A 50-MILE expedition through tricky weather conditions in the Lake District earned cadets from 1220 (March) Sqaudron their Duke of Ediburgh Gold Awards.

The team started near Shap, on the M6 in Cumbria, and spent day one walking along the edge of a reservoir before walking up a fell and camping for the first time in the wild.

Sergeant Megan Saunders and Katie Dickson, 17, and Corporal Alex MacRae, 16, then battled through persistent rain on the second day and bad weather again towards the end before they reached their destination in Patterdale.

They were joined by two cadets from other squadrons.

Sergeant Saunders said she was “really proud of my achievement”.

“I also feel more confident in training cadets for their Bronze award as I feel that I can draw on my own experience and empathise with them,” she added.

“Our expedition had some really miserable points, particularly day two, but on the last day the rain didn’t matter anymore because we knew we were sleeping in a dry youth hostel that night.

“That, and the thought of eating fresh fruit, spurred us all on to finish.”

The team will now be invited to St James’ Palace to collect their certificates as some point in the future.