With a gun pointing at his head as he begged for his stolen moped to be returned on an estate in London, Dwayne Fields feared his time was up, at the age of just 21.
But after the trigger was pulled twice, the gun malfunctioned, and he escaped unhurt.
Instantly Dwayne, who had been told by a teacher “the most he could hope for was a short term in prison”, knew he had to change the direction in which his life was heading.
Fast forward 17 years and Dwayne, as he admits, is proof “dreams can come true”.
Now an explorer and running a charity, he is not only the first black Briton to have conquered the North Pole, but he is also the man Will Smith turned to during the making of his new Disney+ series, Welcome to Earth.
The Hollywood star sought him out to help overcome his fears as he travelled the world embarking on epic adventures.
Joining Will in Iceland to show him how to abseil down a huge rock face into a dark hole and kayak across rapids that had never been travelled on before, 38-year-old Dwayne says the pair struck up a great rapport.
“When Will walked up, I couldn’t believe I, Dwayne, who was told I’d never amount to anything, would be on camera leading one of the biggest A-listers across the wilderness!” he says of meeting the 53-year-old star.
“Will gave me a great big man hug and said, ‘Ah, Dwayne. I have been really wanting to meet you’. It is evidence dreams can come true. We’d so much fun together.”
Praising Will for his honesty, he says the actor talked about how he had never taken on such a feat before but he was determined not to give in. Will was also not afraid to admit how petrified he felt, telling Dwayne: “This is scary as hell.”
“Will was apprehensive,” says Dwayne. “When we were ready to get in the kayak, we saw Will’s security team had capsized. Will looked at me as if to say, ‘Man, are you seeing this?!’ He was anxious but he was determined to learn how to overcome his fears.”
After realising he had succeeded, an elated Will told him: “This is a bucket list moment. It’s been great to get out my comfort zone.”
Dwayne adds: “To do what Will has done is a great poster for anyone in doubt wondering about taking on a new adventure.
“I’d love to go on another one with him. He’s a really cool guy.”
Teaching Will how to overcome fear is something he will never take for granted especially as he knows how different his life could have been, he readily admits.
Moving to Britain when he was six from a happy childhood in Jamaica, Dwayne says inner city London came as a massive shock.
“I was raised until I was six by my great grandma, Loretta, in Jamaica,” he explains. “But when she started to get old, I was sent to London to live with my mum, Marcia.
“I had been spending my days running around in woodlands and swimming in the rivers and suddenly there I was in London and told to stay inside.
“We didn’t have a TV, I could barely read, and I didn’t recognise many of the foods in the lunch hall so I’d pick what the guy in front of me had picked and hoped they had good taste! I struggled to make friends, but I did what everyone else expected as I was so afraid of being isolated.”
After leaving school at 16, Dwayne studied engineering before landing an apprenticeship with the London Underground. He went on to work in a bank, but life was still tough as he tried to avoid getting into trouble.
But at the age of 18, he found himself in “the wrong place at the wrong time”.
He recalls: “We’d gone to a community hall and some local boys decided we shouldn’t be there. They chased us, and I was stabbed in two places. I was OK, but street violence is something I’m very aware of.”
Three years later, Dwayne faced another terrifying encounter – only this time at the end of the barrel of a gun.
“I’d made a moped from scratch,” he says. “My younger brother, Miguel, was having a go and someone pushed him off and took it. Something switched and I thought, ‘I’ve had enough’. I marched to the estate they were at – and demanded my moped back. The guy returned with a gun. He pulled the trigger and then again. Thankfully, the bullet wasn’t working and as he went to pull it again, someone ushered him away.
“People were telling me how to find him. I realised I didn’t want to play up to the crowd any more. It was a massive tipping point. I knew I had to re-evaluate everything.”
After soul searching, Dwayne realised he needed to get back to what he loved most as a child in Jamaica – the wilderness.
After taking part in a Three Peaks charity challenge, he applied to join Ben Fogle and James Cracknell on a trip to the South Pole. His application was too late but so impressed were their team that they invited him on to a trek to the North Pole in 2010.
“I immediately said yes. But it was a struggle to raise the £23,000. I used up all my savings I’d intended to use for university and half my wages from my job working in a bank. I also went door to door hat in hand!”
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Travelling 400 nautical miles in 22 days, Dwayne became the first black Briton to take on the epic challenge. “It was magical,” he says. “The scenery was phenomenal.”
He was invited to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen and Sir David Attenborough. He adds: “The Queen was brilliant, and I managed a joke with her! She is so reassuring.”
Dwayne knew he wanted to inspire children to never give up and began doing talks at schools.
In 2013, he was awarded the Freedom of the City London for his volunteering and six years later, he set up his charity, We Two Foundation, with explorer Phoebe Smith. They plan to take deprived children on “once-in-a-lifetime” expeditions. Their first trip is to the Antarctica in November.
“They are not going to pay for it as I know how hard that is, but they are going to pay for it with their deeds – things like engaging in local initiatives,” he explains.
“We want to help people who have been given up on. I was the kid who looked like I’d fit in an Oxfam ad, I want to inspire others.”
Dwayne, who lives in London with partner Ange and their four children, adds: “I know what it feels like to stare down a gun barrel. I don’t want that to happen to anyone else.”
- Welcome to Earth is available to stream on Disney+. For more info about Dwayne’s charity, go to www.teamwetwo.com
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