Page 28 - The Wish Stream Year of 2021 (Crest)

Gaza2Gaza
Charitable activities are an important part of attending Sandhurst, and despite the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, and its
attendant limits on what can be done, the OCdts and Permanent Staff of Gaza Company CC202 have been keen this year to show that they can work hard to make a difference, in-between their own hard work on the Commissioning Course.
Gaza2Gaza was started by Captain Philip Wright, Royal Horse Artillery, as an initiative to encourage long-term physical commitment and charitable endeavours across the company. It is intended to raise money for the Sandhurst Trust, the Army Benevolent Fund and Blesma (the Brit- ish Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Association).
fulfilling lives.” Originally the Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association, it was one-part a support group for individuals in similar circumstances to help each other, and one-part a political action group representing the rights of all individuals who lost limbs in wartime. Establishing care homes, campaigning for welfare rights, and pro- viding a renewed sense of purpose and potential to injured veterans, Blesma provides an impor- tant service today to the many British service personnel who lost limbs in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
13 teams of OCdts, eight teams of staff and two individuals took on the challenge. Cycling quickly emerged as the best way to rack up the miles,
if somewhat difficult for some, due to the restrictions preventing access to the gym on camp. Nonetheless, run- ners pounded the pavements, tab- bing took on a new edge and some rather creative ways to add distance were taken on: logging the march to a lecture was de rigeur for some, as was recording PT.
Unfortunately, as the challenge was building momentum, progress was stymied by the need to quarantine all
OCdts in the Academy to prevent the spread of COVID. While the introduction of fresh air breaks, and the ability to conduct personal phys in this time, was a welcome addition that let the OCdts keep up their hard work beyond endless press- ups in their rooms, it unfortunately meant that several teams had slipped behind the mark at the time of writing. Nonetheless, everyone involved stayed with it, adding miles where they could.
With a goal of raising £2,996 for charity, a tall order was set, but at the time of writing, all participants had covered 34,824 miles and counting, rising to the challenge. Two individu- als – Captain Wright, RHA and Colour Sergeant Parkes, Coldstream Guards – are neck and neck in the battle for first individual, both on around 2750 miles. A staff team including the Old and New College RSMs leads, and three staff teams had so far crossed the line. It remains to be seen who else will complete this challenge, which team of Cadets will secure first place, and how much money they will raise.
Gaza Company is named after the
Battles of Gaza (1917-18) fought
in Palestine, and by road the dis-
tance from Gaza Company Lines
in the RMAS is 2996 miles. Indi-
viduals, or teams of six OCdts, or
four Permanent Staff, would run,
cycle, row, or otherwise, make
their way by their endeavours to
Gaza City, all the while locked
down behind the fence at Sand-
hurst. Distances would be meas-
ured using the Strava app, additionally encour- aging personal challenges between competitive OCdts. Starting at the beginning of the Senior Term, this meant an average distance covered of 40 miles a week for OCdts or, for the two brave members of staff attempting the challenge solo, over 240 miles a week!
The Army Benevolent Fund represents Army personnel and their families nationwide. It pro- vides essential funding and grants to individuals, groups and other charities to support the Army community. It aids the wounded, the bereaved, and those with a whole range of needs from housing to education. Formed in the aftermath of the Second World War to care for returning soldiers, it remains a major part of the Army sup- port and welfare network.
Blesma was formed in the aftermath of the First World War, on the basis of comradery between injured service personnel. Its mission is to “Ena- ble limbless veterans to lead independent and
Blesma provides an important service today to the many British service personnel who
lost limbs in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
26 SANDHURST