Sixty five cadets and staff from across the South West Region travelled to Okehampton Battle Camp this weekend for personal development and training.
About 40 cadets were put through their paces, learning about and being assessed in their drill & uniform standards, leadership and presentation skills. It was a long weekend of training but they managed to maintain their enthusiasm and good humour!
A number of staff and senior cadets came to learn about how to successfully deliver the Duke of Edinburgh Award and undertake Expedition Assessments. Their success on the course enables us to increase the number of Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions we are able to support, improving our delivery of the “Cadet Experience”.
Well done and thanks to all who attended. Particular thanks go to the Directing Staff, without who these courses cannot run.
Congratulations all round for a team of Air Cadets who acted on initiative and were able to reunite a much beloved dog with its family. The young Labrador concerned was out for a walk with friends of the family on the Mendips on Bank Holiday Monday during which it wandered off beyond the scope of its familiar whistle which caused consternation when she didn’t return. Some time later, after asking everyone they met to keep an eye out for her, the only people who did more than nod was Cpl Farr and his team who were on a DofE expedition in the area. Cpl Farr and Cdt Whiting spoke in detail with the family. Farr took the families telephone number and immediately passed the word back to his superiors requesting them to remain vigilant. Some time later, the dog was spotted by Cpl Agbabi and Cpl Farr tried to catch her but she again ran off. Not daunted by the prospect of a chase, Cpl Farr used this advantage and herded the labrador in the direction of the family. Eventually Cpl Farr was able to shout to the family and the dog returned to them safely. They were very relieved to see the dog again but were even more impressed at actions of Cpl Farr and his team. DofE is an excellent way of learning and encouraging personal development which leads youngsters to integrate more fully with the community.