Congratulations to the ‘Notorious BRI’ team who made it through the gruelling yet incredibly rewarding South West NHS Military Challenge, which took place on 11 – 13 September, at the Okehampton Battle Camp. 

Organised by 243 Wessex Field Hospital, teams of up to ten people from the NHS were invited to the event, aimed at bringing the South West NHS Community together in a demanding but controlled environment.  The event was designed to challenge participants both physically and mentally over a 48-hour period and welcomed mixed gender/ability groups, covering a wide range of aptitude and age. 

The ‘Notorious BRI’ team represented University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, made up of Research nurses in JCRU, Research & Innovation staff, Physiotherapists in Occupational Health, a Staff Nurse in Surgical Assessment and a keen volunteer from Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust who was welcomed into the group to take the team up to 8 members.

Going into the weekend, there was a lot of speculation about what would be involved – the only thing the team were sure of was that it would be an adventure!  On arrival into the Okehampton camp late Friday afternoon, things started to become very real – picking up the ‘kit’ for the weekend from a building with a sign saying ‘Counter terrorist response levels – SEVERE’.  Once everyone had a Bergen on their back (containing uniform and supplies – overalls, waterproofs, belt, water bottle, sleeping bag, bivvy, roll mat and emergency light) the team started to get a sense of what was in store!  After being shown to the accommodation, all the NHS teams congregated ready for the briefing from event organiser, Captain Ken Caunter.

The weekend brought together a whole spectrum of events and experiences, ranging from simulated medical situations, such as hands on emergency first aid to the wounded whilst under fire, packaging a casualty on a stretcher for air transport, recovering a battlefield ambulance, and tactical planning of a rescue mission.  This was all in the setting of the Dartmoor based battle camp, giving the teams a real sense of what it is like to be a reservist – up at 6am sharp, hearty breakfast in a huge packed canteen, then reporting to the meeting point at 7.30am in full kit and Bergens, lined up in teams ready for orders. 

Day 1 –

The day was made up of 8 different ‘stations’ all scattered around the huge military camp.  Each team competed against each other, with points awarded for speed, accuracy, problem solving, team work and leadership (amongst other things).  The stations were;

1. Care under fire – emergency first aid to wounded in battlefield situation

2. Assembling scattered cargo for air lift and simulated directing of helicopter

5. Patient packaging on a stretcher for transportation by air

6. Communications – erecting an antenna

7. Unmanned aircraft demonstration and test / ‘Phys’ run by Royal Marine Commandos

4. Rifle range run by Infantry Soldiers

3. Planning exercise – organising a rescue mission

8. Vehicle recovery – winching a battlefield ambulance

At 6pm all the teams had completed the stations and headed back to base to set up their ‘outdoor accommodation’.  It was suggested by the organisers that everyone should have a ‘true’ experience of the reserves, so advised not to head straight for the comforts of a shower and clean change of clothes (which some adhered to; others did not!).  Due to unsettled Dartmoor weather, the planned BBQ was changed to canteen style dinner, followed by a ‘social evening’.

Day 2 – 

After a night of partying at the ‘car park disco’, and sleeping under the stars with nothing but a ‘basha’ and sleeping bag in a ‘bivvy’, the second day was all about the obstacle course (aka assault course) and the final stretcher run.  Not forgetting the ‘gentle’ warm up lead by the Royal Marine Commando at 8am – a field full of NHS staff stood on the grass doing a ‘backward breast stroke’ was a funny sight! 

With ongoing injuries and tired muscles from yesterday’s events, the Notorious BRI team really pulled together to complete the final tasks.  Once the adrenaline started pumping (with the thought that every second counts) the team battled their way over and under the obstacles, through the water and tunnels, to complete the course.  The final challenge of the day was the stretcher run – at this point Notorious BRI unfortunately had lost another member due to a knee injury in the obstacle course, and with the ongoing injuries in the team, the ‘run’ was more of a quick walk – but with spectacular views across the hills of Dartmoor and wading through the sheep poop, gorse bushes and passing by the Dartmoor ponies, this wasn’t a bad way to end the events!  Still, the team managed a run to the finish, cheered on by the team’s LO (liaison officer), Captain Skelton.

A tally of points was recorded throughout the weekend and the final results presented with medals to the winning team on Sunday afternoon.  Notorious BRI came in at a valiant 12th place (out of 15), and felt very proud to have scored highly (2nd and 3rd) in some of the individual events too.  This is testament to the team’s positive attitude and will to pull together at times of adversity (including ongoing injuries in the team).  Considering many of the team had never met prior to the event, there was a great sense of comradery, with each individual bringing something valuable, including a great sense of humour!

At the end of each day, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by the scale of the day’s events, the team felt a fantastic sense of achievement – Catherine Down said “this has been a truly awesome experience that I will never forget!”

Working with the military reservists, the team gained huge amounts of insight into what they do and have lots to take away from the experience.  Notorious BRI would like to thank Captain Ken Caunter and the whole team involved in organising and running this brilliant event – it was absolutely amazing!

The BRI team are supporting Above & Beyond, so please recognise their efforts by donating via the fundraising page https://www.justgiving.com/notorious-bri/

For more information about 243 (Wessex) Field Hospital, call 0117 986 3571 ext 8242, email 243hosp-Recruiting@mod.uk or visit www.army.mod.uk/medical-services/29934.aspx

The Notorious BRI team;

Name                                                                    Job role

Alice Bowden                                                    Staff Nurse, Surgical and Trauma admissions unit

Samantha Clarke (team captain)               Research Nurse, Joint Clinical research Unit

Catherine Down                                               Research & Innovation – Management Assistant

Joanna Gizielska                                               Physiotherapist, Occupational Health

Amy Lawrence                                                  Musculo-Skeletal Specialist Physiotherapist

Emma Stoica                                                      Research & Innovation – Research Management Facilitator

Julie Wheat                                                        Research Nurse, Joint Clinical research Unit