Summer Camp Super Wrap!
This summer,, a number of our cadets got the exciting opportunity to take part in a variety of cadet camps.
Cadets embarked upon a series of thrilling and educational camps, taking part in a number of activities and learning new skills along the way! From the corner of Wales to the fields of North Region Skills Week, there was a wide diversity of camps to participate in. With the likes of the North Region Skills Week, RAF Valley, and the National Air and Space Camp, our cadets were certainly kept busy throughout!
The team mark the end of a large exercise
Many of our cadets attended the highly anticipated North Region Skills Week 2024, which ran from 23rd-30th of August 2024. There were many activities to participate in, with the likes of archery, shooting, fieldcraft, and adventure training being firm favourites. CWO Emily Edmiston, who was in the Gold+ flight, stated:
“My favourite activity had to be the blank-firing fieldcraft exercise. Despite the rainy couple of days, we kept morale high by putting in maximum effort — this saw the section I was in get awarded ‘highly competent’ which gave us all a great sense of accomplishment!’”
- Cadet Warrant Officer Emily Edmiston
“Attending the cadet camp at Altcar for the first time was an unforgettable experience, especially getting to shoot for the first time. I felt both nervous and excited as I took aim, learning to handle the rifle with guidance from the instructors. The thrill of hitting the target and the sense of accomplishment it brought made the whole week memorable.”
- Cadet Corporal Rhys Sisson
Cadet Sergeant Isaac Pearson takes aim
Cadet Warrant Officer Emily Edmiston with her team
Cadet Warrant Officer Finn Sprakes (pictured here while a Cadet Flight Sergeant) living that Top Gun life
Additionally, our very own Cadet Warrant Officer Finn Sprakes had the amazing opportunity to demonstrate his newly acquired Qualified Aerospace Instructor qualifications at the National Air & Space Camp (NASC). Running from 17-24 August 2024, there were many exciting opportunities, ranging from teaching the blue wings syllabus to over 160 cadets to assisting with numerous lessons and activities (and even being featured on the camps’ social media pages!)
“This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to return along with my fellow QAIC 16 graduates to RAF Syerston to assist in the instruction and delivery of a variety of aerospace-related subjects to cadets from all over the country at the National Air & Space Camp. As well as a positive method of giving back to the brilliant organisation that has provided me with so many opportunities, NASC was a great opportunity to cement my newfound skills and instructional qualities in a real-life situation. Over the course of the week, l assisted in the delivery of the blue wings syllabus to over 160 cadets as well as furthering this knowledge after.”
- Cadet Warrant Officer Finn Sprakes
Cadet Warrant Officer Finn Sprakes teaches a cadet
Next, to the corner of wales at RAF Valley…
Cadet Corporal Finley Coan attended a week-long camp running from 20-27 June 2024 and had the amazing opportunity to engage in multiple activities throughout the camp, including RAF squadron visits and orienteering challenges.
“Over the course of the week, I went orienteering, rope climbing, bowling, and went for visits around the number of RAF squadrons that are based there. Valley camp has been my favourite camp so far and I would definitely recommend it to anyone wishing to go on it!”
- Cadet Corporal Finley Coan
Subsequently, Cadet Warrant Officer Emily Edmiston was awarded the Gold first aid instructor’s badge (the highest level of first aid training available to air cadets.)
To achieve this, she attended the North Region Instructor First Aid Course, which is carried out over the course of a week. The camp ran from the 17-22 August 2024, with the end goal being to award the participants with the Instructor First Aid (Gold) first aid badge and to allow them to teach and assess blue and bronze first aid courses within the organisation.
“I’m hoping to study medicine when I am older, so the gold first aid course has always been on my cadet bucket list. Throughout the week we completed the Activity First Aid course, AED (automatic defibrillator) operator course and learnt how to teach and assess both the Essential First Aid and the Youth First Aid courses. This means I can now go and deliver these courses to cadets in our area.”
- Cadet Warrant Officer Emily Edmiston
Alongside completing the course, there were many casualty simulation scenarios and engaging talks. Emily elaborated:
“Alongside this training, we were also delivered a talk from 206 (North West) Multi-Role Medical Regiment. This talk was very engaging and highlighted a myriad of different career opportunities in both the regulars and reserves linked specifically to our group’s first aid interests. My favourite part of the week involved the two casualty simulation scenarios. We got to practise doing all the different “cas sim” makeup, including protruding bones and nails sticking through hands! The course was split into 4 smaller teams, two of which would work on making their own casualty simulations with multiple casualties, whilst the other two were “first responder” groups. Initially I was apprehensive about being in the first aid group, but I found it really engaging and exciting getting involved in the scenarios. One scene was a pharmacy that had had an acid attack with multiple casualties: one with chemical burns, one in shock, one with protruding broken bones, and one patient in cardiac arrest. The other was a car with an injured driver that had hit a pedestrian and there was a second person in cardiac arrest trapped under the car. These scenarios showed the usefulness of “cas sim” in making first aid training more realistic and I look forward to utilising this training system in the future.”