A Stanley soldier battled wind, rain and fatigue when he took on one of the toughest challenges the Army has to officer.

Fusilier Carl Boyd was part of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers taking part in Exercise Cambrian Patrol.

The annual event is a highlight of the British Army's training calendar and is viewed internationally as one of the toughest patrolling tests facing the modern soldier.

This year's event attracted 106 British regular and Territorial Army teams, foreign army teams from the US, Canada, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands, and teams from the Royal Air Force. They all pitted their wits against some of the toughest terrain the country has to offer in the Welsh mountains.

Carl, 19, was taking part in the patrol for the first time. He said: "We've done a lot of training but you get wet, cold and no sleep doing this. At the end of the day you have just got to keep going."

The former pupil at Tanfield Comprehensive School joined the army in 1999. His parents, Tony and Sheila, live in Stanley. The 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment was awarded a certificate for its achievement in this year's patrol.