Anne-Marie Trevelyan, MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed and Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Armed Forces Covenant, has taken part in the Royal Marines’ Commando Challenge in aid of two fantastic charities.
Mrs Trevelyan, who has worked with members of the Marines through her work supporting the Armed Forces covenant, was persuaded to sign up to the public event, and was joined by fellow MP and ex-commando Johnny Mercer. The obstacle course was laid out over ten kilometres of hills, and involved clambering through tunnels, and swimming through muddy ditches at the Royal Marines training course in Devon. For those not yet muddy enough, Marines were on hand to assist with additional dunking in the infamous Sheep Dip.
The Challenge invites participants to seek sponsorship in aid of the events’ official charities – the Royal Marines Charity and the Devon Air Ambulance Trust (who support the marines at their base). Anne-Marie and Johnny have now raised their target of £1,000.
Speaking of the event, Anne-Marie said: “Just a few months ago, I struggled to run a hundred yards, but with a bit of training on our Northumberland hills, and with some assistance on the course from Johnny who is already military fit, I made it! It was a lot of fun for a good cause and I hope to inspire a bigger team to get involved in next year’s challenge.”
The MPs and others were joined on the course by Hollywood actor and Superman star Henry Cavill, whose brother, Lt Col Nik Cavill MBE, serves in the Royal Marines and offered Anne-Marie some tips at the start of the course.