Six staff from agricultural research firm Syngenta, based in Warfield, joined 61 other teams from around the country last week to take part in the 25th anniversary edition of the UK Challenge.

The event pits corporate teams against each other in gruelling physical and mental tasks over the course of three days in a bid to raise money for charity and be crowned UK Challenge champions.

This year’s challenge saw competitors take on a night run, canoeing and mountain biking in aid of the challenge’s official charity, The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust.

They not only had to con tend with teams from other companies but also pitted themselves against the likes of retired marathon runner Mara Yamauchi and judoka Sophie Cox – both of whom competed at London 2012 – who formed part of the Kelly Holmes Trust Team.

Kenny Ling, one of Syngenta team, said: “It’s been really good fun. We messed up on a few of the puzzles but it’s been great and we’ve really enjoyed the time.

“I wanted to come back because of how good it was last time and partly because it was in Snowdonia which is a beautiful location to spend time running around in.

“It’s a little bit different from the day job and we don’t get the chance to do much of this at work where we are just sitting at a desk.

“We bonded quickly though and that was important.

“We came third last year so there was a lot to live up to. But it’s a different team this time around and it was always going to be a big challenge to come and do that kind of performance again.” For Mr Ling, the event is unique and requires a cool head when the going gets tough and he believes that it gives people an opportunity to bond with people in a way they could never have imagined.

“We came together quite late on as a team so we didn’t get to do a lot of practice as a team so we kind of just did it on the fly,” he added.

“We got together about a month ago but we’re across different sites so we didn’t have a great deal of time to train together.

“We did the best we could and we didn’t have expectations or pressures so it was just nice to come and enjoy it all.

“The strategy and the mental side of it is something that is really unique and gives the event an added edge that other events don’t have.

“It’s been really special to get to know everyone in this way.” The UK Challenge is the UK’s leading corporate team building event, providing companies from a variety of industries with an epic, adrenaline fuelled adventure that delivers powerful business benefits. To find out more, visit www.ukchallenge.co.uk