Cornwall Expedition PXR
Monday 25 July – Saturday 6 August
Intro
The CVQO Westminster Award has been running for over 20 years and is the only competition in the UK open to all types of uniformed youth organisations. It is an annual competition designed to recognise and reward the most deserving of our learners.
Each year, we invite cadet and youth group leaders to come forward and nominate a brilliant young person for something they’ve achieved. Nominations can also be endorsed by fellow cadets.
We deliberately leave the criteria for the nomination open; it could be that they’ve overcome a personal challenge, helped a family member or friend in need, undertaken some amazing community/charity work or are simply an all-round terrific character.
In addition to the adventures on offer, learners will also gain the opportunity to complete a BTEC Level 2 qualification in Teamwork and Personal Development, as well as an ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management. These qualifications help our young people put their experiences into context and develop skills in teamwork, communication, critical thinking and leadership.
The Westminster Award process follows these timescales:
• November / December – nominations received
• February – second stage challenge
• April – four-day residential selection event
• July / August – expedition
• September – House of Lords Awards lunch
At each stage, the candidates are graded according to a strict set of criteria and marked, not only by CVQO staff, but by our Ambassador Team who have been through the process and return to help us select the next generation of finalists.
Expedition theme and aims
The theme of our expedition is ‘Think global, act local’. What we mean by that is that it is important to consider the overall impact of our actions on the planet, while realising that change can start on a local level -even on a grassroots scale, anyone has the power to make a positive impact.
To achieve this, we have created a really varied and exciting itinerary that combines equal parts community engagement, environmental awareness, action and adventure.
We will be working with a fantastic group of partner organisations throughout the trip and are sure that our young people will gain a huge amount from the adventure.
Participants will learn about:
• humanitarian aid on a global scale, what it means to be a refugee and how crucial aid is delivered to countries hit by disaster and conflict
• the wildlife and ecosystems active in Cornwall and how local organisations are working together to protect them
• conservation on a global scale and humankind’s impact on the plant life and ecosystems around us
• what it means to be a young person growing up in Cornwall and how adventurous training can boost confidence, resilience and teamworking skills
• how disadvantaged young people can be helped through forms of therapy combined with adventurous training
15 finalists were selected from our initial pool of nominations to take part in the expedition.
Sunday 24 July – Staff arrivals
Today staff travelled to BF Adventure in order to set up equipment, prepare catering, accommodation and activities for the two weeks ahead.
Monday 25 July – Candidate arrivals and acclimatisation
Today the finalists travelled to BF Adventure via train and car. Many had very long journeys (e.g. Cumbria, Durham, Cheshire). The group took part in some ice-breakers and team challenges to help settle nerves and encourage relationship-building.
There were no significant issues in getting the group to BF Adventure, save for one or two train delays and Becky Greenough’s flight home from Kenya being pushed back 24 hours.
Tuesday 26 July – Adventurous activities at Swanpool Beach in Falmouth
A fantastic day, which saw the finalists take part in a series of adventurous activities in Falmouth. These were run by Elemental on Swanpool Beach. In the morning, the group tried paddle boarding and kayaking; in the afternoon, our finalists travelled on giant paddleboards across the cove and then took part in some coasteering.
It was brilliant to see our young people take to the activities in such a positive way, particularly as some of them had not taken part in water sports before. Although the environment was challenging and pushed many out of their comfort zones, they showed a huge amount of resilience and perseverance to get stuck in and support each other – with many overcoming personal fears in the process.
Wednesday 27 July – Cornwall Wildlife Trust (day 1) – snorkelling and marine surveys
Today was the first day of our two-day Cornwall Wildlife Trust environmental awareness project. In the morning, the group received an informative brief on Cornwall Wildlife Trust, their work in the county and the various species of wildlife the charity looks after.
Following this, a snorkelling equipment training session was delivered by instructors from the Trust. This was to ensure our young people knew how to snorkel safely, what types of wildlife to look for in the sea, how to record sightings of them accurately and how to signal for help if needed.
After lunch, we packed the minibuses with snorkelling gear and made the short journey to Prisk Cove –approx. 20 mins from our base at BF Adventure. Once kitted up on the beach, the group made their way into the sea for a 45-minute guided snorkelling session. We were accompanied by two extra volunteers from the Trust for safety purposes.
Following the snorkel, the group recorded their wildlife sightings for the SeaSearch project they were taking part in. This data will be used to update Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s own records to spot trends in wildlife / plant-life.
Thursday 28 July – Cornwall Wildlife Trust (day 2) – Looe Island
An early start today for our second day with Cornwall Wildlife Trust as we made the journey to Looe Island (also known as St George’s Island).
On the agenda was a full day on the island nature reserve, taking part in wildlife observations, conservation work and a general overview of the ecology and history of the area.
Upon arrival, the group were taken on a guided walk of Looe Island by its resident wardens, learning much about its rich history. On the south of the island, Cornwall Wildlife Trust ran a SeaQuest seal watching session, which took place before a guided mindfulness activity to take us up to lunchtime.
During the afternoon, the group was split into three teams for some conservation tasks, which involved fruit picking, trench digging and habitat maintenance. Although hard work, the Trust commented on how committed our young people were, as they achieved a huge amount in a relatively short time.
After their return to the mainland, we allowed the finalists some free time in Looe to relax before making the journey back to BF Adventure in time for an evening meal and a campfire.
Friday 29 July – The Eden Project
Today we travelled to The Eden Project, near St Austell, for a carbon storage workshop facilitated by their in house education team.
At the beginning of the day, the group was asked the question “Are trees the solution to climate change?”. They were set the challenge of discovering the answer to that problem through a combination of classroom-based exercises and hands on experiments in the Eden Project biomes.
They were shown how to calculate approximately how much carbon is stored in an average tree, based on species and size, with a view to looking at how many trees would need to be planted worldwide in order to offset our carbon emissions. The group also calculated their own individual carbon footprint as a way to contextualise the experiments.
At the end of the session, our finalists determined that it would not be possible to solve the planet’s carbon emissions simply by planting enough trees to offset them. This was clearly the intended outcome of the workshop and it made for some very thought-provoking discussions around advocacy work, campaigning and lifestyle changes.
After some free time to explore The Eden Project, we travelled back to BF Adventure for an evening meal and discussions around the campfire to reflect on the day’s activities.
Saturday 30 July – ShelterBox (day 1)
Today is the beginning of our two-day ShelterBox experience. The weekend is intended to give our finalists an idea of the challenges refugees around the world face on a daily basis as well as putting them through part of ShelterBox’s response team volunteer training.
During the morning, the group was given an introduction to ShelterBox, the people it helps and an explanation of how the charity responds to disaster and conflict. We were also shown how to operate ShelterBox equipment and put up its tents – these would become the finalists’ accommodation for the weekend.
The afternoon was dedicated to a rotation of three command tasks and setting the following day’s exercise –essentially a scenario-based simulated navigation challenge that required the group to plan a series of routes across Cornwall in teams and overcome various obstacles along the way.
This planning took up much of the evening and so there was no time for a campfire.
Sunday 31 July – ShelterBox (day 2)
Sadly, today’s planned activity was disrupted by a COVID outbreak in the camp and we had to cancel the navigation exercise. Two cadets and two adult staff members, unfortunately, tested positive for COVID and had to leave the expedition. ShelterBox staff members voluntarily agreed to remain onsite to provide
feedback to the group on their performance the previous day and we put in place an improvised programme of team activities in the afternoon to boost morale – after the candidates who had tested positive were safely on their way home.
Monday 1 August – Surfing and Surfers Against Sewage workshop
Following a round of negative COVID tests before breakfast – and much relief – we pressed ahead with the programme. Today’s activities involved a surfing lesson and an environmental awareness course with Surfers Against Sewage – both taking place at Porthtowan Beach on Cornwall’s North Coast.
In the morning, the group received a surfing lesson courtesy of the surf school at Porthtowan: Eskinzo Surf. This would give them the basic skills they would need to put into practice later on in the trip when working with young people at The Wave Project.
Again, by their own admission, some of our young people pushed themselves out of their respective comfort zones during this activity, however once they started to get the hang of surfing and caught their first waves, it was great to see how much they relaxed.
In the afternoon, the finalists took part in an Ocean Awareness Workshop with the campaigning organisation Surfers Against Sewage. This encouraged them to look closely at the impact plastic pollution has on our oceans and ecosystems and involved a beach clean, analysis and a discussion about the lobbying efforts the charity is currently engaged in.
Upon returning to camp at around 1800hrs, the group enjoyed an evening meal and campfire reflection session.
Tuesday 2 August – National Trust volunteering at Trelissick
Today we made the short journey from our base at BF Adventure to the National Trust’s Trelissick site for a day of volunteering with their team of rangers.
On arrival, we hiked from the main car park into an area of the estate where the rangers were working on conservation projects intended to encourage the regeneration of oak trees to the area. After a comprehensive briefing about the estate and its history, the group set to work removing birch trees and bracken.
Our finalists got through a huge amount during the day and were complemented by the ranger team on their work ethic.
Although at first today’s activities seemed to contradict some of the messaging we had received at The Eden Project – carbon storage and offsetting of emissions through tree planting – it showed that conservation work and progress can take many forms.
At the end of the day we allowed for some exploration time of the site before returning to BF Adventure for our evening meal and campfire reflection.
In addition, we were treated to a sea shanty singing experience around the campfire thanks to a local group called Femmes de la Mer. This proved a real highlight and allowed the group to take in some real Cornish heritage and culture.
Wednesday 3 August – Volunteering and mentoring with The Wave Project
Today we travelled to Gwithian Beach (approx. 30 min drive from BF Adventure) to meet a team from The Wave Project, where we would be volunteering for the day.
The Wave Project supports children and young people who experience a range of physical and mental health issues, social deprivation or social isolation. Young people attending their courses are supported through surfing to build confidence and self-esteem, develop resilience, and make friends.
In the morning, our group received a safeguarding training session from The Wave Project’s staff, along with a briefing plan and the opportunity to refresh their surfing skills.
In the afternoon, young people from The Wave Project arrived and were paired with our finalists. Our role would be to facilitate safe recreation in the sea and act as mentors.
It quickly became clear that many of the young people had special educational needs or disabilities, or had experienced trauma in their lives to date. The group quickly made them all feel at ease and did a superb job as mentors. We were extremely proud of their maturity and approach to the task – something that The Wave Project commented on too.
In the case of one young person, we were made aware that this was the first time he had attended a session in Cornwall and he was extremely nervous. Ben, the finalist he was paired with, made sure he had a brilliant time and within minutes, his fears had disappeared.
Thursday 4 August – Via ferrata and navigation exercise on The Lizard
This morning we conducted a focus group session on some of the key findings from the expedition so far. We wanted to remind the finalists that everything we had taken part in during the trip was deliberately connected and had a central theme running through it – ‘Think global, act local’. We also took the opportunity to gather feedback on CVQO and seek their opinions on our development opportunities for young people.
In the afternoon, we planned a guided navigation exercise on The Lizard. We did this as a way to fill the gap left by the second part of the ShelterBox experience and allow the group to plan their own hike around one of the most beautiful areas of the county.
The group were set the challenge of beginning the hike at The Lizard Village and ensuring the reached Kynance Cove by a set time. At this location, we would meet them for fish and chips and find a suitable place to watch the sunset. This proved to be one of the most memorable parts of the trip, as we facilitated an improvised mindfulness and reflection session on the coast.
We returned safely to camp afterwards, conducted a debrief and gave the group the information they would require for our final day.
Friday 5 August – Via ferrata, wrap-ups, reflection and fancy dress
The aim of today was to tie up loose ends, celebrate the group’s achievements over the past two weeks and provoke some reflection on the overall trip theme.
In the morning we booked a via ferrata (iron pathway) session at BF Adventure for the finalists. They took to this with their usual enthusiasm and willingness to overcome fears (many had indicated they did not like heights!).
Once this had been completed, we took the group into Falmouth for some well-earned free time and to gather supplies for the evening’s fancy dress competition.
On our return to camp, we enjoyed an evening of entertainment, courtesy of a talent show the finalists organised themselves, before winding down and taking part in one last fireside reflection session. Many of the group took this opportunity to explain how impactful the experience had been, how they had re-evaluated their life goals and looked closely at their own sense of privilege.
Finalist quotes
“Being a part of the Westminster Award has been, without a doubt, the best experience I’ve ever had. Not only have I made friendships that’ll last a lifetime, but it has also taught me so much about myself and what I’m capable of.
“The Expedition in Cornwall showed all of us the impact we can have on the world and the people around us. Simply put, the Westminster Award has changed me for the better and I am endlessly grateful to have been nominated.”
Grace Taylor – Dorset ACF
“The CVQO Westminster Award has been a truly life changing experience for me. I have learnt so much about myself and the impact I can have on the world.
“It has taught me to enjoy the little things and to recognise moments of positivity even in an overall negative or even positive experience, whether bad or good, there is always a moment to step back and find something beautiful or positive and celebrate it. It doesn’t have to be something shared; it is just a moment to step back and embrace something small.
“Volunteering with the other Westminster Award Finalists has taught me so much about the world and the importance of helping out wherever we can. It was an utterly exhausting trip and all of us challenged ourselves in so many different ways.
“We are extremely privileged to live the comfortable life that we do and there is so much that we can do to help, which is why through the chance CVQO has given us to learn and understand this privilege and what we can do to challenge this and use it to help others. We have the chance to improve our surroundings, both with people and our environment and this trip has truly inspired me to give back and help in every way I can.
Raphaela Deas – St John Ambulance Hove and Hangleton Unit
“You have an opportunity to work with an organisation dedicated to developing young people into the best versions of themselves.
“By working with them you explore what makes a confident you. You do this in a supportive environment which encourages you to make the most of an experience by doing what no one else does – how many people can say they’ve successfully jumped off of a cliff as part of a team building exercise?
“You get the chance to spend two weeks with the most amazing people who you’ll probably be friends with for life. Oh and on top of this, you’ll actually learn how to make a difference in the world, you’ll also be equipped to do so since you’ll be taught how to be an effective team player and leader with the ILM sessions.
Sohail Mohinudeen – Leicester Sea Cadets TS Tiger
“I would say that I have never done anything more rewarding. It has been the best experience of my life and my biggest privilege. I would also advise any young people taking part to not waste any of it and to give everything their all if they are able to get involved.”
Ozzy Taylor – Lincolnshire ACF
“Apart from the educational aspect of gaining btec qualifications you get to take part in a lot of once in a lifetime experiences which you may never get to do otherwise. It is truly a memorable, life changing experience.”
Miles Hayward – Brentwood Sea Cadets
“It’s one of the most amazing experiences where you gain qualifications, meet amazing mew friends and develop yourself as an individual expanding on a range of skills whilst having the opportunity to help out some amazing charities.”
Ben McCartney – Durham ACF
