Bahrain-based engineers complete epic journey ‘home’ for charity 01 March 2023 Topic: CommunityFundraising Storyline: Fundraising 4,006 miles. That’s the exact distance between the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain – hub of the RN’s operations in the Gulf region – and Portsmouth Naval Base. How do we know? Because the team from the Forward Support Unit have just covered the distance on foot, rowing machine or bicycle to raise money for the Royal Navy Royal Marines Charity. The team set off on New Year’s Day, aiming to walk/run/row/cycle 67 miles a day collectively, ‘arriving home' on March 1 – as well as completing the demanding day job of providing engineering support to four Royal Navy warship and one Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel operating out of the base at Mina Salman. The challenge was the brainchild of the base’s clubz, Petty Officer Physical Trainer Ian ‘Smokey’ Cole who wanted to keep morale and fitness at a peak as 2023 kicked off. “The team continued to work hard driving down the mileage and their commitment to this challenge was fantastic,” said Ian. “They've had to fit this challenge around busy work packages with many of them driving down the mileage early mornings before work or late evenings after a shift.” They managed to raise the daily tempo by more than ten miles, which meant the challenge ended a good nine days earlier than planned. Although the team reached one objective, they’re a couple of hundred quid short of their £1k fundraising target for the charity, so if you wish to support their efforts, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/ian-cole-1670306291863
