Eighteen Exmouth Community College students proudly crossed the finish line of this year’s Ten Tors after completing a 35-mile hike across Dartmoor.
Three teams of six students from Year 10 took part in the challenge during the weekend of Saturday, May 7 and Sunday 8. Each team was allocated a different route, but they finished within an hour of each other.
Jez Turner, the head of drama and Ten Tors Lead at the college, said the students had been in training since last November.
He said: “Over the course of the five day walks, two weekend expeditions and numerous classroom sessions, the trainees were taught a whole range of skills that would equip them to be competently self-sufficient and to be able to safely navigate their way around a given 35-mile route on the open moor.
“At times we were met with some really challenging conditions, but the students persevered and showed great resilience and determination. They become stronger, more independent, and better navigators as the training went on.
“Our amazing team of leaders set up base camp on the Thursday to ensure that the participants would have as comfortable a night as possible before the event itself. After a send-off from the Principal, Mr Davis, we then drove the teams, looking smart in their new Ten Tors hoodies, to the camp for registration.
“There was much excitement on the Friday evening - we were even treated to an exclusive tour of one of the Royal Navy's Merlin helicopters that are used to support the event - and some last-minute preparation before the camp went quiet at 10pm in readiness for an early wake-up call.”
The Ten Tors teams set off through thick Dartmoor mist, but it soon made way for warm sunshine. By nightfall all three Exmouth College teams had reached their sixth or seventh tor and were in a strong position to start their journey to the finish line on Sunday morning, arriving between 12.28pm and 1.39pm.
Jez said: “They were met with a heroes' welcome, and deservedly so.”
“The event was brilliantly organised and we would like to thank the armed forces, specifically Headquarters South West, for providing this amazing opportunity for our students."
The college’s assistant principal Philippa Rowe said: “We would not have been able to even consider entering any teams for the event without the dedication of our staff, who volunteer hours of their time in the evenings and weekends to give our students the best training experience possible. Particular thank you to Jez Turner, Tom Stanier and Lyn Tisbury.“
Anyone who would like to volunteer to support students in training next year is asked to contact Exmouth Community College directly.
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