Dartmoor national park’s unpredictable weather didn’t stop the 2314 teenagers in teams from cadet forces, schools and scout groups taking part in the nation’s largest youth outdoor event – the Ten Tors and Jubilee Challenge.
Now in its seventh decade, the Ten Tors event is a South West tradition. Over two days, teams of six teenagers, unaided and carrying all their own equipment, cover distances of 35, 45 or 55 miles. They must choose their own route and navigate to checkpoints across the difficult, wild terrain of Dartmoor without the use of mobile phones or GPS.
Lieutenant Colonel Dominic Maxwell-Batten is one of the key military organisers, he said:
“This experience is always very humbling and an amazing challenge for those young people.
If anyone knows Dartmoor all the distances are really hard work and its just astonishing and so rewarding to see them come through after all their hard training.”
The Army run event, is heavily supported by the Navy, RAF, volunteers and civilian agencies including the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA). As well as our own troops from the Army Commercial Radio Team (10 Signal Regiment) who carried out an essential task this weekend at the Ten Tours event on Dartmoor, running a comms network that provided both admin and safety oversight to the expedition. Over 85 radios were issued by SSgt John Postance and SSgt Thomas to staff and competitors, who also gave training to the military support staff who manned each checkpoint.
There was a festival atmosphere on the day before the start with a new fringe event at Oakhampton camp. Alongside the tented village various performers, including Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalists the Soldiers of Swing members of 37 Signal Regiment, entertained the challengers who were in an electric mood.
Colonel Sir Jonathon Van-Tam, the UK’s former Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Honorary Colonel to the Army Cadet Force Medical Volunteers and 306 Hospital Support Regiment started the event. In his speech to the challengers, he said:
“When you do extraordinary challenges like this, you learn things about yourself, and your teammates, that simply cannot be learned through ‘normal’ or everyday activities.
“I can say from personal experience that the finest examples of courage to continue, determination, and teamwork are all found here in the UK Armed Forces; so, it is absolutely fitting that they have organised this event.”
