DIGEST

across the country
Across the c
Morocco Sahara
desert trek update
In the October issue of Digest we reported that John
Potter, Technical manager from the Land Supply
Business Unit was embarking on a challenging 100km,
eight day trek through the Moroccan Sahara desert to
raise money for the Antony Nolan Trust.
Recounting his experience, John told
Digest, “The trek was an experience
that I will never forget! From snoring
trekkers to grumpy camels, there are so
many memories and the desert was not
at all what I expected.
“The terrain varied from deep soft sand
to hard baked dust bowls, to rock
strewn landscapes. We saw very little
fauna, apart from the ever present scarab
beetles meandering through the sandy
wilderness. There were other animals,
which were more elusive such as birds,
lizards and a solitary Cape hare. Luckily, I didn’t see any
scorpions, snakes or spiders.
“The weather was also a bit of a surprise, as it rained on us two
days in a row! I knew I should have taken a proper waterproof,
instead of a 99p pack-a-mac! Having said that, the rain was a
welcome relief from the heat on the first day, and a 12 hour
sand storm on the second! There were quite a few locals
wandering the desert, with Berbers seen on most days leading
their goats, camels or donkeys through the desert as if going to
the corner shop and carrying very little to get them through
the punishing heat. Local children would gingerly approach the
camp to sell their wares, necklaces, wrist bands or fossils to
help support their families.
“Sleep was welcome by the end of the day, although with the
help of a few bottles of wine, some caroused into the early
hours. To escape the snoring brigade, I spent most nights
sleeping under the stars. Waking up to the sunrise was one of
the highlights that will stay with me always.
“Other highlights include climbing the Shagaga, a 100m high
dune, being blown away not only by the sand storm that raged
all around us, but also by the vista of dunes on all sides.
Running down the back of the dune was also a blast!
“The entertainment laid on by our guides, cooks and cameleers
was great fun and often involved getting volunteers from the
trekkers to dance and sing around a camp fire.
“The low point was getting Delhi belly in the middle of a sand
storm and the toilets that were set up at camp.
“I have raised around £600 for the Trust and had an enjoyable
challenge
doing it. A
massive thank
you to every
one who
supported
me and my
friends in this
endeavour.”
The Moroccan Sahara desert
John Potter
Charity begins at
home
The Mo Bros from Bovington
Employees from DSG Bovington along with their friends and
families dug deep into their pockets to help support a variety
of charity events over the last couple of months.
During the month of November, over 27 Bovington employees took
part in the annual Movember event. The purpose was to join forces
with fellow Mo Bros around the world and raise money to fund the
fight against prostate and testicular cancer. As in previous years, the
month of Movember was challenging, with some Mo Bros seeing rapid
lip hair growth before day seven, whilst others by day 18 were still
struggling to display more than a shadow. The moustaches on display
were varied, some were dyed black whilst others pink, some were left
unmanaged and others significantly groomed. The usual problems
hampered the growers and the attempts to resolve them made the
entire month a tedious and complicated love hate relationship between
man and moustache, with the biting of the stray whiskers, the probing
of the whiskers with the tip of the tongue and the continual stroking of
the whiskers in a wise thoughtful manner. However, it's all over for
another year, the razors are back in action and the Mo Bros retreated
into normal civilisation. The total money raised was £412.10.
A cake sale, with all the cakes lovingly prepared and baked by the Mo
Bros Hairy Bakers from building 103 helped to raise the total as well as
a football raffle, with a good result for Phil Mancini for picking the
winning team. Phil also brought in from home and sold biscuit shaped
moustaches. A collection box for staff to put into at will bumped up
the amount. Special big thumbs up to the Mo Bros for putting in £30,
equating to a pound for each day they'd been growing their moustache.
In support of another cancer charity, the finance team baked and sold
cakes to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. On the day of the
bake sale several other people on site generously donated cakes
including flapjacks, peanut butter slices and lemon cakes. A good
turnout made it a fantastic event as well as raising £258.58 for the
charity.
Doing his bit, Jason Spicer took part in a 30-hour charity carp fishing
match, which involved 24 teams of two at Todber Manor in Dorset. The
total amount raised in aid of Cancer Research UK was £10k of which
Jason personally raised £1400.
Finally, John Sawyer, Josh Amey, and Tony Pavey arranged and completed
a sea kayak from Weymouth to Kimmeridge. They raised just over
£1600 for the Forest Holme Hospice in Poole for kayaking the 15 miles
distance.
Congratulations to all those who made a tremendous effort in their
chosen events and well done to all the Bovington employees for your
support and contributions.
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DIGEST February/March 2013 www.dsg.mod.uk