About Challenge4Ben

What is Challenge4Ben?

Challenge4Ben is being established by Ben’s parents, Nick and Madeleine, to carry on Ben’s personal ethos of setting oneself demanding goals. The ultimate aim is twofold:

1) To encourage people of all ages to undertake some form of personal challenge that is outside of their normal comfort zone, and that requires commitment, courage, stamina or endurance, either physical or mental.

2) To raise funds via these challenges for worthy causes of their choice – but especially:-

Help for Heroes

Jersey Hospice Care

The Royal Marine Benevolent Fund

Challenge4Ben is not a charity. Its primary purpose is act as a facilitator. It aims to advance these ideas to schools, businesses, firms, family groups and individuals, to commit to undertake some form of challenge or challenges that nurture comradeship, friendship and charity whilst at the same time giving participants a real sense of personal achievement.

The most important thing in Challnge4Ben is that Ben’s memory lives on via a worthy but demanding cause. Ben set himself challenges and our aim is to persuade others to follow his example.

Who was Ben?

Challenge4Ben is being established in memory of Benjamin Poole, RM, who died on the 28th July 2008, whilst on exercise to become a member of the UK Special Forces. Ben was 26 years old, but throughout his life he always set himself demanding challenges.

Ben attended De La Salle College, in Jersey, where he was one of only a handful of pupils to complete 7 “Round the Island” annual school walks in “plaque time” – 36 miles within ten and a quarter hours.

At University, where he read History, he joined the Officer Training Corps (OTC). He graduated in 2003 and having passed the Regular Commissions Board (RCB), he was offered a place at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Ben decided, however, not to take up his place immediately and signed on for the “Potential Marine” course with the Royal Marines – as a “squaddie”. He started his training at RM Lympstone in 2004, successfully passing out as “an original” in October of that year. During his training, he was appointed a Section Leader, won the Charnock Trophy for marksmanship and on passing out was awarded the “King’s Badge” for 871 King’s Squad.

The King’s Badge is awarded to the best all round recruit in the King’s Squad, provided that he is worthy of the honour. The badge is carried on the left shoulder, and is worn in every rank throughout one’s military career.

Ben signed on for a signals course and was posted to RM Poole where in 2005 he attended the first communications course on the new “Bowman” signals system. Having completed this course, he then applied to become a “Special Forces Communicator” (SFC) and in early 2006 completed the gruelling “Hills’ course” to become a SFC. Later that year he was posted to Afghanistan for a 6 months tour of duty. On returning to the UK he hoped to have as least 6 months back at base but within 10 weeks he was again posted overseas to Iraq, again as a SFC.

Back in the UK, Ben applied to become a fully “badged” member of the Special Forces and won a coveted place on the summer course. Tragically, on one of the final endurance tests being undertaken in the Brecon Beacons in July, Ben suffered a catastrophic ‘electro cardiac trauma’, which resulted in his sudden death.

In his private life, Ben enjoyed challenges. He ran several marathons and half marathons, including the London, Bristol and Jersey marathons. He completed the Lympstone to Poole run and also two Itex round Jersey walks. He also enjoyed canoeing, walking, rock climbing and also held RYA certificates for both dinghy sailing and power boating.

Ben has two brothers, Josh and Jonny, who he adored and they adored him. He was a truly wonderful, sensitive, loving person with a great sense of humour. He was always willing to help others and set high standards by his personal example.

Ben will be greatly missed by all those who came into contact with him and we hope that Challenge4Ben will be an appropriate way of celebrating his life, honouring his example and helping others as he did.

Nick’s Challenge4Ben :

Nick’s personal challenge is to sail his 37 year old 18ft open boat - a Drascombe Lugger - from Jersey to Gibraltar. This Challenge4Ben has been entitled Jaunt2Gib - and is particularly poignant given the relevance of Gibraltar to the history of the Royal Marines.

Nick will sail the 1800 miles (3000 kilometres), accompanied by James Crill, a long time family friend, in a RIB as a support/safety vessel. They will sail throughout the day, along the coasts of France, Portugal and Spain whilst Nick’s wife, Madeleine, and James’ wife, Jane, will act as the support “land crew” to organise all the day to day logistics, following along the coast in a camper van.

Jaunt2Gib will commence at the end of June and is anticipated to take about 9 weeks, weather depending.

Other Challenges4Ben :

Several Challenges4Ben are already planned;

One of Ben’s friends aims to sail a windsurfer from Jersey to St. Malo;

Ben’s cousin, Georgina Sutton, (Jersey Young Musician of the Year 2009), is organising a concert at the Jersey Arts Centre in June;

Two of Nicks work colleagues are well advanced with a summer Ball4Ben to be held in June at the Hotel de France in Jersey;

Madeleine is undertaking the ITEX walk, a walk of 48 miles around the coastline of Jersey which takes place on the 20th June with ten of Ben's Royal Marine colleagues.;

Join Challenges4Ben and help make it a success:

Nick and Madeleine hope that Challenge4Ben will grow with each event, and that peple will come up with new 'challenges to help raise funds for existing charities. This will help perpetuate Ben's memory in a possitive and productive way. Ben was always setting himself challenges - If you can help Challenge4Ben in some way please contact us;