Sundays are made for adventure, for the great outdoors and for getting stuck in. That’s precisely what Explorers from across Berkshire did last Sunday when they travelled to Longmoor for a special leadership challenge day with the British Army.
Multiple groups had signed up for the event, run especially for uniformed youth organisations, bringing together young people for a day of fun-filled, action-packed activities centred on leadership, teamwork and communications.
Any early morning fuzziness was soon eradicated as the bases got underway, especially for the 1st Purley & Pangbourne Explorers who were thrown immediately into a military style bootcamp. A series of exercises put them through their paces in muddy boots getting heart rates up and set up for the day ahead.
1st Ufton Nervet’s intrepid adventurers set off to learn how to save lives in the field with tourniquets and bandages. They learned how to deal with emergency situations, including extraction of patients using stretchers (pictured below left).
Other bases during the day included a game of camouflage hide-and-seek, setting up an observational post to identify military objects with binocular, tracking techniques, and a blindfolded navigation challenge.
Beanie from 1st Purley & Pangbourne added: “The Army event really helped push me out of my comfort zone and try new things and get a taste of what Army life could look like. My favourite part of the day was definitely trying to spot hidden items in the foliage using binoculars.”
The Explorers also practiced their shooting skills with paintball guns, running through the muddy forest with expert guidance from the Rifles.
Maidenhead Explorers reported plenty of first-time experiences on the event, which also put new skills to the test. They had to learn how to prep a vehicle to be airlifted, how to forage for food in survival situations and how to prepare a genuine army ration pack lunch.
Maidenhead Explorer Scout Elza said the day was “full of fun activities and first-time experiences”, and her friend Eve agreed “this was a one-of-a-kind experience that only the Army offers.”
Army instructors helped the Explorers to set up effective command structures, delegating roles and tasks to encourage efficient work, underpinning the importance of leadership and communications skills that will shape their adult lives.
Adult volunteer Katharine Handley-Archer said: “It was a fantastic event and really inspired those who attended. To see such focus, interest, and enthusiasm showed that we have some great leaders of the future emerging. We had a wide range of activities, and some of the adults were equally keen to get involved. A fantastic day with skills for life at its core.”
