Discover how Turi Lami, Senior Manager at Academic Summer Camps, combines leadership, safeguarding and a background in high-level security to create a safe and unforgettable summer experience for students from around the world at Sidcot School.
Turi Lami, husband of Academic Summer CEO Helen Lami, is the driving force behind our flagship summer camp at Sidcot School. With a background in the Albanian military, Turi brings a rare combination of precision, care and hands-on leadership coupled with a passion for working with young people. Each summer, he helps create a safe, enriching and memorable experience for students from around the world.
When you consider who may lead a summer camp, you may not picture someone who once served in high-level personal protection but that’s exactly who oversees our prestigious camp in the English countryside each July. Turi Lami, who is the Director of Operations at our Bristol venue, completed his 16th summer camp this year, delivering safe, structured and inspiring experiences for international students aged 7 to 17.
“Our first camp at Sidcot was in 2010,” Turi told The Clever Fox Journal, speaking with a quiet authority that reflects his extraordinary background and deep dedication. “Since then, I’ve seen hundreds of young people from around the world grow in confidence, independence and character. It’s a privilege to be part of that journey every summer.”
Turi Lami – a leader shaped by experience
Before joining Academic Summer, Turi worked was a soldier and body guard in Albania. These roles not only required physical awareness, but also a mindset of forward-thinking responsibility. “I know everything there is to know about security,” he says with a smile, referring to his close watch over every aspect of camp life, from safeguarding protocols to student wellbeing.
This attention to detail is part of what makes the Sidcot camp such a unique and enriching environment. Nestled in the heart of the English countryside, the school has an almost Harry Potter-like feel, with historic buildings alongside state-of-the-art, temperature-controlled classrooms. There’s an art centre, music and drama rooms, sports fields, an indoor swimming pool and stunning gardens. Turi ensures every facility is used to its full potential to create a memorable and balanced summer experience.
More than management – a mentor, teacher and cook
As Director of Operations, Turi works closely with our Sidcot Camp Director, Caroline Marshall, forming a strong leadership team at the heart of Academic Summer. He oversees all aspects related to the venue and facilities while Caroline manages staffing, timetables, pastoral care, excursions, student activity planning and parent communications. Their seamless coordination ensures that every student’s experience is safe, enriching and exceptionally well organised.
However, Turi does more than manage logistics, he actively engages with students. As part of the Be a Leader programme, he runs dynamic sessions on decision-making and crisis management, guiding students through real-world scenarios in small groups and helping them develop practical leadership skills that last a lifetime. “I outline our leadership model at Sidcot and give students practical challenges,” he explains. “It’s about learning to lead in the moment.”
He’s also known for his hands-on cooking sessions, delivering a camp-favourite: MasterChef with Turi. In these workshops, he teaches students how to prepare a 15-minute healthy meal, complete with cost comparisons and budgeting. “I show them how much junk food costs, then we do a full price breakdown, electricity, ingredients, everything,” he says. “It turns out it’s cheaper to eat well if you know how.”
Riding into the countryside
Turi also has a lifelong love of horses, something that aligns beautifully with the natural setting of Sidcot. “We already sent three students horseriding this morning,” he says with a smile. While he rarely has time to ride himself during the busy summer season, he takes great pleasure in giving students the chance to enjoy this traditional British pastime.
With access to local stables and qualified instructors, horseriding is a popular add-on, offering students the opportunity to build confidence, explore the countryside and experience something truly memorable.
A trusted presence at Sidcot School
Turi knows the Sidcot campus like the back of his hand. Over the summer, he’s entrusted with full access to the entire site, an enormous responsibility that speaks to the school’s trust in him.
“I have the freedom of the school,” he says. “But it takes me about an hour to lock it all up each night –doors, lights, alarms – everything.” It’s this kind of dedication, often happening quietly behind the scenes, that ensures every student is safe, cared for and able to focus on enjoying the experience of a lifetime.
A passion for giving back
Turi is also a passionate supporter of Theirworld, the global education charity Academic Summer supports. Each year he takes part in Your Walk, the charity’s annual fundraiser helping to provide laptops to students in Ukraine.
He’s known not only for walking the miles, but for boldly volunteering for the more entertaining aspects of fundraising too, like being put in stocks and having wet sponges thrown at him by enthusiastic students.
“At Academic Summer, fundraising is something we take seriously, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun,” Turi says. Every splash counts towards helping children access education where it’s needed most.”
The Lami legacy
Turi’s role complements that of his wife, Helen who is widely recognised as a trailblazer in international education and is often referred to as “the Queen of British Summer Schools.” You can read her story here, where she talks about founding Academic Summer, her passion for the CLIL methodology and their joint mission to inspire students worldwide.
Helen and Turi’s journey into global education is closely tied. While on a missionary placement in Albania in the 1990s with Operation Mobilisation, she met Turi, who, at the time, spoke no English. What began as a shared commitment to service and cross-cultural exchange grew into a lifelong partnership both professionally and personally.
Today, they live in Devon with their two cockapoos, Teddy and Kimble. They are known for their warm hospitality, and Turi’s love of cooking shines through at the annual Academic Summer Christmas gathering, where he often prepares traditional Albanian dishes.
Bringing it all together
Together, Helen and Turi Lami represent the perfect blend of vision and care – Helen leading the organisation’s future and Turi anchoring it in compassion, safety and real-world wisdom.
Turi’s journey from Albania to the UK reflects the very values Academic Summer aims to instil: resilience, growth, language learning and global perspective. Like many of our students, he once had to learn English from scratch, so he understands first-hand the challenges and rewards of immersing yourself in a new culture.
Whether managing logistics, leading leadership sessions or setting up karaoke nights, Turi’s presence helps make each student’s summer truly life changing. And with his background in security, parents can rest assured that their children are in safe, experienced hands.
“It’s not just about lessons. It’s about life,” he says. And at Sidcot, life lessons come wrapped in leadership, laughter and unforgettable memories, thanks to Turi Lami and team.
Find out more about our Summer Camps at Sidcot School with bookings now available for 2026,
Al Gibson is a business journalist based in Exeter. He started Countdown Creative in 2020 offering copywriting services to local companies, charities and organisations.
