Cornwall Expedition PXR
Wednesday 26 July – Tuesday 8 August
Intro
The Cadet Vocational College 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 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 good 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 Cadet Vocational College 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 environment, 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 varied and exciting itinerary that combines equal parts of community engagement, environmental awareness, action and adventure. We worked with a fantastic group of partner organisations throughout the trip and are sure that our young people gained a huge amount from the adventure.
Participants 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 team working skills
15 finalists were selected from our initial pool of nominations to take part in the expedition.
Wednesday 26 July
Staff arrival
Staff travelled to BF Adventure in order to set up equipment, prepare catering, accommodation and activities for the two weeks ahead.
tfhursday 27 July
Candidates arrive and acclimatise
Today the finalists travelled to BF Adventure via trains, planes and cars. Many had very long journeys (e.g. Cleveland, Scotland, Merseyside). There were no significant issues in getting the group to BF Adventure.
On arrival the group took part in some ice-breakers and team challenges to help settle nerves and encourage relationship building. They were given a tour of the centre, a comprehensive brief including a fire drill, values and standards, and they received a safeguarding training session.
That evening we had a 2 hour brief from the RNLI on their volunteering work and what the finalists can do to stay safe whilst in and around water.
Friday 28 July
Cornwall Wildlife Trust – snorkelling and marine survey
Today we worked with Cornwall Wildlife Trust on their 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 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 the snorkelling gear and made the short journey to the survey site. Once kitted up on the beach, the group made their way into the sea for a 45-minute guided snorkelling session. For safety purposes, we were accompanied by two extra volunteers from the Trust. Following the snorkel, the group recorded their wildlife sightings for the Sea Search 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.
Saturday 29 July
Adventurous activities at Swanpool Beach in Falmouth
This was a fantastic day which saw the finalists take part in a series of adventurous activities that were run by Elemental on Swanpool Beach. We were hoping to have a giant stand up paddle boarding session, but due to the wind being too strong, the group went sea kayaking in the morning. This did not detract from their challenge and enjoyment. In the afternoon our finalists walked to the cove and took part in an exciting coasteering session.
It was wonderful 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 and weather 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. All of the finalists took part in all of the activities, and the group was starting to bond well.
Sunday 30 July
The Eden Project
On Sunday we travelled to The Eden Project near St Austell to learn more about the impact plants have on the planet. On arrival the finalists were split into three groups and throughout the day they were given a series of tasks where they had to report their findings back to the staff team.
Information required for the tasks was based around different plants and the effect they have on the climate. This was a hands on informative event based in the Eden Project biomes. After some free time to explore The Eden Project, we travelled back to BF Adventure for our evening meal and later that day each group presented their findings. This was followed by discussions around the campfire to reflect on the day’s activities.
Monday 31 July
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 were directed to Roundwood which is an ancient monument that is managed by the National Trust.
Our contact Neil has been maintaining the site for 20 years, and this is the third year that the Westminster Award finalists have worked on the site. The positive impact of previous visits by the Cadet Vocational College Westminster finalists was clear to see, and Neil was very grateful for our support.
We received a safety brief, and were given information on the area and the conservation projects the National Trust are working on and how the work here is intended to encourage the regeneration of oak trees in the area. After our 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 our study at The Eden Project about 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 time for some exploration of the site, and were invited to take part in the archery stand at Trelissick before returning to BF Adventure for our evening meal and campfire reflection.
Our Principal and Vice Principal arrived on site that evening and gave a full and detailed brief on the Cadet Vocational College and the impact of the Westminster Award.
Tuesday 1 August
Navigation exercise at Lands’ End
The group arranged their interview schedule with the Principal and Vice Principal for the coming days and split back into their three groups. They spent the rest of the morning planning a route and writing route cards around West Cornwall, identifying prominent points along the route. After lunch we travelled to Land’s End where the teams took the staff on a 6 mile expedition, briefing them on their findings along the route.
Prominent information included ship wrecks, monuments, land erosion, famous visitors to the area and the support offered by the RNLI.
We were hoping to watch the Land’s End firework display later that evening but due to the inclement weather they were cancelled, but all of the finalists enjoyed their “chippy tea” by the sea, courtesy of the Cadet Vocational College Principal.
Wednesday 2 August
Cornish Seal Sanctuary and Westminster Award promotion
To continue to study the effect humans have on the environment the finalists visited the Cornwall Seal Sanctuary on Wednesday morning. A member of staff from the sanctuary gave us a full and comprehensive talk on the work they do and the impact we have on the Cornish seal population. The staff also showed us how they rescue seals and the challenges that brings. This was an informative and extremely thought provoking morning.
We travelled back to BF Adventure after lunch and the finalists worked on their promotional videos. The weather was still poor so we were unable to enjoy an outside camp fire, so we held our reflection session in the community kitchen.
Thursday 3 August
St Michaels Mount
On Thursday the group travelled to St Michaels Mount where we received a warm welcome and full site brief from one of the St Michaels Mount staff. We learnt about the vast history of the castle and its chapel, identified locations of previous Royal visits, explored the harbour and the amazing well-kept gardens as well as visiting the Steward’s house. As the incoming tide was lapping across our feet during the walk back across the causeway to Marazion beach, we all gained a first-hand understanding of the effect the ocean has on this historic island.
During the journey back the finalists enjoyed a well-deserved ice cream at Porthleven harbour, and on arrival back at BF Adventure they had a hearty dinner followed by some personal admin time. Later that evening we drove down to Land’s End to watch the impressive firework display.
Friday 4 August
Surfers Against Sewage workshop and Surfing
Today’s activities involved an environmental awareness course with Surfers Against Sewage and a surfing lesson with Eskinzo Surf School, both taking place at the picturesque Porthtowan Beach on Cornwall’s North Coast.
In the morning, 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.
In the afternoon, the group received a surfing lesson from Eskinzo Surf School at Porthtowan. 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.
The finalist commented on how much they had enjoyed the day and reflected on the impact we have on the environment. They were all delighted when the Principal delivered ice creams for all to enjoy in the limited good weather. This was followed by a drive back to BF Adventure for dinner and refection on the day around the camp fire.
Saturday 5 August
ShelterBox (day 1)
Today was 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. We were hoping these would become the finalists’ accommodation for the weekend, but sadly the weather was against us.
The afternoon was dedicated to a rotation of three command tasks and setting the following day’s exercise; 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 6 August
ShelterBox (day 2)
We had an early start on Sunday and the three teams were driven to different start locations around Cornwall for their navigation exercise. ShelterBox and Cadet Vocational College staff and Ambassadors supervised each team as they navigated from their drop off points around one of the most beautiful areas of the county aiming to arrive at Camel Farm for lunch.
After lunch the finalists were informed that the scenario had changed and they now had to re plan their routes and liaise with a local driver (ShelterBox staff) who would drive them to their new locations. The groups had to plan a new route and amend their route cards. On completion of the new plans, the groups had to negotiate with the drivers and direct them to alternative locations, interacting with the public to source specific facts relevant to the areas they visited.
The groups arrived safely back to BF Adventure at approximately 18:00hrs, briefed the staff on their findings and received a final debrief from the ShelterBox staff. They were given information they would need for the following day, had dinner and held a refection session around the campfire later that evening.
Monday 7 August
Wrap-up, reflection and Via Ferrata
The aim of today was to tie up loose ends, celebrate their achievements over the past two weeks and provoke some reflection on the overall trip theme. That morning we held a focus group session on some of the key findings from the expedition. 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 gain feedback on Cadet Vocational College and seek their opinions on our development opportunities for young people.
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.
For the afternoon, we booked a via ferrata (iron pathway) session at BF Adventure. This took up most of
the afternoon right up until dinner. Although the via ferrata is challenging, they took to it with their usual enthusiasm and willingness to overcome fears (many had indicated they did not like heights). Once this had been completed, the group presented their expedition videos, had a celebratory dinner, and packed their kit ready for departure on Tuesday.
Finalist quotes
“Cornwall was an amazing experience which allowed me to learn so much about myself and has let me push myself in ways I could never imagine.
“I am truly grateful for everyone who made my experience as amazing as it was and for those who were there to support each and every one of us through the whole process.”
Jessica Williams 233 (Pershore) Squadron RAFAC
“The Cornwall expedition allowed me time to reflect on my leadership and teamwork ability alongside my impact on the local communities and the global environment we all live within.”
Sam Able 2137 (Lymm) Squadron RAFAC
“A watershed moment for me, a period of intense bonding, experiences and exposure to an unadultered level of knowledge and wisdom that will carry me through the rest of my life.”
Varen Gowda Greater London SW Sector ACF, 137 Detachment
“My time in Cornwall was two weeks I will never forget. I had the opportunity to take part in some amazing experiences which have helped me to grow as a person.”
Éva-Stefania Maropakis City of Liverpool Sea Cadets
The Ulysses Trust also wish to thank the generosity of Army Sport for supporting this expedition britisharmysport.com
