Queen, stop and head bow – a demonstration was given – then forward to Her Majesty who would say a few words. We were to address her as Your Majesty the first time and Ma’am to rhyme with jam the second time. Then step back three paces, another head bow and leave the room. ‘One warning,’ he said, ‘don’t forget to let go of the Queen’s hand.’”

“Far too soon, I found myself at the head of the queue. I could see this little figure with white hair, and I became rooted to the spot. My name was announced – Mr Stephen Hill – for Services to Education and to Charity.”

“The Queen popped the medal onto me and said ‘you’re a teacher?’ to which I told Her Majesty about the fantastic children that I had the great privilege to teach. The Queen then asked about our charity fundraising and she said that my challenges were inspiring and she hoped that they inspired my children too!”

“I told her that the challenges grabbed the children’s imagination and that they loved being involved in the fundraising. I mentioned to the Queen that I was travelling to the North Pole for my next Challenge – she replied that would be very cold and asked why – my reply was “to be honest with you Ma’am I think I may be a little bit bonkers!” She laughed, shook my hand and wished me luck! I thanked her. I took 3 steps back, head bowed for the second time, and I was done!”

From then on, Steve was officially Stephen Hill, MBE. He was invested and it was, he says, awesome. “Having the Queen herself present me with my medal was just the icing on the cake,” he says.

“I often take the medal to school for the children to see as they’re also a big part of this honour.”

From MBE to Aspiring Novelist

So what shaped his journey from adventurer, teacher, charity fundraiser and MBE into his memoir? Steve says that writing a book was something he had never envisioned, so having a best-selling published book still feels very surreal.

“I often give talks and presentations, and after one particular talk, I was approached by Ian Blunt. He’d said he’d enjoyed it and that he felt I had a good story to tell, and that I should write a book about my life and my many adventures around the world,”

Steve laughed at the idea at the time. “Me, write a book – never! I just haven’t got the time and wouldn’t know where to start.”

Ian mentioned that he’d written a few books and that he’d love to turn his story into a book. “This sounded like a very exciting opportunity and a challenge of a different type, so I decided to give it a go,” Steve says. “I’m so glad I did.”

He set off on his publishing journey with one main hope: that people would simply enjoy his story, and to inspire others to follow their dreams and have great adventures.

Steve’s Journey to Publication with Troubador

Steve says that he was always going to opt for self-publishing, “it meant the book could just be as I envisioned it.”

“With Ian’s advice and the great support from Troubador Publishing, this was a very straightforward process. I’ve been so happy with every step of the experience of self-publishing my first book!”

The Biggest Rewards of Being a Published Author

The biggest reward for Steve was the Monday morning after his book launch, which many of his pupils and their parents had attended. “As I was taking the register in the morning I looked up from my desk and the majority of my class were reading my book, What’s Next, Sir?”

“It was a very special moment and I just thought: how many teachers get to experience this?”

He then went to ask the children which chapters they were up to and their responses, he says, blew him away:

“Sir, I’ve just climbed Mount Kilimanjaro!”
“I’ve just met the Queen!”
“Sir, I’ve just run through the Amazon jungle!”

The children, through Steve’s work, were living the adventures themselves – and were truly getting excited about it. Their response was “much more than I could have ever imagined, and it’s something I’ll never forget.”

Since publication, Steve has had an incredible amount of positive feedback from people, saying it has changed their lives and reignited their dreams, and a local high school has asked if it would be possible to use the book as a text for their Year 7 English Curriculum. Steve has also been honoured with people who have sent photos of their book on their travels around the world.

“My book has now visited hundreds of countries!” He says. “It’s been amazing to see how far my book has travelled.”

The Latest Honour: Listed in UK’s Top 100 Influential People

Receiving recognition as one of the UK’s Top 100 Influential People for 2026 was, Steve says, a very surreal moment. Previously he has not been focused on awards or titles – his priority has always been the work itself, creating opportunities, supporting communities and trying to make a positive difference through the projects and initiatives involved with his charity - Team Hill Charitable Trust.

“Looking back over the past few years, it’s been an incredibly busy and rewarding period, from continuing in my teaching role, to taking on more adventures in some of the remotest parts of the world, to leading major community initiatives and working alongside organisations and individuals who are genuinely passionate about change and impact.”

“Seeing that work recognised on a national level is both humbling and motivating.”

Being listed in the UK’s Top 100 Influential People is not just a reflection of his efforts, Steve says. “What means the most to me is that this recognition reflects the collective effort of so many people I’ve had the privilege to work with along the way. It’s also given me the opportunity to reflect on how far my journey has come, while reminding me that there is still so much more to achieve in the years ahead.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Steve’s journey is marked by one strong pull: inspiring the next generation.

“Being a teacher I see first-hand many children with very low aspirations and this is something I am determined to change as much as I possibly can,” he says. “The message I give to all my children is that anything is possible, but they have to first of all believe in themselves and work hard for it! I tell them that they are all entitled to their Big Dreams – dreams that excite or even frighten them because they are so big – and that no one has the right to tell them that their dreams are too big!”

To highlight this, Steve always promotes his favourite mantras: Dream Big – Aim High – Never Give Up! And I Can and I Will – Watch Me!

A Remarkable Journey

Starting off as a teacher who sought to inspire his pupils, Steve Hill has undertaken some incredible adventures, raised hundreds of thousands for charity, been awarded an MBE, been listed in the 100 UK’s Top Influential People, and written a bestselling book all about it, with the hopes of inspiring more people.

It is no surprise to see him listed for such incredible honours. So, his advice for anyone whose dream it is to write a book? “Go for it – you definitely won’t regret it! Start writing that first paragraph and enjoy the journey it takes you on – it’s truly a magical journey.”

We look forward to seeing what’s next for Steve. We’re sure it’ll be fantastic.

Steve’s Personal Challenges:

2009 - Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania – the highest mountain in Africa.
2010 - Climbing Mont Blanc – the highest mountain in Western Europe.
2011 - Trekking 200 miles through the Sahara Desert.
2012 - Climbing Mount Elbrus in Russia - the highest mountain in Europe.
2013 - Completing an expedition through the Arctic wilderness with huskies.
2013 - Trekking through the Jungles of Borneo.
2013 - Climbing Mount Kinabalu – the highest mountain in South East Asia.
2014 - Trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp.
2014 - Completing the Tenzing Hillary Mount Everest Marathon.
2015 - Completing the UVU North Pole Marathon.
2016 - Completing the Petra Desert Marathon.
2017 - Completing the Amazon Jungle Ultra Marathon – 230km self-supported race through the Amazon Jungle
2018 - Completing the Arctic Ice Ultra - 230km self-supported race through the Arctic Wilderness
2018 – Completing the London Marathon
2018 - Completing the Uganda Marathon.
2019 - Climbing Mount Toubkal – the highest mountain in North Africa.
2019 - Completing the Uganda Marathon
2021 – The Great Norse Run – 9 Marathons in 9 Days running the length of Iceland.
2022 – The Highland Ultra – 125 miles across the Scottish Highlands
2023 – 14 Marathons Challenge – Running 7 Marathons across Costa Rica and then 7 Marathons across Tajikistan
2024 - Completing the Uganda Marathon
2024 – 5 Marathons & 5 Mountains Challenge – Running through Mongolia
and then climbing 5 Volcanoes in Guatemala
2025 - Completing the Uganda Marathon
2025 – Running 5 Marathons Coast to Coast across Bali in Indonesia
2026 – Arctic Expedition through Svalbard
2026 - Completing the Uganda Marathon
2026 – Jungle Expedition through Colombia