Scouts & Guides complete the FORWARD Challenge!
By Chris Ward, 26th March 2006
More than 150 Young People (aged 10 to 15 years) from Scout Troops and Guide Companies across the county took part in FORWARD Challenge 2006 in March. The annual seven hour endurance event was held in the Dullingham area, near Newmarket.
Each team of four to six young men and women had to find five checkpoint locations over approximately 100 square miles of countryside, following a ten mile route and completing a number of challenges along the way.
The checkpoints were manned by students from the Cambridge University Scout & Guide Club (the organising team) and provided the FORWARD Challenge, ranging from first aid and fire lighting to tests of mind over matter. Everyone agreed that it is not easy to build a one metre spaghetti tower capable of holding an egg, without breaking it!
FORWARD was a test of map reading, navigation and above all teamwork! It was a fantastic event for the young people taking part and a real sense of achievement. Event organiser and Cambridge University student, Zoe Duck said:
‘Completing FORWARD was a great achievement for the Scouts and Guides taking part. Good map reading skills and strong teamwork proved essential to success. It is an endurance event and there were times when teams are down on their luck and needed to work together to pick themselves up. It’s amazing in these situations how everyone does!’
At the finish, jubilation for the winners from the 26th Cambridge Scouts and the 1st Comberton Guides and for everyone the feeling of a job well done and a mug of good hot tea!
The event was organised by Cambridge University students from the Scout and Guide Club. A team of enthusiastic students have been working on the FORWARD Challenge for the past six months. The students are keen to make a contribution to the local community during their time at Cambridge and local Scouting and Guiding is very grateful for the work they do in organising this and other events throughout the year.
