Early August 2022, 40 air cadets from across No.2 Sector London Wing (North East London) travelled to Stubbers Outdoor Activity centre in Essex for a weekend residential to carry out adventurous activities to challenge each individual and carry them out of their comfort zone.
Schools closed for the Summer Holidays and was the prime time for air cadets to come together to kick start their summer of fun!
The main activities of the weekend were high Ropes courses, Kayaking, Rock climbing/abseiling and leadership challenges. Every cadet got to try everything, and all gave it a good go! For most, these activities were a first and brought them all together, encouraging teamwork and opening their eyes to the world of adventure.
The cadets were split into 4 teams and would work together throughout the weekend, encouraging each other to complete the various challenges and see each other through the difficult times. The cadets did more than just get a ‘taste’ of the activities and most had a challenge presented to them once the theory aspect was covered. For example on rock climbing, cadets had to climb the rockface using different footholds each time. One task was the stay below 1 meter from the ground but get your whole body off the ground. Proved difficult for most!
On the Kayaking, cadets had to work together to exchange kayaks mid-water. An interesting task which saw many laughs!
The evenings provided the cadets a chance to mingle and get t know each other. It was a very unique setting which many would never experience, sitting under the stars with their friends talking about the good times and experiences during the day.
The final day saw a number of leadership challenges presented to them which really got them thinking. From getting across ‘shark infested custard’ to getting a whole team within a set of large tyres, cadets were having a great deal of fun whilst having their skills tested.
In all, it was a great weekend and cadets certainly got to experience the world of adventure training. For many, the opportunity to undertake such a residential would be non-existent. The Ulysses trust really did enable east London kids to undertake something amazing and give them life experiences that they’ll cherish forever. We do hope that their experiences will lead to increased uptake in adventurous training activities by cadets in East London and encourage them to gain qualifications that will support future generations of cadets. None of this would have been possible without the kind support of the Ulysses Trust.
The Ulysses Trust also wish to thank the generosity of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust for supporting this expedition. www.rafct.com
