A BATTLE camp for cadets has won praise from one of the teams that triumphed at the event.

Fifteen schools from all over the country sent their Combined Cadet Forces to the Wathgill Battle Camp, in Swaledale in the Yorkshire Dales, for the week-long exercise.

And 33 boys and girls from Barnard Castle School who attended the event at Wathgill Battle Camp, in Swaledale, came away with a special shield for being the best at leadership and communal tasks.

Sixty teams also tackled a gruelling assault course, with Barnard Castle School the fastest by five seconds.

The cadets took part in a host of other activities, including rock climbing, kayaking, orienteering, military tactics, patrols, shooting and signals work.

The commanding officer of Barnard Castle's cadet force, Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Kean, said: "Everyone did fantastically well. It was one of the best camps I have ever been to and the cadets surpassed themselves."