Last weekend, the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Nijmegen Team deployed to the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering at Cosford, in Shropshire, for the RAF Walking and Road Marching Association (WARMA) 2 day, 52 mile, qualification march for Nijmegen. The team arrived on Friday night and were part of a 1000-strong contingent of marchers from all around the country and abroad including participants from the Air Cadet Organisation, Army Cadet Force, Regular Forces both home and abroad including teams from Denmark and Sweden.

The team shone beyond all others and the team were proclaimed the best team in the ATC Contingent by the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of the RAF Regiment, Station Warrant Officer of Royal Air Force College Cranwell, and also the only RSM in the RAF.

The team, despite starting behind hundreds of teams on saturday morning, after 25 miles on the first day were the 3rd team in. On the final day the team finished in a record 6 ½ hours ahead of the next team - 16 Air Assualt Brigade. Though not a race, the team were eager to get the job done and the RSM was so impressed that he has invited the HIOW team to attend the qualification in Gemany for next year's Nijmegen qualification.

The team will now deploy to Nijmegen in July where they hope to retain the best ATC Team for another year.