Katie Spooner, teacher of Sport at Barton Peveril Sixth Form College embarks her journey with Operation Last Post, Hockey for Heroes.
Over a period of 9 days in May and June 2023, the Hockey for Heroes squads will take on their biggest challenge to date. In the first of its kind, both men’s and womens’ squads will embark upon a joint tour, named Operation Last Post. Their mission will be to attempt to cover 457 km in various endurance and military challenges as well as playing 54 games of hockey over the 9 day period, travelling across the country, starting in Ben Rhydding and finishing in Portsmouth.
The 457 figure has been selected to recognise the 457 British Service personnel killed during the war in Afghanistan, in acknowledgement of their sacrifice. The ultimate goal is to allocate each kilometre to every individual, in remembrance.
Assistant Coach for Women’s AoC National Hockey Squad Katie Spooner speaks:
I have been a part of the Hockey for Heroes charity since 2018 and this tour has been a long time coming due to COVID putting a spanner in the works and delaying the tour. However, this is the first tour the charity is doing with men and women combined on such a massive scale. It may seem like a crazy challenge but coming from a military family this is my way of giving back to those that have all given so much
Principle Rob Temple also speaks on Spooner’s commitment:
“Katie’s commitment to supporting the Hockey for Heroes Charity is a fantastic example to our students and reminds us all of the importance of “giving back”. Having seen the way Katie has inspired and coached our hockey team to national success, I am confident that she and the team will complete their mission in style!”
Hockey for Heroes champions the Armed Forces community, helping them and families. The programme is already supporting more than 27,000 people and remains to continue to ensure every veteran receives the support they need.
