As the summer winds down and a new school year begins, many young people will be returning to their classrooms with happy recollections of their adventures at this year’s annual Cadet camps.
We at Lowland RFCA have really enjoyed seeing the Army, Sea and RAF Air Cadets enjoying an incredible array of activities and demonstrating their impressive skills over the last two months. These summer getaways not only enable Cadets to gain qualifications that will set them up for life, but also offer them a chance to forge unbreakable friendships and team-player spirit.
Here are just a few highlights from 2023’s annual camps:
Sea Cadets
Northern Area Sea Cadets spent an eventful week at Boddam Training Centre in (occasionally) sunny Aberdeenshire, putting in plenty of time on the water to exercise their rowing, sailing and paddleboarding skills.
Outside of the camp grounds, the Cadets also enjoyed visits to a number of local attractions, including Peterhead Prison Museum and the UK Space Agency’s ‘Space for Everyone’ tour.
RAF Air Cadets
Could there be a more ideal location for an Air Cadets annual camp than one of the UK’s largest and busiest airbases? Over the course of an action-packed week, West Scotland Wing RAF Air Cadets enjoyed tours and equipment demonstrations at a number of sectors across RAF Lossiemouth.
As if that weren’t enough excitement, the Cadets spent time getting to grips with activities such as STEM sessions, archery, shooting and even a bit of ice skating! An opportunity to attend Lossie Fest, RAF Lossiemouth’s annual friends’ and families’ event and flying display, will certainly have been a plus for everyone too.
Army Cadets
Lothian & Borders Battalion took off to Altcar Training Camp for an intensive two weeks that took in a plethora of physical training activities. Senior Cadets put their teamwork, strategic and survival skills to the test in a three-day fieldcraft exercise, and regardless of the temperamental weather there was a lot of fun to be had with clay target shooting, wall climbing, water sports and team-building obstacle courses.
Not to be outdone, West Lowland Battalion balanced classroom time with outdoor training and sports including archery, volleyball and paddleboarding, and also took the time to host some special guests in their second week, including representatives from The QTS Group, Caledonia Water Alliance and Morrison Water Services. Unsurprisingly, these guests were blown away by the confidence and skills on display at the camp, and by the qualifications that Cadets can gain that will help them to become valued employees and members of society in later life.
Finally, Glasgow & Lanarkshire Battalion showed that grey skies aren’t enough to rain on their parade, enthusiastically throwing themselves into fieldcraft training, radio communication courses, climbing, archery and tug of war.
Very well done to everyone who overcame the many challenges on offer during these annual camps. We hope you’ve all had an amazing time and are already looking forward to annual camp 2024.
