A TEAM of officers and soldiers from one of the Army's top Divisional headquarters has taken part in a seaside challenge.

The York-based 1st UK Division, which fights Daesh and has helped train more than 25,000 Iraqi forces, travelled to Runswick Bay, near Whitby, for what Major General Giles Hill called "some extreme coastal PT" - or Physical Training.

The exercise was designed to test the officers and soldiers’ teamwork, stamina, leadership and communication skills, as they battled their way over a series of command tasks, including negotiating an obstacle course to gather water from the sea, transporting a piece of equipment up the cliff side and assembling it, taking part in a stretcher race along the beach and pulling a 4x4 vehicle over 100 metres.

Maj Gen Hill said: "It has been a great day and more than fulfilled the objectives of getting us all working together even when out of our comfort zone.

"My staff have pushed themselves both physically and mentally today."

The morning finished with the Divisional staff, whose emblem is a white rhinoceros, doing the 22 push up challenge in support of veterans mental health and PTSD.