Rayleigh and Wickford MP and Armed Forces Minister, Mark Francois officially launched the Ten Tors Challenge on Dartmoor recently, which is a test of navigation skills and endurance for young people. During the challenge, competitors have to visit ten tors on Dartmoor, within 34 hours, in some cases travelling distances of 55 miles.
The event has been running for several decades and includes teams from schools, cadet units and other youth organisations around the country, who attempt to cover courses of 35, 45 and 55 miles, depending on the age of the participants. In addition, there is also the Jubilee Challenge, which is for physically or mentally disadvantaged young people, which runs in parallel with the Ten Tors event. The Rayleigh and Wickford MP opened the main Ten Tors event at 7am last Saturday and the related Jubilee Challenge at 8am.
Speaking about the event, Mark Francois said:
"Ten Tors Challenge is a real test for young people, who pit their skills against the elements on Dartmoor, whilst seeking to cover some quite arduous terrain in limited time. There is also a related Jubilee Challenge for disadvantaged kids, for whom in some ways the overall challenge is even greater. I have heard a lot about the Ten Tors down the years so it was great to be given an opportunity to see it for myself and to walk at least a little bit of the route with some of the participants."