Ten Tors took place over the weekend and, although shattered and nursing very sore feet, all our students were successful and in by midday on Sunday. Congratulations then to Tristan Horrell, Jake Aley, Luke Dann, Joey Tucker, Cedric Ong and Philip Kew. A really big thank you to Pete Twyman and all staff who have supported these students over the past seven months with routes, risk assessment and out on the moors – a great team effort!
For over 50 years the event has evolved but the underlying challenge of walking unaided over the forbidding Dartmoor terrain to visit ‘ten tors’ remains as demanding today as it has ever been. To complete the challenge takes considerable commitment and determination, not just from the individuals and teams participating, but also from the adult team managers and voluntary weekend warriors whose selfless commitment and dedication bring the experience and love of the wild to our young people.
The 2012 Ten Tors Challenge started in glorious sunshine at 7.00 a.m. from Okehampton Camp. As is traditional, competitors listen to the Ten Tors prayer and a few words of encouragement before the cannons fire. The Ten Tors Challenge is open to up to 400 teams and as always they have to run through a rigorous kit inspection on the Friday afternoon. This year we had a very thorough inspection officer.
The Jubilee challenge is a one-day event for young people with special physical or educational needs. It was originally held as a special event in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year of 1977. It caught on and was renamed the Jubilee Challenge in 1996. It is organised and run by volunteer undergraduate officer cadets from Exeter University Officer Training Corps including some from the University of Plymouth. As always our hardy band of students, staff and volunteers did Lipson proud! We had two teams doing two routes and both came in first overall which, although not a race, is a fantastic achievement. The students were: Liam Walsh and Josh Collins; Trelawny Bishop, Elizabeth Edwards, Tyler Bunch and Axl Bloore. A big thank you also goes out to those staff who have helped with these students this weekend: Craig Riedel, Drew Sharp, Lauren Sharp, Drew Moore, Ian Thorne, Alan Ward, Sue Laurie, Anita Galpin and Brenda Tippett. Also, Jason Simpson and Kevin Cromwell for helping with the practise walks. |
