100 miles across the South Downs
Earlier this month, a valiant crew from 128 Divisional Support Company set themselves an epic challenge: hiking 100 miles across the South Downs Way in under 60 hours to raise money for Forgotten Veterans UK and The REME Charity.
After getting word of their plans, our very own Contracts Manager LCPL Nick Wright flew into action to offer support, quickly arranging a welfare vehicle, sponsorship funds and some check-point cheer on behalf of Chaffin Works.
With preparations in place, the journey began on Thursday 8th July at 9am.
SSGT Cagilibra, SSGT O’Callaghan and CPL Reavell (along with safety driver ASM Dave Nestor) set off from their starting point at the King Alfred statue in Winchester Square.
25 miles in, the team reached Queen Elizabeth Park and were greeted by Nick, along with James Wright, Steven Oliver and CAPT Gary Harris-Deans – who encouraged them along and briefly distracted them from their tired feet!
The trio continued clocking up the miles into the early hours of Friday morning, when they stopped for a well-earned nap. Just a few hours later they were back on the move, continuing to the next check point where they were once again greeted by Nick – this time with three morale-boosting McDonald’s breakfasts in hand!
During this quick stop, the crew also welcomed a new member on board, SGT Ankomah.
Refuelled and ready to go, all four men took off once more, marching on until the 70-mile mark where they were able to get their heads down for the night.
At 6am the next morning, spirits remained high despite sore bodies and a very soggy start to the day. And with the end now in sight and the 60-hour deadline approaching, it was time to tackle those final 30 miles.
After a full day of hard hiking, the team reached the final check point on Beach Head just after 8pm, where they made the decision to pick up speed and jog the last 2 miles to beat the clock.
At 20:45 on the dot, in an impressive time of 59 hours and 45 minutes, they reached the 100-mile mark and successfully conquered the challenge.
We are so impressed by the efforts of all involved, especially how they carried on even when their feet and ankles didn’t want to so that they could raise money and awareness for two great causes.
A big well done guys from the whole Chaffin Works team!
We’re proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant and a forces-friendly organisation. We actively recruit veterans, recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment process.
For more information about our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, please visit: http://chaffinworks.com/army-convenant/