Our Chief Executive is swapping the boardroom for a peat bog this August in a very muddy bid to raise funds for the Army Cadets.
On Sunday 30 August 2026, Colonel Leona Barr-Jones will take on one of the world’s most unusual sporting challenges – the World Bog Snorkelling Championships at Llanwrtyd Wells in Mid Wales.
Col Leona is taking on the challenge to raise money to support the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Army Cadet Force.
The World Bog Snorkelling Championships involves racing 120 yards through a peat bog wearing a snorkel and flippers, with competitors forbidden from using conventional swimming strokes.
The fundraising campaign aims to support plans to develop and extend the Cadet Training Centre at Bassingbourn, providing improved facilities for young people and the adult volunteers who support them. The project is being supported by the Army Cadet Charitable Trust UK (ACCT UK) and East Anglia RFCA.
Col Leona said: “I have done plenty of things in my career that have taken me out of my comfort zone, but I think this may be taking that principle to a completely different level! There is something wonderfully ridiculous about voluntarily getting into a peat bog with a snorkel and flippers. But behind the challenge is a very serious cause.
“Our Army Cadets give thousands of young people opportunities to develop confidence, resilience, leadership and practical skills. They deserve facilities that match their ambition. The proposed development at Bassingbourn will help us provide better dining room facilities for cadets and volunteers, creating an environment where young people can learn, challenge themselves and achieve things they may never have thought possible.
“So, on 30 August, I will quite literally be taking the plunge – and I am hoping that people and organisations across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, East Anglia and beyond will get behind me and help turn a very muddy challenge into something that makes a lasting difference to young people.”
The Bassingbourn project is intended to provide a lasting legacy for future generations of Army Cadets. Businesses and individuals that would like to get behind the challenge and support plans for a new Cadet Training Centre in Bassingbourn can sponsor Col Leona here.
