The last three days in the Brecon Beacons have been a great experience.
We set out with three objectives;
Objective 1.
I was delighted that we received so much support from Dyfed-Powys Police to allow us to take part and our relationships grew stronger with Brecon Mountain Rescue and Wales Air Ambulance throughout the Challenge.
With Gary Philpott (the Dyfed-Powys Police WAAT4 Challenge Coordinator (in blue) and members of Brecon Mountain Rescue who made our participation possible
With Lieutenant Colonel John Maddison MBE Royal Marines and BRIT Mentor, Oli Dudley, in front of the Bond Wales Air Ambulance - two great friends who supported me every step of the way on our 40km route
By writing to all of the eight Lord Lieutenants of Wales and to the Chief Executives of the Voluntary Youth Organisations, we were able to spread the word that we aspired to champion HRH The Prince of Wales' Young Dragons Partnership.
The response we received was tremendous and we were joined by representatives from numerous youth organisations including;
On the final day we were joined by both Scouts and Girl Guides;
With Scouts on the Final Day of our WAAT4 Challenge
With Girl Guides on the Final Day of our WAAT4 Challenge
Objective 2.
- Showcase how the combination of budding youths, inspirational BRIT Mentors and community-focused youth organisations can give young people new focus and confidence
I have received super feedback from the organisations involved that their young people enjoyed themselves and felt that their involvement was an achievement. Under testing weather conditions and with a tough route, every young person who joined us did so well. We all found the challenge exhausting and everyone showed spirit, determination and a positive attitude throughout. I hope they will spread the word and encourage their friends to take a look at their respective youth organisations and will also support their community based charities. The young students who joined us from their schools in Swansea were also a delight to spend time with and I was delighted that they were able to participate.
Having BRIT Mentors, Sally Kettle and Oli Dudley, with us was a great way to show how inspirational figures from the British Inspiration Trust are willing to spend time with young people and raise their self-confidence, self-esteem and self-worth.
Thanks to inspirational BRIT Mentors, Oli Dudley and Sally Kettle, who spent time with the young people who joined us
Objective 3.
- Raise awareness of the Young Dragons and help them to identify Young Representatives to act as ambassadors for the organisations within the "Young Dragons"
On completion of the WAAT4 Challenge, all 560 adult competitors gathered for the prize-giving. I was grateful for the opportunity to address the competitors and explain more about the Young Dragons. We were joined by many young representatives from the Young Dragons organisations and they acted as great ambassadors for their organisations. I hope that they will talk about their experience on the Brecon Beacons and if the opportunity arises in the future for participation in this, or a similar event, they will encourage others to take part.
Ready to descend on the final stages of the WAAT4 Challenge in testing conditions
I found the WAAT4 Challenge tough. The weather tested us and I was so impressed that every young person who joined us had prepared for the event and remained positive throughout each day. It was a arduous event and we had great fun. Many congratulations to everyone who took part; it was a real achievement and I was very happy to see that every young person respected the Brecon Beacons, the support team around us the opportunity we had been given.
With my great friends, Lieutenant Colonel John Maddison MBE Royal Marines and Mrs Karen Maddison, at the end of our Challenge.
John was an absolute rock to me during the challenge and he gifted a great deal of his time outside of work for months, pre-event, to coordinate with Dyfed-Powys Police. John took a huge amount of pressure off of me by assisting with administration, equipment, mapping of the route and linking in with everyone at Brecon, including all the voluntary youth organisations. His support was vital to me and I ma immensely grateful for everything he did to make our challenge such a success. I was delighted that John's wife, Karen, was able to join us for the final day.
Receiving my WAAT4 Challenge Medal at the end of three days and 40kms on the Brecon Beacons.
Thanks to Richard Jackson and Gary Philpott for inviting me and for being so accommodating to allow our BRIT Young Dragons Team to participate. We were looked after from the moment we arrived and the whole event was a hugely uplifting and positive experience for us all.
Special thanks must go to Chris Lines at Right Lines Communications for coordinating our Berghaus sponsorship and to Liam Burns at New Balance for providing us with all our clothing to deal with the conditions on the Brecon Beacons. Their support was extraordinarily generous and I am sincerely grateful to have their continued assistance on my physical challenges.
To support Wales Air Ambulance please click here; http://www.walesairambulance.com/
To support Brecon Mountain Rescue, please click here; http://www.breconmrt.co.uk/
To find out more about HRH The Prince of Wales' Young Dragons Partnership, please click here;
With kind regards,
Phil